Is your inbox bulging everyday with news of Black Friday deals? They are everywhere it would seem. A way for big businesses to sell stock at reduced prices that’s all business eases often cannot match.
Just a Card is a campaign that makes the point that by just buying a card from a small independent business you help them to keep going. If every visitor did this it would be wonderful – but let’s be realistic it’s not going to be the case, maybe sometimes.
My greetings cards are a staple of my business and from 2017 when I started until 2020 they were my biggest sales item in terms of money taken. Since 2020 my original art sales have almost caught up and represents a much larger profit margin for me.
I offer a range of low cost items as a business:
Printed postcards at £0.50 – designed originally as an idea of pocket money priced for children to buy. They are more often bought by grandparents to gift to grandchildren. I run a series of different art challenges and give cards away too when encouraging children to engage with art – usually the under 10s. As a part of our local traders Trick or Treat event I give an art card of the child’s choice out instead of sweets – they are more memorable and this year I gave out 200 cards. One of the best remarks was by an 11 year old boy when challenged on his choice of card,well I got the shark one last year.
Greetings cards at £2.00 or 3 for £5.00 – of the local artists who use the same printer as me I think I have the cheapest sales price, most sell at £2.50 (5 for £10.00),5(3 most I have seen is £3.50 per card. I choose to take less money per unit card and sell more of my card designs. I am just approaching 1900 sales in 4 years of my hoist as card series. I have sold over 5000 cards and this is mainly from one of two outlets which is always goi got restrict the number of sales I can achieve.
Original postcards at £5.00 – an initiative after covid lockdown 1 and over 100 have sold – A6 watercolour postcard sized pieces thatI have draw or sketched live on my travels. The idea to make original art available to the many. I am very pleased with their success so far.
Indie week presents the alternative to BlackFriday of supporting small independent makers, a trend seen in many local areas during lockdown and the covid period. Now as we start to come out of the lockdown phases it is important to us that customers don’t return to the online order giants instead of supporting their local creatives.
To see what I have posted you will need to go to my Instagram for: https://www.Instagram.com/andyknillartstudio
Please support your local independents – if you are reading my blog posts you must think we are doing something worthwhile – thank you.
Andy