Scaling and growing your aromatherapy business? You might think it’s to early to talk about scaling. However, once you’ve established your online presence and gained some customers, it’s time to think about how to scale and grow your business. In this article, we’ll discuss:
As orders start coming in, you’ll need efficient systems in place to handle production, packaging, and shipping.
Key Tips:
– Inventory Management: Use software like TradeGecko or QuickBooks Commerce to keep track of your stock levels and sales. If you decide on a Shopify store, this feature is already built in to your store. As you build your store, you can list the amount of inventory on-hand for each product. As you sell, the items are automatically deducted from your inventory list and give you the amount on-hand.
– Shipping Solutions: Consider using shipping management tools like ShipStation or Pirate Ship to save time and money on shipping labels and tracking.
– Outsource when necessary: As your business grows, you may need help with packaging, marketing, or customer service. Outsourcing can free up your time to focus on product creation.
An important goal for you is to sell your aromatherapy beauty products online. Therefore, once you have a customer base, consider expanding your product line. Offer variations of your popular items or introduce new products based on customer feedback.
Ideas for Expansion:
– Create kits: Offer bundles or gift sets that include multiple products. Kits are a great way for customers to sample your product line with a small investment. They’re also great for travel. Your skin care regimen all packaged up and ready to go.
– Seasonal products: Introduce limited-edition items for holidays or special occasions. If you have perfumes, lotion bars, or bath balms in your line, changing the scent to reflect the season is a great way to offer new or returning favorites to your line. Take a page from Starbucks book. Fall/winter brings in the return of the pumpkin spice latte. Summer will have berry flavored drinks. Introduce survey’s and sample kits at the beginning of summer. This will help you know how to move forward with your fall offerings. If you already have a customer base, they will make great testers for your ideas.
– New formulations: Experiment with different essential oil blends or new beauty product types (e.g., scrubs, face masks, bath bombs). Keep up with trends online via classes, summits or webinars. Whenever there’s a trade show, Go! Trade shows are a great way to see what’s coming for the season ahead. They are also great for meeting new colleagues, finding new suppliers and potential business partners.
Wholesale can be a great way to grow your business by selling in bulk to retailers or boutiques. We used to show our products at some of the popular ethnic hair shows. A chemist, who formulated products for major hair companies, suggested we think about wholesaling. Opportunity shows up from different places all the time.
As luck would have it, the owner of a wellness center wanted natural and organic products to offer to her clientele. Our e-commerce business offered natural skin care, hair care and body care products. There were also candle makers and essential oil sellers. It didn’t stop there. The owner brought in home accessory products … pillows, throws and table linens, made from natural fibers.
We all benefited. More importantly, we were able to provide workshops to educate the people coming in and out of the facility on how each product was there to help with their wellbeing.
While a lot of businesses are online, there are still stand alone locations that are looking for the same type of collaborations. You might not be ready for or want to be in Sephora or Ulta. However, you can find or create other opportunities for yourself to get you in front of an audience that likes what you sell.
How to Get Started:
– Prepare a wholesale catalog: Include product descriptions, pricing, and minimum order quantities.
– Reach out to retailers: Contact local boutiques, salons, or spas that align with your brand and offer to send samples.
– Use wholesale platforms: Consider joining platforms like Faire or Handshake, which connect makers with retailers.
Once you have a solid foundation, consider investing in paid advertising to increase your visibility and sales.
Types of Paid Ads:
– Facebook and Instagram Ads: Target users based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
– Google Ads: Show ads to people searching for relevant keywords like “organic skincare” or “aromatherapy products.”
– Pinterest Ads: Promote your pins to reach a larger audience.
Great customer service will help you build long-term relationships with customers and encourage repeat business.
Tips for Customer Service:
– Quick Response Time: Aim to respond to customer inquiries within 24 hours.
– Clear Policies: Have clear return and shipping policies to build trust with customers.
– Gather Reviews: Encourage happy customers to leave reviews on your website and social media.
Scaling your online business involves streamlining your operations, expanding your product offerings, exploring new sales channels, and continuing to market effectively. By focusing on customer satisfaction and exploring growth opportunities, you can turn your aromatherapy passion into a thriving business.
Hopefully, this three-part series provided a step-by-step guide to help you transition your passion for aromatherapy, from artisan to successful business owner. Using the internet as a powerful tool for growth.
That’s it for this week. As always …
Dedicated to Your Success,
Juliette Samuel,
Esthetician, Aromatherapist, Author, Publisher,