Etsy Seller Interview with Glyn of Widemouthsmiles

How Widemouthsmiles 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 Etsy shop is Wide Mouth Smiles, and I sell personalised gifts and prints for birthdays, weddings, and all other moments in life when you want to put a smile on someone's face by giving them a gift from the heart. From the start, I wanted to make gifts that were different, affordable, and of high quality. I have always made party products. When my children had parties, I loved to create favour bags and party items that were fully themed and personalized, and my products grew from that. I researched the kind of items I would like to sell and thought about how I could make them better, more affordable, or both.

I spend a lot of time researching and sourcing items to help me create my products, but be aware that buying wholesale isn't always the best option—sometimes items end up costing the same (or more) when you factor in VAT and postage. Sometimes you can buy something cheaper elsewhere. Once I have all my components, I make up a number of the same gifts, ready to be personalised once the orders come in.

It was trickier when I first started because I didn't know what would sell well and what wouldn't, so I had to be ready to make up sometimes 10 completely different gifts, which wasn't very time-efficient. However, I don't think I would or could have done anything differently, as this was necessary to see what was popular. Now, it's much easier and more time-efficient, as I can make up, say, 20 of a certain gift and less of another so that I always have some "pre-orders," according to how popular they are, ready to be personalised and sent out. I can also make up components beforehand, such as glueing the ribbons to the boxes in bulk, sticking the labels to bottles, and pre-preparing as many items as possible, ready to "pick" when I need them.

Favourite items

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

My favourite items are my birthday/Mother of the Bride survival kits, just because I think they say everything a mom wants to hear and they're so pretty, so I love making them up. They were also my best-selling items when first introduced, but have now been taken over by the groom's gift bags, which, by a long shot, are now my best sellers.

I think they are my best sellers because they say everything that brides want to tell their husbands-to-be. They're budget-friendly but cute. The brides don't really need to buy anything else such as cufflinks, engraved glasses, socks, hip flasks, etc., though if they DO want to buy these things, then this gift can be added as the "final touch," along with the other gifts that make the gift ultimately flexible in how it's used or given.

Birthday survival kits for mom, granny, sister, daughter, wife, etc., and also the mother of the bride or groom:

Groom survival kit: 

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 honestly can't remember, but I think it was a slow trickle, but fairly early on. I try to keep updated by watching tutorials on the things that are recommended, i.e., adding new listings regularly, updating current listings, and reviewing old ones. Take the best photos you can and add videos, promote on social media, create sales coupons, and update shop announcements.

Managing Widemouthsmiles

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?

Yes, it's just me! Although during busy times like Christmas, I have casual help. For shipping, I use two methods, depending on my needs. Royal Mail (UK) is fantastic for sending tracked mail, and I recently discovered their fantastic collection service, which has been invaluable while recovering from a torn ligament and being unable to drive to the sorting office! So when I'm quiet and don't have so many orders, I use this method.

If I don't need to send parcels tracked and/or I'm inundated with orders, shipping labels via Etsy were an amazing find that I wasn't aware of until at least a couple of years into selling with Etsy; they are so much easier and quicker to use because I can print address labels out directly onto sticky labels and mark the order complete all in one click. Obviously, the parcels then need to be taken to a sorting office instead of being collected, but it's worth it when you have lots to get out of it.

I don't use many tools or apps. I did use Marmalead at the beginning; it was a really important learning tool to understand how to best use keywords. I would recommend taking a look. In fact, thank you for reminding me; I think I might do a top-up session!

The future of Widemouthsmiles

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

I now have the confidence to fulfil larger quantities, so I would like to raise my sales and also sell more digital download products, which I am in the process of designing.

Advice for new sellers

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

1.  Batch everything!  This was some advice that I read when I started my business, and it's so true. Don't do one of something when you could do ten or twenty; it's far more efficient. When you're in a rush to get an order out, you will really thank yourself!

2. Make customer service a priority. People get so fed up with companies treating them poorly. Bad customer service has always been a bugbear of mine, so providing good customer care was also something I wanted to achieve in any case.

3. Add a product, think of a variation of that product, and add that the next day. Continue building a product base and variations.

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

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: My orders are quite seasonal, but my revenue for last year was £18,892.

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 28%

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: Yearly average 2.1%