The Studio Source.com

I want to get the words, “There’s no such thing as everybody” printed on a t-shirt. I’ve been thinking lately about the alleged necessity to sell online. Some creatives are doing it and getting great results. Others, not so much. And there are plenty more who haven’t yet jumped on board.

I’m not much into bandwagons or one-size-fits-all thinking. Not with t-shirts, and definitely not in business.

Here’s a little anecdote: recently I had a conversation with a couple of women about online shopping. Specifically, artisan-made jewellery. They were both 40-ish, and neither was too thrilled with the idea of buying jewellery online.

“I want to see it, touch it, try it on,” said one of them, “It’s our generation. And we’re the ones with money.”

I thought that was an interesting response, so I asked someone else the same question and got an entirely different answer. The second person in my highly scientific poll said he and his wife had no problem buying jewellery online. They’re probably in their early to mid-30′s.

I wouldn’t bet the farm, or a business, on this extremely small, very subjective sampling. But it got me to thinking about ideal customers, their buying habits, and how tough it can be to decide whether or not to make the leap into selling online.

Playing the numbers game
Let’s look at the flip side: statistics. As I started writing this, I did a quick search on “online jewelry sales statistics” (used the American spelling to get more results) and among the top results, got a nicely written article about how sales were on the increase—dated 2002.

Take out the word “jewelry” and you can get stats that say online sales of jewelry in January 2010 were up 6% in the US from January of 2009.

Yes, I know. Take out the word you want stats on and you get stats on the thing you were looking for. This is why doing statistical research online drives me half crazy.

I got that figure from the International Diamond Exchange website, but I didn’t bookmark the page and now (five minutes later) I can’t find the blasted thing. So, okay, a 6% increase is promising. But the figures don’t specify what kind of jewellery. They make mention of bridal jewellery sales being on an upswing, but again—are we talking major retailers and artisan made jewellery, or just factory-made items? It’s probably the latter.

If you’re curious, I tried finding numbers on artisan-made jewellery. I didn’t have all night to slog past the sites that tell you how to turn your hobby into cash or that you should sell online.

It’s no wonder people who run micro businesses don’t want to go down this road. It’s frustrating and time consuming and doesn’t necessarily give you good results. At least not without some serious digging.

And even if I did find numbers, they wouldn’t break down into categories that will be of any help to you if you’re a silversmith, lampwork bead maker, or off-loom bead weaver. You can’t get there from here.

Real people, real opinions
If you want good information on who’s buying what and where they’re buying it, you’d be wise to go to the source—the customers themselves. Preferably your customers.

If you have a mailing list, send out a survey with specific questions. Offer an incentive to people who respond—a gift certificate, or a coupon for a small amount of design or consulting time. It doesn’t have to be something big, just something to let your people know you value their time and input.

You should also ask very nicely, and make the introduction very warm and personal. And the questions shouldn’t be corporate. Be real, be gracious, and exercise good humour. That way your survey won’t seem so much like a survey. Approach your readers like they’re respected colleagues and collaborators on your fact-finding mission. And keep it short. You don’t want to abuse your mailing list.

If you have the opportunity to see some of your customers in person, you can get immediate information. Ask their opinion about trends—in general, and if they’re going along for the ride, or if they’d rather let the bandwagon roll on by.

You can ask other people in your field. Don’t limit yourself to your own medium. Somebody will know someone who can tell you more.

Throw a question out on social media, or on your blog. Say please and thank you, and ask away. Responses will vary depending on your question and the size and nature of your audience.

Combine your resources to get a comprehensive picture
When you’ve gathered all the information you can, from the generalities of published statistics to face-to-face feedback, you’ll have a reasonable view of the online landscape.

If your customers are online shoppers, you’re in business. But remember you still have to do the marketing. There’s no gallery owner or show organizer to spread the word. That should be obvious, but if you’re not used to doing all your own marketing, it’s easy to forget that little detail.

If it’s not yet time, or if you just can’t wrap your head around the whole online enterprise thing, my best advice to you is to watch carefully. Social media numbers continue to grow at a wild pace, particularly among people 35 years of age and older. Online shopping numbers continue to grow.

And there are still plenty of businesses that don’t need online buying to be profitable. Smart entrepreneurs know where their customers are, what they want, and how to deliver, and are always mindful of the evolving marketplace.

Have your say
Are you an avid online shopper, or are there things you just don’t want to buy online? Are you an online seller, contrarian, or sitting on the fence? Do you have any tips of your own to share about gathering online intelligence?