Etsy Seller Interview with Alice Jane of Giftsmilee

How Giftsmilee 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?

My store started in the first April of 2019. I am the founder of the store. The reason why I started selling stationery like washi tapes, stamps can be traced from my childhood. When I was a child, I had a blank sticker book always collecting cute stickers. The more I collected, the happier I was. I am definitely a big fan of cute paper items.

Because I like paper items very much and they are light and easy for production, therefore this is a good start to begin with my business. I can share my joy and excitement with paper items with those lovers in Etsy too.

My goal of my store is to bring the latest items that are produced all around the world and let lovers have a first glimpse and purchase of them. Paper items that lovers have never seen before can lighten their joy of life in the world.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

My favorites items are those stickers and washi tapes. The wide variety of graphics on the  items capable for multiple purposes, including bullet journal or diaries. Through the use of stickers and tapes, the journal becomes unique and stylish. It definitely makes everyday happier as the crafted journal is used everyday.

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?  

I had the first sale after 3 days from the opening of my store. The most important thing to attract customers is how you shape your brand to customers. Each store has its own style and same as I. 

Brand means good images, including  items and services. Both are essential components of a store. A good purchasing experience is the topmost goal to achieve. Almost 70% of customers are those that re-purchase from us.

Managing Giftsmilee

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 am the founder of the store and I do have a few staff to handle different operation tasks from day to day. Though I am a professional at design, I still learn programming to make my own system to maintain all the business issues, including shipping, fulfillment, membership scheme. These are challenging but once you learn it, there are many things you can do with it. I can then build more functions that cater for customers.

The future of Giftsmilee

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

My current goal is to have more categories and items in the store. I guess 2000-3000 series of items, probably 6000-8000 variants. At the same time, I will try to set up more selling platforms globally. I will have a bigger warehouse and recruit more people who have the same goal as me to work together.

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

I think a new seller should build more categories and items that are available inside the store for sales. Though the experience and skills are not sufficient, they can build up from time to time.

So, don’t give up and be confident in yourself. and keep fun from selling. You will find your own selling style after you experience more, that will make you be more competitive in the market.