Etsy Seller Interview with Ilaria of ilariapops

How ilariapops got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

Hello, my name is Ilaria, and my shop is called "Ilariapops". I started with the idea of this shop almost 7 years ago, while I was trying to build my career as an illustrator. At the beginning, I only had some prints with my illustrations available, but the sales have been really slow for a couple of years, in part because I was managing a second shop at the same time, where I sold hand-decorated mugs. So at some point I decided to only keep "Ilariapops" and invest more time and energies in it. In the last 2-3 years, I came up with my own kawaii characters and created small collections around them with products such as stickers, sticker sheets, enamel pins, postcards, and washi tape. In 2018, I purchased my first cutting machine in order to print and cut my own stickers and sticker sheets. This was the time when my sales started to increase! So after a couple of years, I decided to outsource all my products to printers and manufacturers. My best-selling product every year is the 12-month calendar; my customers wait for it every year, and it’s a really fun product to make!

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

As mentioned, the calendar that is my best seller is the one that I would pick among others because it is the project that requires more time and dedication during the year.

Then I am recently obsessed with this enamel pin, which is a new entry for the Spring Collection 2023.

My customers love to purchase the sticker surprise pack and the bundles. I like to offer them so they can save some money and I can have a bigger basket amount, so win-win!

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

I think it took a couple of weeks for me to make the first sale. At the beginning, it’s normal to have slow sales, especially when a shop is brand new and still doesn’t have any customer reviews. I am lucky to have many returning customers; some of them have purchased more than five times from my shop! I use social media like Instagram to promote new collections, and together with YouTube, I use it to share some behind-the-scenes videos of how I create my products and manage my shop, and this has helped me a lot to attract new customers.

Managing ilariapops

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

I manage my shop completely by myself, which makes it challenging at times. I take the pictures, create the items on Etsy, promote them on social media, and finally prepare and pack the orders. The only tools that I use are a Canon camera to shoot the pictures, Photoshop, and Lightroom to edit them. Social media like Instagram and Pinterest are the ones that I use to promote my products, together with a newsletter for which I use MailChimp."

The future of ilariapops

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

I recently reached the goal of renting a studio in order to stop working in the corner of my living room, and this was a huge milestone for me. For sure, my next goal is to be able to hire someone to help me manage the shop so I will be more free to illustrate and design new products.

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

To be patient and not give up! While you are waiting for the first sales to come, invest some time in learning how to take good pictures, how to promote your products, and some secrets about SEO and Etsy. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube! Also, always be kind and patient with your customers; you might find some tough ones on your path, but don’t be discouraged by them!