BUSINESS: Advice From Mary Portas Part 2

Continuing on from last week's Business post examining Mary's advice, this week we look at the other points Mary raised, namely: product adjacencies and status stories.

"3) Think about product adjacencies on your sites. Yours are all over the place. I noticed an absolutely gorgeous necklace that was placed next to an odd glass painted tile – what is that saying about the necklace? Segment the range to lifestyle and end use."

So, what does product adjacencies mean? Broadly speaking, this means deciding which products should be placed close to one another. In Mary’s advice, it may be the case that she is referring to the front page of one of the many handmade marketplaces and not the websites of individual designer-makers. From that stand point, this would seem to be aimed at the people who curate Treasuries on websites such as Etsy and the people who administer pages for on-line selling venues. However, product adjacencies apply to individual sellers as well as marketplaces such as Etsy.

Think of your home page as a shop window display. Where possible, place items next to each other that are related and tell a story, (this will also help tell your product’s status story which we look at below). Next time you go into a department store, take a look at the displays and look at the way products are matched together and how that makes them look "complete". A mannequin will be dressed in a whole outfit instead of random items that are mismatched.

Shop windows recreate room settings to give you an idea of how your own home could look if you bought the same items; the same principle should be applied to your homepage. Create a feeling of lifestyle and your beautiful handmade items will look more attractive to buyers. This may not appear possible for designers who make one or two types of products and if this is the case think about how you photograph your products instead. For example, if you only make cushions, take photos of them in an actual living room setting.

Beach Life Cushions by Angel Lifestyle

 La Cafetiere cosie by MrsB

If you make only jewellery but don't have access to a model, your jewellery can be photographed on a dressing table surrounded by relevant props, a vase of flowers and a mirror instead. Good photography and correct product placement can make all the difference.

Jewellery by Catherine Marche
(website/shop)

Above all be creative!

"4) Pricing – you say in your letter that you’d like handmade to be a “viable, affordable choice”. If I am honest, at first sight some of the pricing seems quite premium. I find £25 for three egg cosies a bit steep. However if under the product there was a beautiful design, fabric and source story which I as a customer can pass onto my friends, then I might not shirk at that cost. Remember Status Stories are the new Status Symbols replacing logos, brands and general bling."

Contrary to first inspection, this point isn't about pricing but about the fact that designer-makers and handmade brands need to make it clear to the customer WHY they should pay "£25 for 3 egg cosies" or whatever the price in question may be. This is where the concept of the status story comes in. So, what is a status story? A status story is, essentially, the story of your brand/product which helps to carve out its niche and make it desirable and a must have product.

Handmade products lend themselves well to the concept of the status story because they tend to be more unique by their very nature and many handmade products can easily be tailored specifically for the customer (bespoke). Let's take "uniqueness" as an example, we now live in a society where people strive to be individual and unique, conformity is definitely passé and, as an extension of this, many people desire and want products that no one else has, that say something about them as an individual. Similarly, many more consumers these days are looking for eco-friendly products which support their eco-conscious ethos and this is another area in which handmade delivers, with many handmade products being made with recycled, up-cycled and reclaimed materials.

Let's look at some of the status stories which may apply to handmade products such as Mary's egg cosies:

• Uniqueness/Customisability: handmade especially for the customer (bespoke).
• Eco-friendly: made with recycled, up-cycled materials.
• Supporting local economy: made locally (cuts down carbon footprint), made in the UK (national pride).
• Fair trade: assurance that the products aren’t made by someone who isn't paid a fair wage and forced to work in awful conditions.
• Child labour: assurance that they aren’t made by children as some of the high street offerings are reported to be?

The Status Story is a powerful tool, so tell the story of your products!

We look at the other points Mary raised "selling online" and "PRs" in this Business article.