What Can You Do When Your Sales Are Slow? – A Guide for Crafters

Drops in sales are normal.

Unlike a salary or wage that you get every month, your crafting business will have ups and downs.

This is not unusual and how things usually work in the real world.

Think about garden centres. They get most of their sales in the summer and are quiet in winter.

In nature apples don’t grow all year round and for many business owners sales are not constant.

I see many crafters panicking on social media when their sales are slow for even a few days.

But I do understand that it can be scary, especially if your business is your only source of income.

Remember there are many reasons why sales slow down and it’s are probably affecting everybody, not just you.

I say this, not to sound like “just be quiet, you’re not the only one having problems.”

I say this so you know that you are not alone.

Here are some reasons why your sales may have slowed down.

1. Time of year – We have just had a load of public holidays and summer is finally here. Statistics show that in the summer, unless you are a garden centre or sell holiday stuff, sales can slow down.

Why? Because people are away on holiday or taking a break.

This also means a break from buying stuff.

Good weather will motivate your customers to spend more time outdoors. They won’t be inside indulging their buying impulses.

What can you do about it?

• Go with the flow. Plan your product offerings, if you can, and sell some seasonal products.

When there is good weather, sell your summer stuff like –

• Summer jewellery,

• Natural sunscreens,

• Cooling foot balms,

• Refreshing bath and body products

So even if customers are not buying as much, you still have the products they need for summer.

2. Economic downturns. It’s true, people are watching what they spend. But people are still spending because they still need things.

How can you help your customers to keep buying the products they love?

A discount alone may not be enough motivation to make a purchase.

For instance, say you hate chocolate. A discount of 75% off a high end chocolate brand won’t motivate you to buy.

Why? Because you don’t want that product. You hate chocolate.

You cannot make people buy stuff they don’t want.

But there is good news. Find a product that your customers love and offer an extra incentive to buy it.

• Offer a free gift or a discount with your best selling products. This should be enough to help you make sales when times are tough.

• But don’t go too crazy with discounting. You can end up training your customers to only buy when you have a sale.

3. Keep reminding your customers that you are still around.

It can be hard to find the motivation to advertise or post on social media when sales are slow.

But that is exactly what the big boys do when they have a dip in sales.

• Keep posting on social media.

• Keep making video content, if that is something you do.

• Revive your email subscriber list. Email is a great way to stay in touch with your customers.

4. Be innovative.

If you can develop something new and desirable, it will have a unique value.

That way you won’t feel the need to compete with others.

Create something amazing and new to excite your customers.

5. And lastly…… keep being the amazing crafter, maker and human being that you are.

Even if sales are slow, keep making and use the time to be productive.

• Get on top of admin stuff. You know that if you let “paper work” pile up it can easily get out of control. Use the quiet times to get it done.

• Start an email list. According to research email can have a 40x return on investment. Now is a good time to start and grow an audience.

• Get out in nature. We all need a break and a walk in the park or time in the garden is a great way to recharge.

• Don’t lose heart. Don’t give up. Get inspired! Visit your favourite places and do things to boost your creative energy.

• Keep being awesome. Make your best and most beautiful stuff and your customers will love it and won’t be able to resist.

If you found this post useful or have any suggestions, please let us know in the comments.

Thanks for reading 🙂