My brand new small business

lowndsy

Hi folks. I have been a long time lurker, but recently I have been turning to this forum to read us as I launched my own business, so I thought now it is live I would run it past you and ask an important question.

I won't post the link because I don't know if that's allowed, but basically I sell super customised gifts aimed at kids and their parents. With just a few photographs I turn your little one into fantastical characters like an Astronaut or Fairy Princess. Each gift contains 4 separate characters in a really nice frame. It is meant as a special gift for events like Christenings or landmark Birthdays.

My question is around the sale price - with a quality frame and the amount of work that goes into each gift I have to charge £89.99 (free P&P). The odd discount is possible, but as a RRP how does that sit with you?

Thanks,
Steve

looknohands

That does sound like a great gift, for the price the quality of the print and also the quality of illustration is important you have any examples? What size is the print too?

paddyrg

Ouch! Well, I wouldn't personally pay £90, at least not without a heap more detail. I'm guessing from the description that you spend a bit of time in Photoshop and then do a large (gicl!e?) print, and frame.

Perhaps there's an option to reduce the Photoshop time (or whatever the time-consuming bit is), to reduce the deliverable (prints get dearer exponentially as they get larger), and create some lower price-point offerings too - maybe at £24.99 and at £49.99 as well. It may cannibalise some of the £89.99 market, but also open up your customer base too, and you can hit that base up with promotions for further, future orders. And include discount/share/newsletter vouchers with each posted item, maybe!

If you do create a spread of items at price points, set yourself a new top-end product at £loads too - you're not expecting to do much business there, but make it amazing wow gosh talking point stuff. Make it the item the childless rich uncle can buy!

firefox1956

Sounds like the sort of thing you could do yourself on a computer for nowt !!
I would never even consider buying anything like this ever.
Yuk........
HTH

soolin

I wish you well but with the availability of customised photo programmes I can't see parents paying such a price for this.

Locally we have a company that does parties with a professional photographer, dresses the children up (mainly pre schoolers and babies) takes some beautiful photos and sells them in packs with enough for grandparents parents etc. a decent sized pack is less than £50 and that only increases slightly if you want the larger ones framed. I've seen a number of them, all done as a coffee morning style event in the comfort of a mothers house with her friends and family round doing a number of,children in one session.

The photos are wonderful and I'm not sure whether amateur shots provided by the parents and photoshopped would do as well with such a price difference.

However, if your outlay is low why not give it a go? I suspect this sort of business is best on Facebook - my local groups seem to have plenty of small businesses selling frames, photo goods and other items that might appeal to parents and grandparents at this time of year

robatwork

All will depend on the size and quality of the print (eg canvas like rather than shiny) and the quality of the frame

SailorSam

The big problem with selling all creative craft type gifts is they take so long to make them special and people just wont pay a decent hourly rate for all the work you've put into them.

lincroft1710

lowndsy wrote: »

I have to charge £89.99 (free P&P). The odd discount is possible, but as a RRP how does that sit with you?

Thanks,
Steve

It doesn't.

If I was a child, I could think of 101 things I would prefer my relatives to spend £90 on.

lowndsy

Thanks for the input chaps, keep it coming. Answering a few questions, it isn't really aimed at children as such, it's more the age group where the gifts you buy for the child are really for their parents.
When I made the first one it was because I was fresh out of ideas for my nephews Christening gift, and let's be honest, I wanted to get something that stood out a bit.It certainly did that, and most people who see it in person try to buy one from me.
I am hoping that I am not the only person in that boat, so you could say it is aimed at newish parents and their close friends and family.

I'm afraid I can't post images because I have a low post count, but I'll try to get some up as soon as I can.

You are right, you could perhaps do this at home if you are very good at Photoshop, but it is out of reach of most casual users and the ready made software doesn't really match the quality. When I made the first one years ago for my nephew it took me nearly a week - a lot of my time has been spent turning it into a process that works with nearly any photo and can be replicated again and again without fail.

The whole picture is 10 inches * 28 inches with five 4*6 cutouts for the front cover and 4 character pictures. The prints are high resolution inkjet with colour fast ink on quality matt photo paper.
The frame is a good one - the cost of the frame is a significant part of the cost. It is solid wood in white, black or natural finish, and I pay extra for good acrylic glass, heavy duty fastenings (for safety) and a super thick mounting board to give it a touch of quality.

Does that help? Looking at personalised gifts on NotOnTheHighStreet most gifts with a lower level of customisation come in at well over £100, though I couldn't get listed on there this close to Christmas.

Steve

lincroft1710

You are probably asking on the wrong website. Most people here are trying to spend as little as possible. £90 is a lot of money to many MSErs.

lowndsy

It was the only place where I stood any chance of not getting trolled!