Learn about BigCartel eCommerce

are you ready to meet Ana from we love citrus? she has a LOVELY packaging supplies shop on Big Cartel and she’s here to tell us all about her successful shop & why she uses BigCartel. i hope she inspires you as a shop owner through her wonderful words of wisdom and experience.

How long have you been in business? Around 7 months.

What do you sell in your shop? A diverse line of packaging, party and craft supplies.

How did you get started? My passion for paper and handmade things goes way back to my childhood. In 2010 I decided to open up a store front in San Diego to sell my favorite products. I had the store for about a year before making the decision to switch to a virtual online environment. I loved having the store front but the flexibility of having an online business was more suitable to my lifestyle.

How long did it take for you to become successful? I’m still working on this each and every day

What tools do you use to promote your shop? I am constantly experimenting with new and different things. I try to do a little bit of everything – lots of social media, selling at local retail stores/craft shows, sponsoring/attending events, and trying to do a lot of networking to build relationships. I try to collaborate as much as I can with other bloggers and shop owners via giveaways, blog button swaps, etc. I also teach classes. I think you need to try different things to ultimately see what works best for your business.

How did you choose your pricing? Pricing is hard. I’m constantly experimenting with it. I research a lot and I keep a close eye on my accounting so I know the cost of running my business.

What was the most important criteria when selecting a platform? When I opened the store, I chose Big Cartel due to two main reasons 1) I could give my store a completely unique look and 2) because I could use a custom domain url.

What are some pros & cons of using BigCartel?

Pros: Quick set up, easy to use, advanced coding options, custom url and competitive pricing.

Cons: Big Cartel has done an excellent at evolving and constantly developing new features, but an iPhone app would be handy

Did you choose to customize your eCommerce site? How did you go about doing so? I have done some customization to my shop and I used designer and illustrator Tabitha Emma. She is the best

What else would you like to share about your experience with eCommerce? I love eCommerce. The Internet has made distances shorter and the world smaller. It is unbelievable that there are over two billion Internet users and that each can be your potential customer!

Do you have a growth plan for expanding your shop? What would that entail? Yes I plan to add many more products to my shop. Most of them have been sitting patiently in my office just waiting to be shot and uploaded.

Would you overall recommend this platform? Yes, I would highly recommend Big Cartel to designers, bands, record labels, jewelry makers, crafters, and all other artists. They offer great service and their prices are very competitive. I’m not super high tech and I was able to open my store in less that an hour. Really quick set up, easy to use, and their support team is super friendly and quick.

You can find Ana and her we love citrus shop at:

shop // facebook // twitter // pinterest

Our favorite hosted shop to design is BigCartel — with so many amazing frames, custom coding abilities and easy functionality with the dashboard and product managements tools, we would love to help design yours! Check out our Website Designs & Graphic Designs to Submit A Quote.