Selling direct after years with retailers
Many makers built their business through retailers who sold the product under their own name, or with the maker in small print. Going direct is tempting. It also means doing everything the retailer used to do.
What the retailer was really doing
A good retailer does more than display products. They photograph and describe them, answer questions, handle delivery and returns, and lend their reputation to a name the customer does not know. When a maker opens their own store, each of these becomes their job, and customers will judge the brand by the weakest of them.
Prepare before you open
- A name customers can find. Put the maker's mark on every product and every box, so a piece bought elsewhere still leads back to you.
- Photography that sells on its own. Products in real rooms, and close-ups of materials and joints, not only cut-outs on white.
- Descriptions that answer questions. Dimensions, materials, origin, care, delivery time and cost, all before the basket.
- Delivery and returns you can afford. Bulky, heavy or fragile goods need honest delivery times and well-designed packaging.
- A place to see and touch. Even a small showroom, open by appointment, makes a high price easier to accept online.
Keep the retailers who help you
Going direct does not have to mean leaving every retailer. Many makers keep the stockists who present their work well and stop supplying those who hide the name. Clear terms, consistent prices and a stockist page on your own site help both sides.
When customers know your name, every retailer becomes a showroom for you, not a wall between you and them.
Start by checking what a customer sees when they search for your name today. If the first results are other people's shops, that is where the work begins.
Related project: TORVA, burned mark, care tags, packaging and online store for a Finnish furniture maker.
