Etsy Seller Interview with Keren of KerenDenisCom

How KerenDenisCom 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 name is Keren Denis; I am a designer, a graduate of WIZO Graphic Design College in Haifa, Israel, and the owner of a design studio located in Jezreel Valley, Israel, for some 20 years. I opened my Etsy store somewhere in 2017, but for a year I didn't do anything with it; I didn't think too much. I just opened a shop, and then I found out it's not that simple. So I took a crash course in managing an Etsy store, and that's how I started uploading products to the store in a not-very-professional way.

Because the business was already relatively old, there were a lot of products in stock, so when I uploaded products, I uploaded about 300 products at once. Most of the products are still sold today. It is not easy to produce a product in Israel; the costs are very expensive both in production and in shipping abroad. Nevertheless, once there is a product that is of high quality with very high care for product durability, customer service with personal attention is what, in my opinion, makes all the difference.

Favorite items

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

My best-selling products are undoubtedly my vinyl products. My rugs and table tops are made of ecological recycled materials, are hypoallergenic, which is a great solution for dust mite allergy and asthma sufferers, are non-toxic (azo-free and lead free), and all have a seal of approval by the Israeli and European standards institutes. They are isolated from heat and cold, anti-slip, non-flammable, very easy to clean, and extremely durable indoors or outdoors. I have a huge variety of designs to suit any home style. 

Oriental style: old-looking tiles that can be custom ordered to cover your kitchen floor

Gold curve heat resistant placemats, leather-like print dinnerware, and table decor:

Terrazzo round heat-resistant placemats, Scandinavian style table decor that can be also used as a centerpiece or can cover the whole table with a custom order:

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 don't remember exactly how long it took until I made the first sale, but I just remember that it took a long time. In the beginning, the orders were not consecutive; it could have been two purchases in a month. I was really on the verge of giving up. Then I made a decision that I would invest a little more in uploading pictures with direct links to Pinterest. I simply uploaded lots and lots of pictures, and for each picture, I put a direct link to the product in the Etsy shop.

I believe that's when things began to move and more people entered the store. A blogger from France bought terrazzo pattern wallpaper from me and published it on her blog, and that day I sold about 7,000 dollars worth of it in one hour! only products with a terrazzo print. It was crazy. I realized the potential and invested more and more in uploading more materials to Pinterest and social networks, and I realized that I just had to let it go. Release it to the network and wait; it will come. Also, at the same time, the service of automatically sponsored advertising through Etsy for shop owners began, so I guess that also contributed to the awakening in my store.

Managing KerenDenisCom

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'm a one-woman show. I do everything by myself; my family and good friends help me during the holidays when there are lots and lots of orders, but basically, everything is made in a local factory, so all I do is design, photograph, advertise, and ship the product. It's not easy, but it's doable. It's a job like any other, and I've been doing it for quite a few years now. The COVID-19 crisis and the changes it has brought to the world in terms of global shipping, shipping, and tax costs have risen, causing people to buy less. 

The future of KerenDenisCom

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

I hope that soon the sales will return to the way they were and people will feel more confident in ordering a product from abroad, receiving it on time, and, of course, being satisfied with the value of what they paid.

Advice for new sellers

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

Be patient. Visual content and social media distribution take time, effort, and collaboration. Invest in video production for each product to show the customer as much as possible about the product they're interested in. Give as much detail and information as possible about the product and its benefits.