Etsy Seller Interview with Lucie of lucieheaton

How lucieheaton 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?

Hey, I’m Lucie Heaton. I’m a freelance cross-stitch designer. I’ve been designing patterns for magazines, books, and cross-stitch kit manufacturers from around the world for almost 30 years! I also sell downloads of my previously published designs as well as new creations on my website, www.lucieheaton.com, which I established in 2006.

I opened my Etsy shop in 2015 to reach a wider audience and also cater to my customers based in the EU. When the VAT rules regarding the sale of digital products came into force, Etsy provided me with an easy solution to make these sales, as Etsy calculates and deals with the associated fees. It would have been technically difficult to process through my website.

My products are digital cross stitch charts to download and print at home (or increasingly, work from home using a device). My charts feature designs created from my own original artwork and can be used by stitchers to unleash their own creativity and make a wide range of items such as cards, personalized gifts or home decor.

Favorite items

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

Some of my favorite and bestselling items are my Winter Robins, Santa Christmas Cards and my cozy Winter Cottage pattern. It’s always a pleasure to work on festive projects as Christmas is such an important time in the cross-stitch community. It’s a time when stitchers are usually at their busiest, creating wonderful cards, gifts and ornaments for loved ones or for themselves.

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?

When I opened my Etsy shop, I was lucky to have an already established mailing list and social media following, so as soon as I let my customers know it was there, I began making sales. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how many customers were attracted by Etsy’s own search and this really expanded my reach. I currently attract customers to my Etsy shop using a combination of email marketing, Etsy ads, and SEO, as well as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I also have a thriving Facebook group where stitchers share their progress and finished creations using my designs.

As my work is published regularly in cross stitch magazines, this also helps to bring customers to my Etsy shop.

Managing lucieheaton

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 currently manage my shop by myself, although I have previously worked with virtual assistants and social media marketing specialists. I like to keep things relatively simple and mainly use the following apps and tools:

Etsy app and desktop software: I can completely maintain my business using the Etsy app and desktop program. I can respond quickly to messages on my phone, which has enabled me to become a Star Seller, which I’m very proud of. I tend to set up my listings with the desktop version, which is just easier for me to see!

Photoshop Elements: I use this to edit images for my product listings and then also incorporate the same images into my newsletters and social media posts.

Mailchimp: This is my system for managing my mailing list and letting all my contacts know about new products or offers in my Etsy shop.

Canva: I find it really useful for incorporating my product images into layouts I can share on social media.

With regard to shipping and fulfillment, I recently took the decision to stop selling cross stitch kits or any other physical items and concentrate purely on digital products. This has given me a massive amount of freedom to manage my business from home or away as most of my items are provided by automatic download, apart from personalised children’s name designs, which I love working on!

The future of lucieheaton

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

My goals for the future are to optimize and improve all my many listings so that they are in tip-top shape for customers and Etsy search; I try to make sure I respond to any queries by also adding that information to my listings for future customers; and lastly, I aim to keep my standard of customer service at the highest possible level as a Star Seller!

Advice for new sellers

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

I would advise anyone starting an Etsy shop to take time to learn how Etsy works and make sure that your listings are optimised. I’ve found it useful to create draft listings that work as templates. This saves time as well as gives continuity to my product listings. Try to listen to your customer queries and save the answers to your frequently asked questions in ‘Snippets’ in Etsy messages. If you’re lucky enough to have lots of customers, which equals lots of questions, this will save you lots of time!

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: 2.6