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BRINGING YOU INTERESTING NEWS FROM OUR STUDIO AND CREATIVE COMMUNITY

“An uplifting colour palette symbolising happiness, hope and a new beginning.”

UK based designer and founder of Olenka Design, Olga Shevchenko celebrates her diversity and cultural heritage through the designs of her wallpapers and fabrics. After being in the UK for 13 years, Olga realises the importance of printing her fabrics here, where the products guarantee the best quality and contribute to the local economy.

When designing her wallpaper and fabric collections, Olga takes inspiration from traditional Folk Art and painting style Khokhloma from the 17th century. The traditional craft started as a way to decorate everyday wooden objects and was inspired by nature featuring flowers, leaves, berries, old fairytales and mystical birds.

Whilst these inspirations traditionally have distinct colours, such as red, black and gold, Olga uses an uplifting colour palette symbolising happiness, hope and a new beginning. For example, The Alice Meadow design was influenced by a particular colour palette Olga found in nature which, with the help of the shimmering, luxurious Mica paper in the champagne tone, brings out the vibrant colours of the florals beautifully.

As Olga says, “My mission is to inspire you and encourage creativity in your renovation project, helping you achieve your decorating goals and create a beautiful home that reflects your personality.”

WEBSITE: olenkadesign.co.uk

IG @olenkawallpaper

Connecting nature with traditional craftsmanship

WALLPAPER AND FABRIC DESIGNS FOR THE FEARLESS AND BOLD

Why join an online marketplace or platform

what’s in it for you?

Written by Pauline de Villiers Brettell

Coming up with the creative idea and concept for your business is, for many of us, the easy part. What can be more difficult is translating that creativity into sales and finally, a profit. Because, let’s be honest, one (sales) doesn’t necessarily lead to the other (profits).

The reality is that while the physical high street might be suffering, the virtual high street is getting both busier and harder to navigate – it can be challenging to find your space along with that elusive footfall. In the competitive market it starts making perfect sense to join forces and find a platform that is going to put your creativity on the top shelf, but is it that simple? We have been speaking to several creative business owners who have stepped up to various platforms and shared their experiences –hopefully making it easier for you to decide if this is a direction you want to explore.

At the risk of sounding a bit like the Antique Roadshow…let’s start with the basics. Being the broadest, most open and non–curated platform, Etsy can give you an outlet which, in my experience works well, providing you with a marketplace that shoppers in the US in particular are comfortable with and increasingly extending its reach here in the UK and Europe. There are minimal costs with no set-up fees, but you need to drive people there, which can be hard work. There is a lot of competition and your brand’s added value or quality may get lost in the crowd. Price points vary hugely, which can – as was my experience – leave you feeling like your products are being undervalued and in fact, undermined.

Stepping things up a notch, curated websites like Not On The High Street provide a great shop window for small creative businesses. Being based in the UK makes it a stronger platform here than Etsy, but unlike Etsy, you will need to have some brand presence before going through the application process and being accepted. They have a high-profile advertising strategy, doing a lot of the hard work for you, directing traffic to the site, but you will still need to work hard to get seen within the site. What needs to be remembered, as soon as you move into the realm of curated platforms, is that there will be commissions and costs, and these need to be worked into your costing – something that sounds obvious but an often underestimated point.

As online sales and traffic grow, so do the platform options, and with some of them being more focused, it is useful to do some research to find the best fit for your product. 1stdibs, for example, shines its marketing light on high-end homeware, while Wolf & Badger, although moving into the homeware market, started with a focus on fashion and, some would say, this is still its strength.

Looking a little closer at Wolf & Badger, this is a highly curated site that has set itself up to be both aspirational and inspirational. It prides itself on being an ethical shop window for independent designers and has recently become B Corp certified – so ticking all the right boxes.

“We founded Wolf & Badger with the intention of disrupting a deteriorating high street, and solving the problems of physical retail in a digital world.”

If you feel that Wolf & Badger is where you would like to pitch your products, and importantly is the right demographic for you, then there are a few things you will need to invest in before you open that door. You will need to spend some time, energy and money into developing your brand, and ensuring that your story engages with the platform.

“ What we have found is they all pretty much say they take 40% but when you do the calculations it’s closer to 45%... unless you pay more to be in their campaigns and offer more of a discount by being in their sales to get on the front page, newsletter etc, it’s a hard slog.”

Continued... You will also need to make sure that your images are great, and are going to sit comfortably and correctly within the platform. Having got all that under your belt you will also, again, need to look carefully at fees and commissions and build these into your costings to ensure that sales can actually translate into profit. Aside from sales, there are other benefits and tools that these platforms can offer a small business. It is up to you to grab hold of and utilise the full range of expertise and exposure they provide. As a small creative and luxury brand, getting on the Wolf & Badger shelf immediately gives you access to your target audience as they have a significant following and social media presence focusing on high-end products. Think about how to maxi-mise this access!

In conversation with textile designer Leila Vibert-Stokes, whose bright and beautiful textile creations found a comfortable fit on the curated shelves of Wolf & Badger, she made the point of the importance of having a strong visual identity before embarking on this journey. Leila also emphasised the broader opportunities these platforms can offer:

Post-Covid and mid-climate-change considerations, small businesses have identified the benefits of online wholesale platforms that don’t require the endless catalogue of trade show travel, which can be challenging on both cost and time. But, of course, it is important not to lose touch – literally- with the importance of networking, meeting, touching and supporting each other at these events in real time – although we are all getting pretty good at doing that online!

The wholesale platform model is undeniably a growing market – in fact as soon as you hit that search button your social media will be littered with options – Qalara, Findeling, Fairling to name a few, but at the moment the key players seem to be Ankorstore, Faire and Creoate. Discussing these platforms with various traders who use them, opinion is divided as to which functions best and it would seem that the best advice is to simply try a few and discover your best fit, paying careful attention (yes, I am repeating myself!) to the small print in terms of fees, payment structure, shipping and commission. The models are all similar, the demographics differ slightly with Ankorstore being based in France and therefore having a stronger European reach, while Faire seems to be better placed for the American market.

We spoke to Laura Colucci from Spritz Wellness who relies on both trade shows and online platforms for her business: “While real time trade shows are invaluable, as a small business it is impossible both time and cost wise to exhibit at more than one or two, so the wholesale platforms provide invaluable access to new stockists, especially in the international arena. You will soon get a feel for which ones work best for you, but for me, the costs and effort are minimal, so why wouldn’t you use them?”

Aside from the platforms mentioned, there is a lot of movement in this sector generally and it is worth digging a little deeper into your options. An interesting and more co-operative approach, iKRIX is a platform founded for small luxury Italian brands who joined forces after finding the profit margins continually eaten away by commissions and costs charged by online platforms. A creative solution - a smaller collaborative platform is certainly food for thought! Shifting gear into the wholesale marketplace, again, there is a plethora of options. At the risk of continually harking back to the impact of Covid, clearly a lack of trade fairs for the two-year period has given these platforms traction and traffic.

Ultimately, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ and it is all about finding the platform that works for you. While there might not be a single definitive answer or the perfect platform, there are some key takeaways to be had from this conversation. The one point that was made consistently in these conversations is that you cannot rely on any of the platforms doing your marketing for you - in fact rather than stepping back you need to step up. Whether you are using your own online shop, a retail platform, or a wholesale one, or all three, you need to be the creative energy driving traffic and sales. What these platforms do offer is access to a range of tools to help you with this, and of course, a significantly increased audience. If the platform offers a brand photography workshop, take them up on it, if there is a blog, provide them with a post. Link, connect and join in campaigns in order to maximise what is on offer. It’s all about the marketing…

Follow Pauline on IG@teaintangier

Latest discovery

Founded in 2012, Dechem Studio focuses on high-end design and production work, based on traditional techniques and lyrical forms of its handmade glass products. Partners in both work and life, Michaela Tomišková and Jakub Janďourek established the studio in Prague, Czech Republic, after gaining extensive experience in design and production. They were able to merge all these aspects and create one of the leading and award-winning Czech design studios and brands providing full range of products and creative services.

The core of the studio’s work represents its collection of contemporary design pieces with the mastery of production technologies and respect for centuries-old craft and traditions. The studio produces light fixtures, decorative and practical items of minimal forms and unique cut glass pieces. Dechem is also highly involved in bespoke design, special collaborations, exhibitions and curated projects in Czech Republic and abroad, and collaborates with renowned galleries, institutions and brands.

WEBSITE: dechemstudio.com

IG @dechemstudio

ON OUR RADAR

The Balloon Museum

A brainchild of an Italian experiential and marketing company, Lux Eventi, the Balloon Museum will open in Madrid in March and in London in December 2023 with a promise to deliver immersive, multisensory design experience featuring unseen balloon installations from carefully curated European artists and designers.

balloonmuseum.world

“ My advice would be to view it as a marketing tool rather than a marketing platform. Their marketing channels provide access to a significant audience, and if you utilise the platform creatively it can be an effective way of not only making sales but of increasing visibility of your brand and funnelling footfall to your own site.”

Tallulah Collection: Bee & Sons x Pearl Lowe

Driven by a shared fascination for the fashion styles of the 20s and 30s, a circular knitwear brand Bee & Sons has collaborated with Pearl Lowe on the Tallulah collection. The collaboration is a natural fit in many ways.

Since launching her womenswear brand in 2017, Pearl has keenly supported UK manufacture, relying on a team of seamstresses local to her Somerset home. Pure cottons, silks, wool and crepe feature in her both home and fashion ranges. Similarly, Bee & Sons founder, Deborah Bee, uses recycled cashmere, wool, mohair and silk in her knitwear collections. A passion for reducing fashion-waste and producing clothing that will last a lifetime is key for both designers.

Adhering to the principles of slow fashion, the Tallulah collection from Pearl Lowe X Bee & Sons is limited-edition, made with extrafine merino wool, a 100% natural yarn, that can be recycled and will biodegrade naturally.

“I’ve been thinking about knitwear for a while. Many of my customers have asked me how I wear my dresses all year round, and I realised I relied on the same 1920s long fitted coat I’d had for years, that I picked up in a vintage shop in Paris. Deb has recreated this shape in a knit – with a waterfall collar, lacey trumpet cuffs and a gently fitted waist. It’s very flattering and works with all my dresses.

We couldn’t resist making some accessories to go with the cardigan – a loose lacey hat, a skinny scarf, a wider scarf and a selection of flowers in wonderful coordinating colours”, says Pearl.

Deborah Bee, founder of Bee & Sons

The collection is vintage inspired, taking cues from many of Pearl’s dress designs, which look to the past for glamour and elegance yet keeping its relevance through a modern twist.

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WEBSITE: beeandsons.com

IG @beeandsons | pearllowe

A collection inspired by a shared fascination for the 20s and 30s fashion

A passion for reducing fashion waste and producing clothing that will last a lifetime is key for both designers.

“We’ve spent hours perfecting this collection so that it ticks all the boxes - it’s a small run, so we minimise our waste, and it’s all natural. We have more ideas on the way so watch this space.”

Can you be the key to unlocking your sales potential?

written by Karolina Barnes

As a small business founder, you have put a huge amount of time, experience, hard work and money into your company. You may have started your business as a passion project, side hustle or a solution to a problem you have spotted and that no one was addressing.

Whatever your backstory is, one thing is for sure - your business exists for a reason - it has a purpose, mission and ambitions, and with your determination, you can make them a reality. With deinfluencing on the rise, now can be your big opportunity to show your passion, skills and expertise, unlocking your company’s sales potential.

It’s only been talked about in the business and marketing world in recent weeks, deinfluencing started on TikTok in January, where posted videos of featured social media users questioned the problem of false recommendations of viral products usually promoted by influencers. The aim of deinfluecing is to discourage unnecessary overconsumption. With its rising popularity, nearly every niche has deinfluencing posts and videos. From beauty products, fashion to homeware trends, wedding and gaming, deinfluencing captures the attention of conscious consumers who care about our planet and people.

But as a founder, you can do the opposite. You have an opportunity and can embody your brand and act as a “caring” influencer to show how your business is unique and why it is purpose-led. One of the ways you can do this is through founder-led marketing. If you’re an introvert, don’t worry, founder-led marketing doesn’t have to be all about sharing yourself with the world. It simply means becoming the voice of your brand. From sharing your brand story and mission to leveraging your expertise and knowledge of your products, services and market you can become a trusted thought leader your audience and customers will look up to and admire.

One such example who does it well is the Creative Director and Co-founder, Rupert Kingston, of Delilah Cosmetics. From sharing the Delilah’s brand story on their website to product demos on Instagram, Rupert is able to channel in the brand’s essence and capture

BENEFITS OF FOUNDERLED MARKETING TRUST & LOYALTY

When founders engage first-hand in communication with customers and audiences, they have an opportunity to build trust and customer loyalty much faster than sales team members or anyone else. Their passion can help create unique narratives, driving not only sales but also managing brand building and reputation.

the brand’s audience with his charismatic personality and a very approachable, friendly tone of voice. The brand is therefore given a human touch and realness, in marketing terms it is called “humanising the brand”, a rarity in the beauty industry.

WHERE TO START

Founder-led marketing is a no-brainer from the sales strategy point of view, but where should you start? The most obvious place is your website. I’ve come across some really fantastic founder videos on About or Our Story pages. The best founder’s videos tell the brand stories in authentic ways, avoiding too promotional / corporate-like approach. Start with a short introduction, describing your mission, philosophy and values. Talk about your brand’s vision and how it solves your customer’s problems. Focus on the emotional benefits rather than product features. With customers who don’t know your brand that well in mind, back up your story by mentioning your expertise, knowledge and anything worth mentioning to them which will immediately create trust e.g. winning awards or previous career achievements.

From there you can leverage social media platforms and podcasts, and in the physical world you can create opportunities to share your story through themed events and talks.

TOP TIPS

Professionalism is key. Show the human side of you but keep it within your brand’s values. Don’t get influenced by latest trends, just be you and tell stories you want to tell. Don’t play it safe. Be bold and highlight issues that need resolving in your industry. This shows that you care, and helps to reinforce your mission and vision.

FIRST HAND CUSTOMER INSIGHT

Every founder who is customer facing is in a unique position to learn first-hand about what customers want. You can quickly uncover and articulate the problems your business is solving. Your conversations can help you address objections your customers share with you, which in turn can help you improve the customer’s journey and service.

REACHING SALES POTENTIAL

Most small businesses kickstart growth through founder-led sales. When you take charge of sales you constantly learn and improve in order to win more customers and therefore reaching your company’s sales potential.

Curating for One off to 25

interview by Karolina Barnes

Consumers are now buying online as much as they shop in store. One off to 25 is an online art gallery combined with a unique consultation service. Here we chat with its curator, Jasmine Rosten-Edwards, to tell us how it works.

1. Could you tell us how you got into interiors and the art worlds?

I have always had a passion for art and interiors from a young age, as both give me joy and provide me with an artistic outlet. I understand the contemporary art market as I have been buying art for the last 20 years and saw how consumer behaviour and market forces have evolved, making the purchase of online art the norm. Specifically, whilst nearing the completion of my MBA degree I came up with a business idea to combine my love of art and interiors, and I created One off to 25, an online art gallery.

One off to 25 is a sustainable business with a transparent supply chain and as such I specialise in originals, limited edition prints, and prints produced in small runs that support local businesses. This has allowed me to specialise and curate a collection of artworks to cater for different budgets and aesthetic tastes.

2. How do you choose the artists you represent? Do you have some criteria or requirements?

One of the main principles behind my business was to give a platform to new or emerging artists, mentor them and help get their products to market but I collaborate with established artist too. All of the artists I represent are talented, hardworking, driven, passionate and personable. My decision to choose to work with an artist is always based upon gut instinct i.e. I love their work coupled with an assessment of how commercially viable I think their artwork will be.

3. You also provide art consultancy. What does it involve and how do you help your clients?

The art consultancy was born out of my understanding of art from a commercial and consumer point of view. I can be contacted through my website, which provides basic information about the service. When a client makes contact I ask them about their prerequisites as well as find out what emotionally resonates with them so I can source their requirements and fulfil the brief.

However, sometimes it is appropriate to provide aesthetic advice and input. For example, I am working with a client who recently contacted me about sourcing an original piece of art for a specific room in their home. Yet, upon seeing photographs of the room, I have advised that complementary individual pieces in different sizes will have more impact as well as providing more flexibility long term if they want to move them to different rooms in their home.

4. What was the most interesting project or piece of art you sourced or been involved in? I have been involved in interesting projects from working with an Interior Designer, who worked on a very large renovation scheme where I sourced rare vintage art, to working with people on smaller domestic schemes.

The most interesting piece of art I sourced was for a client who was very specific about their requirements and budget. They wanted a large piece of female artwork that would not dominate the room or any of their other existing artworks in there i.e. it had to be complementary plus they liked the colour green.

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The artwork I sourced for them is by talented One off to 25 artist called Sara Hurley. Sara produces strong, graphic figurative artwork and many of her pieces have a very restrained colour palette. The piece I chose for the client is an A2 Limited Edition print of 5 called ‘ccxliv’.

The client absolutely loved the artwork because it worked perfectly in their room and totally fulfilled the brief. They said the chosen figurative piece of artwork, which shows a female figure looking at an art gallery exhibition, also looked like she was viewing the artwork in their room and that it brought everything together perfectly.

5. You have partnered with one of the artists, Amanda Mulquiney-Birbeck, whereby you donate very generous 30% of sales of her original art or limited edition prints to The NHS Charities for Covid-19 Urgent Appeal. Can you tell us how this collaboration came about and the story behind it?

It was a stressful time for people due to the Covid pandemic. It made many people more mindful of living in the present time rather than focusing on an uncertain future. I believe that art has the power to soothe and heal - it can be good for the soul. I wanted to combine this with giving something back and helping others, so I partnered with artist Amanda Mulquiney who is a great fit. Amanda’s art is bright, high octane, poignant and instils a feel-good factor. We believe that being philanthropic is more important than ever, indeed our way of helping out at this unusual time in living history.

Artwork from top left: Summer Storm by Jasmine Rosten-Edwards (1) | ccxliv by Sara Hurley (2) | Flemish Flowers by Amanda Mulquiney-Birbeck (3) | Harmony by Flo Lee (4)

WEBSITE: oneoffto25.com

INSTAGRAM: @oneoffto25

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Embracing the new: How to identify new communication channels

written by Aimee Stammers

Social media is forever changing; both in the way we use it and the evolving nature of the platforms available. It’s a great supportive tool for engaging your audience, but it should only ever be part of your marketing strategy. Now, more than ever, is the time to embrace alternative means of communicating with your potential customers because there are so many different ways you can gain exposure and build awareness; some of which you may find more enjoyable than Instagram!

The best strategies encompass multiple routes. The key is to identify those that give you access to your target audience AND allow you to feel confident and relevant when using them - there’s no point focusing on strategies that you dislike or find frustrating as you just won’t use them effectively or consistently.

STEP ONE: Define your audience

Every business will have sub-categories of potential customers because people are attracted to your brand for multiple reasons. You need to identify all those different reasons; to understand precisely why people want and need your product and why they would specifically purchase from your brand. Essentially, this comes down to really knowing your brand values and assets.

STEP TWO: Tailoring your message

Curate your communication based on the knowledge of your audience to suit a) their reason for wanting or needing your product b) their current knowledge of your brand, and c) the way in which they consume or use your products.

Then, consider how you can reach these multiple audiences in the real world, away from social media. Focus on connective interests, daily rituals, lifestyle and environment to seek alternative ways to engage.

FOR EXAMPLE: With client Juice HQ, who deliver nutritious cold pressed juices to customer’s doorsteps, we identified their audience

could be broken down into three main categories; each using the products and service for slightly different reasons and with a varying understanding of the product’s benefits and the company’s ethos and service.

Therefore, each sub-audience demanded a slightly different message requiring specific, relevant route of delivery, resulting in a strategy of newsletters, collaborations and flyers to complement their on-going social media efforts.

STEP THREE: Meet your audience

Lockdown saw people glued to their phones, and online was everything, but now everything has shifted. People are enjoying meeting in real life and valuing actual experiences, so it’s vital, (and much easier) that you now get out into the world and meet your customers face-to-face. Be it at big national events such as trade shows, design fairs and exhibitions or via smaller, more niche ideas such as craft markets, pop-up shops and retail experiences.

With a careful research and thoughtful execution even the smallest of activities can reap rewards. On the most basic level being at an event allows you to advertise your brand and for people to see your products. Attending or hosting an event isn’t only about brand visibility, crucially meeting your customers allows you to learn more about them; to really chat with and engage your audience person to person.

Plus, demonstrating in person the benefits and physical attributes of your product, to be able to personally convey the passion and dedication you invest in your brand, and ultimately the true value of your product is the best way to build those brand relationships.

FOR EXAMPLE: Natural handmade soap brand Evergreen Soap Company was founded just prior to the pandemic, they had a clear idea of their brand values and knew their product was well received, and so they wanted to expand their audience base.

Continued...Together we created a plan that identified multiple different customer groups based on their brand values, and in the past 6 months they have attended eco-festivals, craft and design fairs and collaborated with relevant businesses, promoting their products, business and brand to strategically targeted suitable new customers to a great effect.

“It has been so great for us to get out there generally and meet old and new customers. It’s amazing how many people have already seen us / heard about us / bought our soap, so great to connect on a personal level.” Alastair, Evergreen Soap Company.

STEP FOUR: Get creative!

There are many ways you can present your brand to target audiences without actually having to be there. Seek out opportunities to showcase your product, or display your logo, or demonstrate the benefits, the uses and values of your brand in a real and tangible way. Essentially, look for ways to get your audience and customers involved and experience your product, process or passion.

FOR EXAMPLE: A local music coach created a branded stand for air guitars right outside a venue that often held live music events - it was a cool, funny and memorable way to put their name in front of interested people.

Joining forces with other businesses that already engage your target audience can also be effective if you look for ways that will promote shared values and interest or benefit the consumer.

This could be as simple as offering a sample as a gift in a goodie bag or sharing space for a pop-up event. Or, perhaps there’s an opportunity to collaborate on content via photoshoots or articles for posters, websites and newsletters.

Content will always be a fundamental part of your marketing and newsletters are a really powerful way to connect to your customers. Not only are they a direct route to people already familiar with your brand, but they allow you to sell to previous customers, making it easy for fans of your products to buy again and again.

FOR EXAMPLE: Creative Studio Create 98 wanted to increase their communication, but they were unsure as to the best route and how to ensure their messaging was relevant. We devised a newsletter strategy that allowed them to consistently update their large database of the many courses they offered in a way that was both easy for the reader to consume and action, and straightforward for the business to produce, resulting in a weekly marketing schedule that saw a great uptake.

Social media will always be a useful tool for communicating with your audience, but it should be used in conjunction with other channels that you control and bring you direct contact with the people that buy your products. Your marketing needs to get people looking, thinking and remembering your brand and the more formats you use to do that, the better your outreach will be, the better your customer relationships will be and ultimately, the better your sales will be.

WEBSITE: aimeestammers.com

INSTAGRAM: @aimeestammers

PR: What’s best for your business?

Hiring someone to do your PR can feel like a big step for a small business. As things shift into the online environment where there is a platform or an app for pretty much everything, with that often comes the (self) expectation that we can ‘do it all’. And generally, yes - we can do a lot. We can take pretty good pictures with our phones, chat openly and honestly on Instagram about the story behind the brand, and we can interact with our peers on LinkedIn, but with the choice of channels and platforms available, it is easy to misdirect energy.

Whether you feel you can manage PR in-house or hire a PR service to fill in the gaps on your PR skills, it is clear that PR related activities go beyond what most small brands think.

“Too often people think of PR as publicity, or press coverage, when actually PR considers where to tell your story based on your target audience. It includes speaking engagements, launch strategy, guest posting, social media, email newsletters, blogs, podcasts and collaborations and partnerships. So, when it comes to choosing where to focus, it’s worth considering what feels most enjoyable and easiest to maintain, because consistency is key to getting PR results.”, says Bridie Hinson, founder of Why You Create.

So how do you know what’s best for your business? If your budget is very limited and you have time to learn and do most of the legwork yourself, then a PR subscription option might be for you.

Companies such as PR Dispatch provide self-learning PR platforms where you can learn and feel supported by the community. Focusing predominantly on product placement features, the team behind this platform helps you gain exposure online and in print.

If, however, you need specific support and expertise, then working with a PR agency might be a better solution for you. For interiors brands, Byrne Comms is a PR and marketing agency working across the interior, design, craft architecture and luxury lifestyle sector. The agency specialises in developing unique brand stories and working with the team delivers press feature results in highly respected mainstream and industry press, both online and in print.

For lifestyle brands (fashion, home, beauty) there are endless options and PR service providers available to you, but Platform Creative stands out for us. They specialise in developing brand exposure predominantly through editorial content and storytelling, and therefore deliver results associated with such press features. As with everything else these days, there is also the in-between. If you only need to learn how to create your own PR strategy, then hiring a PR consultant for a one-off session might be for you. One of them is Why You Create who works with creative businesses helping them to learn PR strategy.

Request a full version of this article on editor@estila.co

PR SERVICE PROVIDERS

PR Dispatch prdispatch.com

IG @prdispacth

Byrne Communications byrnecomms.com

IG @byrnecomms

Platform Creative platform-creative.com

IG @platform_creative_

Why You Create whyyoucreate.com

IG @whyyoucreate

STUDIO/ESTILA studioestila.com

IG @studioestila

“Look for ways to get your customers involved and experience your product, process or passion. Immerse them into your world.”

How to adjust your business in a downturn?

written by Karolina Barnes

THE OLD THINKING VS NEW THINKING

With so many challenges (first Brexit, then COVID and now the economic downturn), we all have to find new ways for our businesses to survive. Whether your business has been impacted yet or not, one thing is for sure - as consumers, we demand different customer services and experiences, constantly shifting our needs, wants and expectations.

What we demand in retail, ecommerce and design impacts the way we think about products and services we consume. But more importantly, we seek out companies who don’t see us as a transaction or number. Instead, we want to be treated like we are the most important customer. We want to feel understood, guided, inspired and motivated, beyond the product or service you offer.

And so, if you want to be at the forefront of this change, to show your customers and clients that you care and understand, you need to scrap everything you know about selling products and start focusing on selling emotions and stories. To get you started we created four customer groups based on their expectations and emotional needs.

THE DISCOVERY CUSTOMER

Discovery shoppers are usually open-minded but have a category-specific purchasing purpose. They have vague ideas about what they are looking for and how it should look but can be influenced if the right product presents itself. You can easily lead them to the product they want. Bear in mind though, that discovery customers want to feel empowered by the sense of achievement, so ideas that are based on discovery experiences must be hitting these emotions. Lead but let them discover.

THE COMMUNITY CUSTOMER

Community customers like the idea of being part of something meaningful - a group of people who share similar interests and values and do good things. What makes them tick is the feeling of being valued and involved in events or projects that matter to them. Selling to customers who seek community spirit is therefore based on values they share with your business.

THE GUIDANCE-SEEKING CUSTOMER

Some customers are quite happy to be left alone, others need guidance. Especially in spaces that overwhelm them. If I am a guidance-seeking customer, I want to feel understood and reassured that I’m making the right choice. It is, therefore, important to train your shop floor staff, so they know how to anticipate what each customer wants and guide them through the journey.

THE ENERGY-SEEKING CUSTOMER

Have you ever walked into a shop and suddenly your mood was lifted? Those places where you forget about everything else and get yourself immersed into a new world, their world. The whole atmosphere radiates positivity and subconsciously, it has a similar impact on you. You feel more energised as more of your senses are being stimulated. From sounds and smells to textures and visuals, every little detail creates an emotional connection and reaction. You remember the feeling and the energy for a long time. And that’s what creating energy for energy-seeking customers is about.

From transaction to emotion - a significant shift is happening in 2023.

Creative community

Dar Leone is a London based design studio founded by Sierra Leonean-American, Isatu Funna. They create and curate a globally inspired range of jewellery, textiles, wallpaper, cushions and objects inspired by Isatu’s travels around the world and her memories of a childhood in Freetown.

With each design, they reimagine traditional West African textiles in unexpected tones of cerise pink, mustard yellow or chocolate brown. While inspiration is global, their production is local. You can find a wide range of designs and lifestyle products in their store and online made in the UK, from fine bone china made in Stoke on Trent to wallpaper printed in Yorkshire.

Dar Leone’s latest collection Didi is inspired by the flower “Bird of Paradise” which blooms abundantly in Sierra Leone. With pops of dusky orange and bright pink, its petals are a visual balm on roadsides, by the beach, upcountry or in city gardens. Fabric is available in six colourways and by the cut-metre.

WEBSITE: dar-leone.com

INSTAGRAM: @darleonelondon

BEEN London’s story started with a coffee cup… or rather, the waste left behind from endless throwaway, single use coffee cups. This problem of waste was one that really got under the skin of former BBC journalist and BEEN London’s founder, Genia Mineeva, who then began exploring the use of recyclable materials and how waste could be repurposed to create something new. It was here she discovered the exciting and untapped potential of innovative recycled materials that rescued landfill-bound items.

Since its launch in 2018, with the help of Kickstarter, the BEEN London has won multiple awards for their efforts in sustainability and captured the attention of many with their timeless, yet fun and vibrant, designs for the everyday.

Through creativity and innovation, the brand is changing the narrative on waste, rescuing materials such as discarded tannery offcuts, post-consumer waste plastic and even pineapple leaves and apple skins.

WEBSITE: been.london

INSTAGRAM: @been.london

WE ARE ENVIRONMENTAL

When you’re done reading this newspaper, please reuse it. Here are some suggestions:

1. Frame the artwork on the back cover.

2. Use it as a wrapping paper.

3. Use it for paper mache.

4. Use it for analogue collage.

5. Send it to a friend who needs cheering up

WEBSITE: estila.co | studioestila.com

INSTAGRAM: @estila.co | @studioestila

6. Give it to your local library.

7. Give it to your local school or college.

8. Leave it at your local lifestyle store.

9. Shred it and put it in the compost.

10. As last resort, recycle it responsibly.

GET IN TOUCH

Tell us your story: editor@estila.co Website: estila.co