Do you feel like you’re missing out on holiday sales? Are you seeing all of the art markets and open studio events come and go? Without you participating in them?
Here’s one thing you can do right now to still get in on the sales action: bundle.
I’m not talking about bundling-up in a warm Pendleton blanket. I’m talking about bundling 2-3 things that you create that would make a fabulous gift for someone. And then offering it to people you know or that follow you.
Even if you did participate in a holiday market, you can still add to your sales this year with bundling. It works because there’s more perceived value on the buyer’s part. And it helps to lessen the pain of shopping for your buyers.
You’re helping people find what they need as gifts during an already stressful giving season.
For artists, this means you’re helping people to buy something that’s handmade, support a small business (that’s you) and possibly buy locally. Those are motivators for a lot of our sales as artists and makers.
Here’s how you do it:
Create an irresistible bundled offer.
Bundle a group of 2-3 things that would make a great gift. For example a piece of art + a frame and + free shipping.
To be clear, by irresistible, I don’t mean you have to offer it at a discount. You can create a bundle where people don’t easily know the cost of the individual parts but it’s still seen as a deal.
For example, if your bundled gift offering includes a painting, a t-shirt and a limited edition enamel pin, your buyers can likely figure out how much the print and t-shirt cost but the limited edition enamel pin may be something you give to collectors or use in your promotions so it’s individual price might not be readily available. This is especially helpful to you if you already have something that’s a perk you give collectors or promotional item already available.
For many artists, it is helpful to create a bundle that offers a little bit of a discount. This is great for you because you earn more overall and it’s helpful for your buyers because they’re getting a deal.
As an example, if your bundled gift offering is three prints, your buyers can easily find out what those cost individually. So offering them for a few dollars less than if they were purchased individually, can make for a better deal to the buyer. And you sell more work overall.
How this might look:
Individual prints are $35 each. If you purchased three of them individually, it costs $90.
But with a bundle: Three prints are bundled for $75 which is a clear savings of $15.
A few bundle examples...
Offer a print and set of note cards together. The incentive here is that the cost for both is a little less than if you bought them individually.
With every original piece you buy, you also get a custom, limited edition ornament. Or maybe you offer free shipping, installation or framing instead of an ornament.
Look for examples of bundling in action throughout the year in traditional retail situations. Ever seen a set of 6 nail polishes packaged and sold together? They’re selling for less than what they’d sell for individually but the company is selling more of them with each sale.
You can do this kind of thing, too. It’s a lot more fruitful for you income-wise and you’re helping people find gifts!
So get creative with making your bundle. Ask yourself, out of everything you make and offer, what would your ideal collector love as a bundled gift? Then use that to help guide you bundled offer creation.
Let everyone know about it.
Now that you’ve made an irresistible bundled offering of the amazing things you create, start telling people about it. Here are eight ways you can do that:
Email your email contacts.
Ask your contacts to forward it to those that might be interested.
Post the offer to social media - a lot and in lots of different ways.
Share lots of different photos of it on social media.
Direct message it to people to let them know about it.
Post it on your website.
Do a Facebook live stream video or Instagram story featuring it and who it’d be a great gift for.
Verbally tell everyone you run into about it - at every grocery store visit or social gathering.
Make it dead easy to buy.
Make sure you can send someone a link to pay you immediately. This might mean a link to PayPal.me or a link to a web page where you have it. Make it a quick and easy streamlined way for people to buy your awesome bundle.
While people begin to really feel the need for gifts as December 25th and Hanukkah get closer and closer, know that bundles work all year long. This is a sales technique you can use again and again to help your buyers get what they need and to help you earn more with each sale.
What would your bundle look like?
Let me know in the comments. And, I encourage you to post your questions there, too.
Cheers,
Kate