Chasing Our Sales: Riding the Long Tail

Distance selling, or online selling as it's more commonly known, is a constant cause for discussion and debate in the craft sector.

I have spoken about this to many of the makers and galleries whom we represent. There are only two schools of thought where selling craft online is concerned. There's no in-between - people either think it's a terrible idea or a brilliant one. However there are so many different options for virtual retailers, it really shouldn't be a black and white discussion.

When American Craft Council (ACC) announced their conference programme, the round table discussion I was most interested in was “Riding the Long Tail: Marketing Craft on the Internet”. Moderated by Namita Wiggers, three businesswomen talked for an hour on their experiences with selling work online. They were Maria Thomas from Etsy.com, a website I know many Scottish makers sell work from, Lisa Bayne from Artfulhome.com and Amy Shaw from greenjeansbrooklyn.com.

The long tail which appears in the title of the discussion is a reference to Chris Anderson's book, “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More.” The rule of thumb for traditional shops (across the world, not just in the States) is that 20% of the stock accounts for 80% of the revenue. Shops are limited by shelf space, opening hours, floor space and all the other things that inflict themselves on physical retail environments.

However online stores such as Etsy.com and it's predecessor Amazon.com aren't restricted by any of these things. These 'shops' are open 24 hours a day and have endless shelf space. The more shelf space, the wider the variety of work on offer, which in turn increases the reach to a larger number of different audiences or consumers. Etsy sells a smaller quantity of a wider variety of items, which is the 'long tail' in the demand curve.

What does this mean for craft? In short: unique and small batch items are selling well on the internet, particularly on larger sites where marketing strategies drive new customers to the site. A popular promotional tool used by the internet as a whole is 'community', and the women around the table at the ACC discussion certainly know how to use this effectively. Maria Thomas doesn't speak of Etsy as an online shop, so much as a forum for 'connecting makers and buyers and their stories.'

However, I know from the discussions I have had with makers in Scotland that whilst many of you love Etsy, many of you feel that it cheapens the work of the craft sector due to the number of DIY makers on there. The Artful Home business model works against the 'for one, for all' principle, instead choosing to sell a juried selection of work much like a traditional gallery.

I'm all for a democracy (and Etsy definitely is democratic), whereas Lisa Bayne from Artful Home spoke of a 'panel of experts' selecting the work for sale. Panels of so-called craft experts almost always leave me cold. However for me Artful Home blew everything Etsy does out of the water. They are brand focused, culturally aware and their marketing strategy is current. A month before the ACC conference, the Beatles' White Album had it's 40th anniversary release. Around the same time, the guys at Artful Home noticed a resurgence in contemporary ceramics. They decided to theme their collection that month on white ceramics, and it has been a resounding success.

Lisa said: “I saw an opportunity to capitalise on the White album and the buzz that was happening...we also noticed consumers were interested in ceramics...we now have a dialogue with consumers and we can react to what's going on...We can twitter about it, email about it, blog about it....And that White Album email, I've had more interactions with artists and consumers, people who would never consider ceramics. But through that White album connection, people have said “Oh that's interesting, and it's not mass made.” So it's a very different place we're at now.”

Scottish based ceramicist Lorraine Robson was one of the very first people I spoke to about online selling, and whilst she does see the benefits of selling online, she doesn't come at it with quite the same enthusiasm as Lisa. Whilst most of her concerns are related to selling work as an individual maker as opposed to via a larger organisation such as craftscotland, Lorraine pointed out that photography can be an issue, “particularly with ceramics. Even with good quality images that show details and the various angles, prospective purchasers can often perceive the scale or finish of the work as different to actual size.”

As with any form of marketing, one size cannot fit all. However, it has left us with lots to consider at craftscotland. I would like to meet with ten people from the Scottish craft sector to discuss the issues around online selling. We're particularly interested in hearing from craft retailers, people who have experience of selling work through Etsy and those who have sold their work through their own site. We'd also like to hear from the people who have bought craft online. If you would be interested in taking part in this discussion, then contact me at Emma@craftscotland.org

Emma Walker,
CEO, craftscotland
January 2010

Further Reading:

askharriete.typepad.com – An American blogger's perspective of the discussion

Batched Craft: Inspired by Robin Petravic’s presentation at the American Craft Council conference, Emma’s next discussion will be on the marriage between design and making. Robin’s business, Heath Ceramics, employs 60 skilled craftsmen to produce a series of classic, yet modern tableware lines. Read Heath Ceramics’ story and then let us know your thoughts in time for Emma’s next feature.