Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
We developed what we thought was a unique bracelet concept — hand wrapped wire bracelets that sat on the top of the wrist. Using social media and Shopify, we were able to quickly bring the product to market. My family owns a manufacturing factory, which had recently fallen on hard times due to overseas competition. We were able to re-purpose the equipment for the manufacturing of the new bracelets. I'm proud to say all of our pieces are made in the USA.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
We first launched our wholesale business and debuted in August 2014 at a trade show in NYC. We're currently carried in over 900 retailers in the US + our e-commerce business is now 18% of revenue and +775% year-over-year (Q1 '15 vs. Q1 '16). Wholesale remains our largest channel but our e-commerce is growing at a much faster rate. We see both channels as important and they complement each other in many ways. Digital marketing and social media remain important tools for us.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
Receiptful for follow-up emails / abandoned cart; Four Sixty for a shop-able Instagram; Shippo for fulfillment; Wish List to create a customer wish list; Sweet Tooth for our loyalty program. We leverage the factories shipping department, although we've had to significantly upgrade our systems to handle our e-commerce growth. We've enjoyed using Shippo as the rates are competitive and the auto fulfillment is fantastic!
What are your top recommendations for new store owners?
I'm a die-hard Shopify fan! It's had a dramatic impact on our overall business and it's allowed us to build an e-commerce platform without having prior knowledge or allocating significant resources.