Remember back in 2020 when we thought
“Oh this pandemic thing will only last a few months”
or “Everything will be back to normal in 2021.” Ha if anything's for sure about 2021
it's that the world has changed for good
am I right? And as small businesses
we need to either adapt or stay relevant or our livelihoods will suffer.
But don't freak out! Today I'm going to share with you the top five product trends.
I'm seeing already in 2021,
and I'm going to give you some practical suggestions
for how you can implement them in your business today.
Plus I'm also going to talk about one online commerce trend that
may completely change how you do business.
Hi, my name is Mei Pak and I help makers, artists,
and designers make a living from selling their handmade products
online. This year people are craving connection,
and products that encourage relationships are doing really well right now.
So what do I mean by connection? Well,
it could be anything that helps someone bond with a friend or family member.
So for example, jigsaw puzzles
and board games have been selling like crazy
because they’re are things that families like doing when they're at home together.
Greeting cards have also seen a massive jump in sales
because in a time when we're all overwhelmed by Zoom meetings
and emails sending a card to a loved one
is just such a sweet gesture. If you're an artist,
these are fabulous avenues
for you to diversify your product line with. There are numerous
companies that you can turn your art into a puzzle
or greeting cards. Other product ideas might be coupon
books for chores around the house
or activity packs for kids and heck if you can come up with a board game or a card game,
that would be freaking amazing.
So let's say you quilt. Should you be zoning out right now with this video
and give up on your business?
No way. You're going to love some of the trends that I have coming up.
But the trend of connection is way more than just products,
right? Customers right now are also looking to
build connections with the companies that they're doing business with.
So this is the time to personalize your marketing and step up your
messaging. Did you know that personalized promotional emails have 29 percent higher open rates
and 41% higher click-through rates?
That's from Constant Contact. So use that name function in your emails.
So your e-mails can say “Hi Sarah”
or “Hi Mei” even though you're sending one email to thousands of people.
And if you aren't already encouraging your customers to share photos of
them using your product with you on your social media,
you are not only missing out on really great user generated content,
but also a chance for you to establish a relationship with your audience.
Number Two. Health and wellness is big for 2021. Sales of activewear and athleisure, water bottles,
and yoga mats are through the roof.
So if you're a surface designer, this might be the time to look into sourcing new base products
that can sport your work, like creating gorgeous water bottles.
Or if you're a sewist, headbands
and yoga mat bags are products to consider. Or if you make paper products,
what about adding a workout planner or calendar to your shop?
If you create stickers, could you make vinyl clings that track your water consumption on a glass.
Or what about workout sheets or planners
for those of you guys who are stationery designers?
Health isn't just about working out right? Think about food. Recipe cards
for people who are trying to cook more healthy meals at home
or notebooks to track your veggie intake and sleep schedule. And what about like homemade protein bars?
They're all food related products related to
health and they will all do really well this year. Number three - self-care.
We are all stressed, the whole world.
There's nothing like lockdowns
and missed vacations and too many Zoom calls job insecurity, homeschooling,
and anxiety about getting sick to put everyone on edge.
Do you see where I'm going with this? Self care is a huge trend for 2021.
So things like candles, bath bombs, beard oil, luxurious soaps, upscale nail polishes,
custom blended essential oils, anything that's an at-home treat
for your tired self is selling really well right now. Even hot cocoa blends
or wooden bath trays or scented eye masks
and cashmere wraps. People are willing to spend money to make them feel like
they've gone to a five-star retreat right in their own home.
Speaking of luxury now is a great time to think
holistically about how you can deliver a luxury experience to your customers if that fits
your branding. Like does your packaging maybe need an update?
Are you offering white-glove customer service to your customers?
Can you maybe tuck in a really sweet thank you note inside your packaging?
If you provide a high-end product, you can charge higher prices which
can mean higher sales figures with fewer customers.
So you can afford to spend a little bit of extra time
for each order to make sure that they are super perfect.
I'm spending more time at home than ever
even though I'm already such a homebody and I know I'm not alone.
I'm more likely to have dinner delivered then go out to
eat and I'm more likely to watch a movie on Netflix rather than attend the live performance.
And if I'm doing it, I know my customers are probably doing it to. Right now
lots of people are moving to houses further out of the city
so they have more space, or they're renovating their houses to accommodate a more comfortable
work from home lifestyle, or maybe they're just looking
around to freshen up their existing environment.
So what can you offer that make someone's home a more awesome place to
be? I'm thinking about wall art, pottery vases
and dinner plates, quilts and blankets, even refinished furniture.
Depending on what you offer you might even be able to hit two trends at
once like offering custom quilts that highlight something special
for the recipient. That's touching on the connection piece
we talked about earlier and a home product that will spruce up their living space.
Or what about a super lush knitted blanket that looks really great on the sofa?
That's great for a ticking off the self care and home improvement boxes right? Now
you're also most likely working from home as well,
right? So take a look around and think about what you've been daydreaming about updating.
You might get some extra inspiration
for what to sell. Work from home life. 2020 was the year of Zoom
and it doesn't look like it's changing any time soon.
So any product that improves your Zoom life will continue to be a big seller.
So things like lighting and vinyl backdrops that help give a great background
for your Zoom calls is going to sell well. Makeup has also been on
the rise despite the lack of nights out
because you may be sitting in your pjs on your Zoom call,
but you want your face to look great on camera, right? Also brainstorm about any
touchpoints your product may have with a zoom desk set up.
Laptop skins, keyboard stickers, plush chair cushions, desk ornaments
and maybe even a fabulous mug fit right into this category.
This is also a chance to refresh your photography on your site to capture this work from home trend.
So let's say you craft amazing pet figurines. Grab some
photos of your pet figurines in a desk setting
and shift your copy, your product descriptions, to highlight
that your product keeps their adorable pet
front and center even while your door is closed
and you're on an annoying Zoom call. Basically audit your website
and see how you can make changes around your shop to be more relevant to the times. Now,
I'm not going to let you go without spilling one more online commerce trend
that's happening right now that could be a game-changer
for your business and that is premium private label brands.
Wait, what's a private label? That's the name basically of someone
putting their name on a product that someone else produces.
You've seen this all the time actually in supermarkets and home brand merchandise.
Your supermarket didn't actually make the cereal that they're selling with their label.
It was likely made by a major cereal producer who's willing to sell it wholesale to the market chain
for less without the branding. Notice
I said premium private label brands.
I chatted a bit about this before when I was talking about self-care,
but right now customers are looking to treat themselves,
right? So they're more than willing to pay more
for a product if it gives them a luxury feeling.
So we're not talking about discount Corn Flakes here.
We're talking about luxurious creams and soaps, food products,
whatever, but they're all super luxe.
There's two ways you can get in on this trend. One is to source a bulk seller
with a fab product you would like to offer
and private label it for your business.
An example of this would be to connect with a goat farm who is
maybe already crafting delicious goat milk soap
and then you resell it under your own branding.
The second way to get in on the private label trend is to offer your product
to other companies who want to put their brand
and their label on your product.
For example, if you make candles and you can handle creating them in a large capacity,
you can look to connect with businesses who are happy to do the sales and marketing
and audience finding for you, and because you're selling your products in bulk,
you don't need a lot of clients
or customers and each order you take in can be worth thousands of dollars.
So it's definitely a very lucrative way to go about it,
if you don't mind that your brand isn’t on the products.
I hope this glimpse of 2021 Trends has inspired you to think
about ways to amp up your business this year.
This whole pandemic thing has made the need for innovation and pivoting just really next level,
right? And I'm not going to pretend it's easy.
A lot of businesses have been tested in the last year
and so many of them have had to close down
because they couldn't keep up.
And if you're considering that I want you to know that by watching this video,
you've already taken such a huge step towards getting your brain thinking
about new ideas to shift your business into success mode.
And that is no small thing. Anytime
there are big changes about I always make sure I get plenty of sleep
and jot down any random idea that comes to me
because no matter how impractical it seems at the time it could be the start of an amazing
idea for your business and sometimes those little flashes of insight are
what really set you in a completely new and fabulous direction.