New Scented Soaps Are Now Ready!

Comment by Karen Seremak on June 3, 2009 at 10:04am

Hi Kelly,
I think that product packaging and website design, with online ordering, are one of the most important parts of your product. It is your face to the world. It really doesn't matter how wonderful the product is inside the bottles and jars if your labels don't speak quality and grab someone's attention. You need to WOW them with the packaging and then WOW them with the product inside! You won't have the chance to WOW them with the product if your labels blend into the background, or worse yet, don't look professional. It may end up being your biggest expense, but in the end it will make all the difference in the world, especially because you want the whole world to know about your fabulous products!

I also believe that websites should be clean, elegant and simple. You won't WOW them with your website if people can't easily find their way around. So keep it simple and display your products in a professional manner, add to that well written descriptive copy and your ready to sell. And yes, if that means hiring a copy writer, hire one! Again, this is your face and "voice" to the world, your silent salesman, make them work for you!

The next most important thing to making this a business is being able to Wholesale your products to stores. You need to offer them a 50% margin off of your suggested retail pricing for them to even consider caring your product. So, you need to be sure you can still make money at 1/2 off your retail cost, which will also help you to determine what you should charge for your products. But wholesale orders should cary some kind of a minimum order in exchange for the price break. There is also a consideration for working with a distributor. They need an additional 25% margin off of your wholesale prices to help you with sales and distribution of your product. But, it comes with a much higher minimum order at lest $1000 or more. Something to think about once you get to that next level.

My minimum wholesale order is only 3 of each product in each scent chosen. I would rather have my products available to small shops and have them have more variety. They tend to order more often if you give them this freedom and don't strap them with having to place large orders. I have a separate wholesale site and I do require the companies to provide me with their Tax ID and Vendors License number to set up a wholesale account before their first order. This helps to keep retail customers from ordering on my wholesale site, being that my minimums are so low. You also need this information for your records being that wholesale customers are not charged sales tax.

It's best to look at the wholesale idea as advertising for your company. You are actually paying the stores a 50% commission to cary and advertise your products for you. You get brand recognition and return customers because it is convenient for them to stop back at the store and pick up some more of their favorite products. This will also help to drive traffic to your website when people want to find out more about this wonderful product that they just bought. Then hopefully you will get some online sale at the full retail price, icing on the cake!

And believe it or not... When I talk with a new store owner about caring my products, the most important question to them that they ask me is, especially once they realize that my products are ALL Handcrafted... "What about your packaging???" :o) Needless to say they are always happy to see that my packaging also doesn't look handcrafted. In order for them to be able to sell your product your packaging needs to look professional.

I hope this helped to answer your question. Best of luck to you in all of your business adventures!

Karen Seremak, owner

Savannah Moon
Natural Relaxation, Bath & Body Care
www.SavannahMoon.com

Comment by Karen Seremak on July 15, 2009 at 12:26pm

Hi Everyone,
I went to edit my photo and accidently deleted my original comment from member Kelly Greenfield. But... I had just made a copy of it! This is the question to the answer above and the reason I started my group "Importance of Product Packaging and Wholesale". Feel free to join us, we have some great info to share in this group!

Thank you,
Karen Seremak, owner
Savannah Moon ~ Natural Relaxation, Bath & Body Care
www.SavannahMoon.com

Comment by Gigi Page on August 19, 2009 at 4:04pm

Karen:

Congrats to you and I agree entirely that presentation of your product can make the difference between sucess and failure.........Cheers to your efforts, I will soon give your products a try. HOwever, right now I am planning my move to Lake Tahoe in order to launch my product by October.
www.BouquetsofChocolate.com
Gigi Page

Comment by Kelly Greenfield on November 11, 2009 at 1:56pm

Ok, I need some help here, somehow someone uploaded a picture of these cupcakes as my profile picture and I cannot get it replaced. Any advice?

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