319 | 2024 Market Trends For Product Based Businesses with Jessica Totillo Coster

We recently did a two-part series on the State of Retail where I talked to two independent brick-and-mortar retail shop owners [episode 1] [episode 2]. This is important because we teach all of you how to sell wholesale to stores like Katie & Jen’s shops and it is important that you understand the challenges that they are facing and how they are adapting to the market and how that will trickle down and affect you as a manufacturer.  Today I want to expand on that conversation with a colleague of mine, Jessica Totillo Coster of E-Commerce Badassery. Jessica is an ecommerce and email marketing strategist. You may also remember her from episode 195 of Proof to Product. Jessica works exclusively with product-based business owners — many of whom are also Paper Camp Alumni & LABS members. Jessica and I have a unique perspective on what’s happening in the product space right now — observing trends with sales, marketing and spotting issues before they become widespread. And, that’s what our focus is on today’s episode. We're sharing what we’re seeing on the sales & marketing front for product-based businesses - what’s working, what’s not and sharing advice that you can implement right away. This episode is brought to you by our Email Marketing For Product Makers guide. 49% of our customers want to hear from us on a consistent basis, yet, only a small percentage of product-based business owners are actively sending monthly emails to their customers.   If you’ve struggled with what to say, when to send, or how to plan out your email marketing strategies, we’ve got just the tool for you. This tool and the optional training have helped hundreds of product makers plan out an entire year’s worth of emails.  And, the best part… they are creating templates that they can rinse & repeat year after year.   DOWNLOAD NOW You can view full show notes and more at http://prooftoproduct.com/319  Quick Links: Free Wholesale Audio Series Free Resources Library Free Email Marketing for Product Makers PTP LABS Paper Camp  

Om Podcasten

Ranked in the top 1% of ALL podcasts, the Proof to Product podcast is your trusted resource for sustainable business growth - especially if you make and sell physical products! Join Katie Hunt, each week as she shares strategies & solutions to enhance your sales & marketing so that you’re building a business that supports your best life. If you’ve ever asked yourself can I make money selling physical products? Am I ready to sell my products wholesale to stores like Target, Anthropologie, Nordstrom or Barnes & Noble? When should I consider hiring a sales team or sales reps? Can I really turn my passion into profits? Whether you’re a just starting out on your business journey or you’ve been at it a while growing an empire, this show is for you. Proof to Product is like on-demand business school for product sellers spanning a wide range of industries. Whether you’re in home decor, apparel, beauty, food & beverage, hand-made items, jewelry, consumer gifts or the stationery world, you’ll gather new ideas each week to help you grow your profit, build your team and lead with integrity. Host Katie Hunt and her guests bring you actionable ways to expand your product line, manufacturing overseas, optimize your e-commrce websites on Shopify, Faire, Etsy, Abound, Tundra, Squarespace or in brick & mortar locations. How to start or scale wholesale sales including pitching stores, wholesale outreach, trade show exhibition, working with sales reps, managing inventory, warehousing product, sales systems, wholesale follow-up strategies and working with key accounts. Marketing strategies for small businesses including content creation, leveraging tik tok and instagram tactics without feeling burned out, why you can’t rely solely on social media for sales and why email marketing systems on platforms like Klaviyo, Flodesk and Active Campaign are so powerful. Listen in as Katie and our guest experts help you strategize and tackle your biggest business goals. Host Katie Hunt brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurship. Since 2011, she’s helped thousands of product brands get their products on the shelves of their favorite retail stores through her Paper Camp program (www.prooftoproduct.com/papercamp). Prior to that she worked in the corporate world for over a decade leading business development and marketing teams. She has two MBAs - one in finance and one in marketing. And, she owned & operated her own product based business for over 8 years, selling her products to stores throughout the world from her garage. Katie knows the struggles you face as a product based business and she’s here to pull back the curtain and share her best kept secrets so that you don’t have to learn things the hard way. Find our free trainings & resources for product based business owners at www.prooftoproduct.com/resources