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How UniquePetPrints 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?
Hey! I’m Luke, owner of Unique Pet Prints. We sell custom pet portraits that are much more affordable than our competitors. All we need is a photo of your pet to create a piece of art that you’ll be proud to hang on your walls!
It started in 2020 with the COVID-19 lockdowns. I was furloughed from my job and needed something to keep my mind busy. I drew a portrait of my dog, Nova, as an astronaut and put that on my wall. I showed a few people, and they thought I should have a try at selling them. I put the first listing on Etsy, went to sleep, and got a sale that night! We do the entire production process ourselves—we design, print, and post our posters ourselves, which gives us complete control of the entire process!
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
Our favourite item is our classic pet portrait, which features spots behind the pet. It is our best seller! It sells well because it is a simple portrait, with the main subject being the pet!
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?
The first sale arrived the same night I opened the shop—I went to sleep, woke up, and had a portrait! We currently use a budget on Etsy Ads; however, a large portion of our sales come from our high-ranking listings. (You can find us all over the pet portrait pages on Etsy.)
Managing UniquePetPrints
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?
For the first two years, it was mainly me, with one employee doing 8 hours a week. Now that we’re past our third year, I have my fiancée in full-time employment, with another employee still working 8 hours a week. I help with production during the busy periods, but I largely have a different role now: growing the business. We have tried a few apps over the years for keywords, etc., but nothing has made a big enough impact on the shop to warrant the subscription costs. We handle the production ourselves, from start to finish, with orders being dispatched every day!
The future of UniquePetPrints
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
The main goal is to continue growing the shop; we’re currently seeing a 30% increase in sales year over year, so we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing and see where we end up!
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Do thorough research of the market you are entering, and when you create your first listing, create many variations of the same listing. Give it a few months, and review the data! You should be able to pull the best bits from each listing into one best-selling listing. Repeat that process!
Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.
Question: How much is your monthly revenue?
Answer: Our average monthly revenue last year was £9100.
Question: What is your average profit margin?
Answer: 62%
Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 5%
