7 Signs Shows You Need An E-commerce Website For Handmade Business

Website Advice

Jun 16

Written By Min

Have you already started your handmade business, and are wondering if it is the time to start an e-commerce site? Keep reading; I'll help you figure it out.

You’re Building Your Online Presence Via Social Media Or YouTube

If you consistently share your content via social video or on any other platforms, it is great to invest in a business website.

You never know if one of your followers or viewers will love your work so much and place an order on your site.

“Why can’t I just build a shop on a handmade marketplace, to sell my product?”

There are many other sellers on these marketplaces, and your audience might get distracted by other sellers because there’s a similar product section on the website. Besides, many of these users are “hunting for the lowest price”.

For example, Etsy’s goal is to make a sale for one of their sellers, so their site is not designed to make a sale for your business only.

In addition, these platforms charge a high fee for product listing and service costs.

With a business website, you can sell more of your brand stories and value, and that makes it easier to charge a premium fee for your work.

You’re Paying For Social Media Ads

I have seen some handmade business owners paying for social media ads, but redirect the audience to Etsy shop.

If you have the budget for ads, why not use it for an e-commerce website?

With a business website, you can build your email audience, your audience does not buy it from you now, maybe he/she will in the future. Even if they don’t subscribe to your newsletter, you can check the website analytics to know their behaviors, like which product they visited, or they leave the site after 2 seconds.

These behaviors leave a trace and you can improve your site, whether the user flow, product design, or strategy, so your money is not thrown into the water.

If you redirect the audience to the Etsy website, only Etsy knows who they are and what they do.

You’re Getting Consistent Sales

If you already have consistent sales from a handmade marketplace like Etsy, you need to have an online website.

Don’t get me wrong, you can still have your store on Etsy with a business website link on your Etsy page. That way, more and more people know your site and they might place an order there.

You can have more product promotions on your brand website or even have some exclusive product listings and discounts.

You Want To Expand Your Business

Many artists also have sales channels in the physical stores around the areas where they live. If you want to expand your business and reach more people, the easiest way is to set up an online store. By doing so, you can reach more people and you are not limited to just one area or one type of audience.

One of my past client’s design styles only interests a specific group of people. She had her online shop because she wanted to reach more audiences of the same taste.

You Want To Charge A Premium Price

Do you wonder why all those high-end brands can charge a premium price? Why do high-end brands always have beautiful shop setups?

One of the reasons is “branding”. Make your business a brand, tell people why you are different, and why they should buy from you.

Most people would not see you as a real business if you don’t have a business website. They would not pay a premium price if you didn’t invest in your business first.

If you want to charge higher prices, or you don’t want your work to be undervalued, setting up a business website helps!

You Want To Make a Stronger Connection With Your Audience

Once you have a business website, you can share more about your brand and behind-the-scenes stories, which helps make a connection with your audience.

Research shows that emotions play a significant role in purchasing decisions. Your brand website helps your business.

Social media can also help build the connection, but your website content is much easier to read. The social media posts are very time-sensitive and not very organized.

You Want To Stop Price Competition

Listing your handmade products on online marketplaces makes it easy for your potential customers to compare your products with other sellers, in terms of price and design, which can make competition more intense.

If you have your website, site visitors won’t get distracted. They will focus only on your site content while scrolling the page. You can also control how you want to present your products on the page, the page design layout, and what information you want to highlight.

Conclusion: It Might Be The Time To Build Your Ecommerce Website

If your current business fits one of the signs listed in this post, it is now a great time to build an e-commerce website. You can run your business website and your store on the marketplace at the same time.