How Much Inventory?

[BakingNana]

I've been doing soaps for a few wholesale customers over the past year, and I'm ready to take the website plunge for retail, plus craft fairs, etc. I won't have a website up for a couple of months, and what's bugging me now is how much inventory to have ready for website retail. I don't anticipate a lot of sales, but really have no clue how much to keep on hand. I'll be doing about 12 different products to start. What do you keep?

 

[Best Natural Soap]

Yeah for you!!
Do you anticipate many sales from existing customers? Or, are you a relative unknown, and hoping people will purchase on your site without knowing anything more than what they see online? This will affect how much soap to start with.

I started out with no customer base. So, anyone who found my site was a total stranger, and I was a total stranger to them, too. I kept about 2 loaves (24 slices) of each soap available. And, lots of times, I felt like I was staring at those same slices for months!!! Some products sold better than others (lavender has always sold well), I learned which ones to make more of, and which ones to scale back on. I had a few really funky soaps at the beginning, but they didn't sell well online. I realized they had to be smelled to be appreciated. They do better at craft fairs.

 

[BakingNana]

Yep, I'll be starting out exactly like that. The only existing customer base would be a group of my high school alumns. Believe it or not, we organized ourselves on Facebook last fall and we've been partying once a month ever since. Word sure gets around. That group grew from about 20 of us to about 100 in just a few months. Pretty good considering we graduated from high school 38 years ago! I'm doing 300 bars for a quilting convention, also, that I hope will generate some customers.

I think I'll take your suggestion and keep 20 bars or so of each one set aside. I've been reading books on e-marketing, but it seems like anything they suggested cost way more than I am in the position now (or yet; how's that for optimism!) to spend.

 

[Best Natural Soap]

I'm so excited for you!! I enjoy my face-to-face craft fair selling the best- but online allows me to "meet" people I could never get to doing craft fairs alone. It also gives my craft fair customers an easy way to buy more of what they really like, without waiting for my next show. And, they tend to give my website out to their friends/guests who use my soaps when they visit. The internet has definitely been a good thing for me overall. My mom is my biggest fan, but we live in different states. I give her samples of new soaps, she shares them with friends/coworkers, along with my website. It's fun to have a loyal following in a state I'm rarely in!
Good Luck Nana-lady!

 

[BakingNana]

Thanks! After working on the website all last week, I think I need some luck. :shock: Sort of frustrating, but going OK now. Fun part this week...writing. Thanks for your support!!

 

[Lindy]

Since you have organized a group on FB how about setting up a store on your site there? On FB there is a free program to use http://www.facebook.com/pages/Powel...56956367?v=app_135607783795&ref=ts#!/payvment

It's easy to set up and really user friendly...