Etsy Seller Interview with Becca of KenmoreRd

How KenmoreRd 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?

I am so excited to introduce my Etsy shop, KenmoreRd. I was inspired to create products that hopefully can bring a bit of light and sparks of happiness to everyday living.  I wanted to focus on products that are high-quality, affordable, and can be the little things that give you a boost each day, whether it’s a fun sticker for your notebook, Kindle, or water bottle, or a home decor piece that transports you. The idea was that the products would ideally be focused on celebrating fun, wonder, and the magic of the small moments. I have stickers, art prints, a few needlepoints, and a few gift items, mostly. 

I create my products using a mix of hand-drawn art and AI inspiration. I have found that blending the two allows me to create something truly personal in inspiration and hopefully in execution. I source my products by working to find vendors who pride themselves on high-quality items that last, ideally with a focus on sustainability and eco-friendly materials.

Favorite items

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

My favorite items - I have a few, I’ll be honest. One of my favorites is our very fun line of personalized luggage tags. These tags bring together a choice of fun Kawaii designs (kittens, lion cubs, dinosaurs - there’s also a disco cat option!) and quality materials so you can give your whole family’s luggage a fun upgrade. 

Recently, I saw a few of these at the airport. I was so excited to see my products in real life being used by customers. The family bought them to celebrate a trip and get everyone excited - so cool! I’m hoping to create more designs, including custom designs, so groups can have theme tags for their trips to wherever their adventures take them.

The store started with the “Unicorn Club” of designs - these are little kawaii animals all in unicorn onesies having fun riding bikes, jumping on trampolines, traveling, etc. It all started with the kittens, but thanks to customer input, we started adding pandas, lion cubs, and more. Some of our bestsellers are now available in a sample sheet, but I’m adding new designs all of the time, including on things like journals, so hopefully, there’s always something fun and new to look at. Both of these really are the store’s bestsellers.

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 was completely blown away when I got my first sale - it was probably two weeks after I opened the shop, and what floored me was that it wasn’t someone I knew! This person I had never met bought a few of my stickers, and I ran around the store I was in, showing first my sister and then everyone else who happened to be around me! 

I work to attract new customers to my store through a combined effort of creating engaging listings (ideally using compelling keywords and great tags) and fresh and accurate product images and then leveraging social media, including Instagram and Pinterest, to help tell my story and showcase our items. The largest traffic comes from Etsy itself, but second would be Pinterest, thanks in large part to Alura.

Managing KenmoreRd

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?

Right now, my shop is me and my two cats, who act as office managers, and I get creative input from my 12-year-old daughter. I love trying out tools. I have been using Alura for a few months and have been happy. I have found the Pinterest listing feature to be a lifesaver to help me get great pins out onto Pinterest and broaden my audience. I also use eRank, Google Trends, and ChatGPT for research and because they’re fun. The lion’s share of my shipping and fulfillment is currently through my production partners. While I do some fulfillment from home, I expect that this may present some scaling issues in the future - if I’m lucky!

The future of KenmoreRd

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

I would love to have my shop be a place where people can come to browse and see designs and products that make them smile and where customers feel confident will be something they’ll be excited to get either for themselves or as a gift. 

Advice for new sellers

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

I’ll be honest - I put off starting my shop for a while because I was worried about people not wanting what I created or that I would just spin my wheels spending hours without it going anywhere. I realized if I wanted to do this, I needed to approach it like a business and lean into the expertise that is out there to help you.

First, I think it’s important to recognize that a successful shop is a business. Create a written plan for yourself that you can use to keep you aligned with your goals. For me, that meant I created a product strategy and a communications strategy to help me stay focused. Know that it can take time to build a business, and make sure you’re comfortable with that. Line up a few cheerleaders for yourself, as it never hurts to have a few people who will pump you up if you need it.

Second, leverage the expertise and especially the tools that are out there. Professionally, I’ve been in marketing and engagement consulting for years, and I have always loved exploring new tools and doing research. I think the tools that are out there are amazing and can help with inspiration for new product ideas, inform your keyword choices, help you optimize designs and listings, and help you feel more confident in the business decisions you need to make. 

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: My conversion rate currently is 1%. I’m still pretty new at this and am hopeful to fine-tune my product strategy and refine my marketing to increase it to 2-3% this year.