Hello Seller Community!
Fun Fact: Today is National Mail Order Catalog Day. It is believed that the first mail order catalog was published by Montgomery Wards on August 18, 1872, which had me thinking about how much shopping has evolved throughout the years—not to mention just the last few months. With that in mind, it felt appropriate to touch base with fellow community member, @DinaLRosenberg of Amityville Apothecary, and learn how they're responding to an acceleration in changes to how we shop.
Amityville Apothecary is a retail store located in Long Island, New York and has a vibrant online business. We reached out to @DinaLRosenberg and she shared their experiences on what it's been like to adjust to the curve balls COVID-19 has thrown their way. Check out the conversation below!
Question: Where is your business based?
Answer: Amityville, NY (Long Island - Suburb of New York City).
Q: Are you on social media? If so, where can we follow your business (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)?
A: We're more active on Instagram (@AmityvilleApothecary) but also on Facebook (AmityvilleApothecary) and Twitter (@AmityvilleA).
Q: How did you get the idea or concept for your business?
A: My business partner and I were both already in the community (we're both Reiki practitioners); as Crystals are a part of the healing protocol we offer, it was second nature to open a metaphysical shop.
Q: What makes your business unique?
A: Well, a few things; we have the largest variety of tumbled and pocket stones available on Long Island, we only sell what we love, and do our very best to curate products from local makers and small businesses.
Q: What’s something you want to learn or wish you were better at?
A: We'd love to get better at TikTok! Curated content for that social media channel is definitely tough!
Q: What's been the most challenging part of running your business?
A: Transitioning from brick-and-mortar to online only due to COVID-19 has been a challenge; it's easy to shut the lights off and lock the door but way harder to strike a work-life balance when the business is running online.
Q: What's one thing in your business that you're most proud of?
A: We're super proud that our "voice" is completely authentic to who we are as people, it isn't put on or a marketing ploy, and our customers have been super into that authenticity.
Q: In the midst of recent social distancing orders, which resources have come in most handy?
A: Instagram! It's been a life-saver in terms of staying in touch with our customers and also developing relationship with them. Of course we've been closely watching our State website for phase openings and safety measures.
Q: Thinking about the spread of COVID-19, how have you been able to adapt to changes with health and business regulations?
A: Again, social media (specifically Instagram) has been the BEST way we have connected with our customers.
Q: How are your customers and community responding to changes with in-person vs. online sales?
A: Moving online with weekly live sales on Instagram has expanded our market from just local to around the United States. In the past three months we've shipped to: Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Washington State, North Dakota, Iowa, and more!
Q: Do you have any virtual events coming up or are you active in any other communities online? We'll be happy to let customers know how they can find you.
A: We're live on Instagram quite often—sharing content as well as sales; follow us @AmityvilleApothecary and follow our stories for up-to-date information.
Q: Anything else you'd like to share?
A: Building an audience for live sales takes time and consistency. When we started selling live in March we had 15-20 people watching and we were happy with a few hundred dollars in sales. Now we're trending between 70-80 viewers and averaging between $6-10k per sale! It can be intimidating at first, but after a while it becomes second nature.
To learn more and see one of their recorded live sales, be sure to check out this post: How-To Guide: Drive Sales on Social Media with Live Sales.
Thank you, @DinaLRosenberg! Appreciate your time.
Can you relate? Feel free to weigh in with how you've reinvented your business to accommodate the challenges of shopping in 2020.
