How BonneNouvelleUK got started
Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?
Hello, my name is Adele!
I own, design, and illustrate for Bonne Nouvelle, a small, independent paper goods company that specializes in pop culture greeting cards. Inspired by trends, humor, and pop culture icons, I illustrate all of our cards in my home studio in Nottingham, UK. Originally from Canada, I moved to the UK in 2014 to study furniture and product design. I started Bonne Nouvelle in 2019 as a side project alongside my "real" design job, but with 2020 being the year of the "pandemic pivot", I decided to quit my job to do cards full time. In 2022, I became a mum, and I’m loving being able to run my business and being home to take care of my baby!
When I first started, I was selling my cards to online retailers such as Moonpig, Thortful, etc., where I uploaded my designs and they printed and shipped off the cards to customers. However, as my business grew, I began to crave being able to have a physical product that I could send out on my own. To me, this felt much more like having a "real business." I had a limited stock printed in 2019, opened my Etsy shop, and to my amazement, orders started coming in from all over the world! It was such a great feeling, especially those first orders in the early days.
As my business has grown, I've decided to focus on the UK/Irish market for my Etsy, but I will continue to ship wholesale orders worldwide. I use all UK suppliers to source my envelopes, POS, branding, packaging etc. I have my cards professionally printed in bulk by a UK company, and I emboss all of our envelopes with the Bonne Nouvelle logo in-house, as well as brand our shipping envelopes with a logo stamp (to keep all packaging eco-friendly and recyclable). I also use branded ‘card catch stickers’ instead of cellophane wrap to reduce single-use plastic, and it also allows another opportunity for branding!
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
Because my designs are based on pop culture, the best-selling cards are constantly in flux depending on what shows, films, musicians, etc. are popular at the minute. Greeting cards are also quite seasonal, so my best sellers during December will be different than those in June!
That being said, some of my favorite designs which have been "evergreen" hits are the following:
Getting sales on Etsy
How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?
Funnily enough, my first sale on Etsy was for an order going to my hometown in Canada, which seemed a bit serendipitous as I live across the world now! I believe it came within my first week of being open and I still remember how excited I was when it came in!
I attract customers to my shop with Etsy ads during busy periods when I know lots of people are shopping for cards (Christmas, Valentine’s, etc). Otherwise, I try to choose effective tags when I first upload and let Etsy bring the customers to me!
Managing BonneNouvelleUK
How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?
I use a tool called Multiorders as inventory management between my Etsy, my website, and my wholesale orders. When I receive a shipment of cards from the printers, I pack them in their bundle with an envelope and card catch sticker to keep them together. This is how I store my stock so that when I get an order, I can grab the card and stick it in a shipping envelope with a thank you leaflet, and it’s ready to send out. I use Royal Mail Click and Drop to create shipping labels, which I print on my 4x6" label printer. I then drop all orders off at the post box or post office in the morning. During the busy season, I will make a second post run at the end of the day so that orders can go out quicker to my customers! I have the Etsy app on my phone, so I can answer any customer queries as and when they come in.
The future of BonneNouvelleUK
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
I would love to get to a place where sales throughout the year are a bit more even. Because greeting cards are so seasonal, the majority of my sales come during Q1 and Q4, with Q3 particularly being slow. In some ways, this is a blessing as it gives me lots of down time to recuperate and restock, but it would be lovely if things were a bit more even!
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Look at other Etsy shops in your category that are doing well and gain inspiration! How do they write their descriptions and showcase their products? In particular, how do they create "trust" with their customers to make someone feel good about making a purchase? Dodgy, badly lit photos and scattered, misspelled descriptions will not inspire confidence in your brand, so make sure everything is spot on; attention to detail is key!
Finally, having great product photography is critical. The SEO/tags will bring the customers in, but the photography will get you the click. Drive things home with great customer service and try to have a speedy dispatch time, as customers love getting their orders quickly!
BonneNouvelleUK
Pop culture inspired greeting cards
