How TheSecretGardenn 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?

I’m Neringa Mazuriene, owner and founder of The Secret Garden on Etsy. I’m selling artificial flower decorations, bouquets, table and wall decor, garlands, wreaths, and wedding bouquet sets. I love flowers very much, and at the beginning, I made dried plant decorations, but soon I discovered high-quality artificial flowers, which are brighter, feature richer colors and can please a person for a longer time. So now I have two shops where I sell only artificial flowers: FlowersField and RoyalFlowersStudio on Etsy.

Thanks to my brother's wife, I discovered Etsy, a platform where I can show my creations to the whole world. So in 2013, I opened my first shop on the Etsy platform. I remember the first item sold was a wreath. Little by little, I expanded the assortment, so almost 300 products appeared. I try to offer customers as many different products as possible. I am very interested in what is currently fashionable and what else I could offer, so at the moment, I can offer not only decorations for the house but also for holidays. When making my creations, I always attach great importance to the quality of the work and the materials from which I make them.

I make all the products at home; I have a separate workroom that is turned into a separate world of flowers. Even the atmosphere in that room is different from the rest of the house, so every morning, after seeing my family off to work and school, I rush to work. It brings me great happiness and joy. I enjoy my family’s support; actually, I envy myself…such a job where you are free to create, communicate with people, and try to present your products as realistically as possible, so product photography is like a separate field of creativity. I am very happy that I do not feel monotony in my work and that I experience joy every day.

Favorite items

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

My favorite products at the moment are the flower boards and daisy garlands. It is probably because the customers love them and I really enjoy making them. Buyers buy these products most likely because they are authentic. Daisy garlands are very versatile; they can be used to decorate not only parties but also a nursery. Flower decor on a wooden base can not only be placed on the floor or another surface but also hung on the wall. I think this is an original way to decorate the house with flowers.

Red Poppies Decor on Natural Wood Base Silk Big Poppies - Etsy Lithuania
DAISIES GARLAND 40 White Daisies Artificial Flowers - Etsy Lithuania

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 got my first sales from my circle of friends and acquaintances when they found out that I opened my store, but sales to an outside person took a while to come. It occurred approximately six months after the store's opening. I am very glad that I was patient then and did not make hasty conclusions, because now not only this one but also two other stores bring me great joy.

I hope that my patience will help me survive all my shops currently when a lot of Lithuanian (and probably other non-US) sellers experience a sudden and substantial drop in sales. I am firmly convinced that all honest sellers must be treated equally and be granted the same exposure opportunity on Etsy, taking only the quality of goods and services into account, regardless of where they are selling from. I look forward to Ety’s promise of helping us get discovered by more buyers more frequently in 2023 coming true!

Managing TheSecretGardenn

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 shops alone. For this work, I have several programs and I use several pages, which help me facilitate not only technical work but also promote my store itself. The PhotoScape program helps me organize photos, crop them, and delete unwanted objects if they fall into the photo. Since I take photos at home myself, such a program helps me a lot. Not only Etsy ads but also Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter pages help me promote my products. I pack all parcels myself, doing my best to send them asap and keep the products safe and sound during the long journey to the customers’ homes. For regular shipping, I use trackable Lithuanian Post service, as well as DHL or DPD couriers when I have rush orders.

The future of TheSecretGardenn 

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

As for now, I plan to look for new ideas and offer a wider and more varied assortment to my customers.

Advice for new sellers

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

The main advice would be to try to consistently expand your shop, to think of as many different and original products as possible, not to give up, to be constantly interested in how shops similar to yours are doing, to look for bestseller products, to analyze what people like, and to try to find a product that will become the way to your shop's popularity. Photos, videos, and descriptions are also very important. All 13 keywords must be used. You can read Etsy’s seller guides on how to fill in the text fields correctly and qualitatively.

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: 570

Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 50%

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 0.5

Alura Team
Alura Team

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