Ooh, this month was even harder than before to pick a winner but ultimately we were won over by the nerdy jewelry of Silver Sculptor.  Her shop was stunning!  We really wanted to show you what an amazing shop can look like.  However, there were still a few minor tweaks that Joann could make to attract more customers and really dive into the niche she’s creating for herself.  You can follow along in her Etsy shop: Silver Sculptor.

Things We Loved:

• You had us swooning over your photos.  Great contrast, focus, and lighting.  You’re a true pro at this!
• Information explaining the difference between the silvers you use.  It definitely helps clear up any confusion or obstacle to buy.
• Package photos!  Yes, yes, yes!  We rarely see these but they’re so nice.
• Stunning about page.
• Your branding.  You really know your target market and cater toward their loves: binary, Doctor Who, and puzzles.

Things We Would Tweak:

• Your shop photos show your jewelry close-up and as a whole but the one picture you’re lacking is one where someone is wearing your work.  People really like to see how something will look on them.  The in-use photo will help them visualize the size of the piece and eliminate another obstacle to buy.
• We would change your shop introduction.  Oddly enough, ‘handmade’ applies to everyone on Etsy and thus it doesn’t set you apart.  Rather, you should share your mission as that is very unique to you.
• Also, take ‘affordable’ out of your shop introduction.  ‘Affordable’ should not be the way you define your shop.  Rather, you should let your customer decide what that term means, as it’s different for everyone.
• Tell more stories in your shop descriptions.  You share all of the useful information with your customers but you can really grab more attention (and imagination) if you also tell a story.  What does your jewelry make people think of?  How will it make people feel?  You told a wonderful story in your ‘Torn Earrings’ listing!
• Think about your offerings for women.  You seem to have almost double the amount of cufflinks as everything else and they’re really focused as either commemorating weddings or nerd accessories (and we mean that in the cool way because we’re nerds too).  However, what you have for women is very feminine and not for any special event.  Perhaps it’s time to consider nerd jewelry for women (like you do with the Doctor Who line).  Why not binary earrings for women?  There’s nothing wrong with really diving into your niche and becoming the girl with the shop that makes geeks chic.  Hehe.

We hope this critique helped Joann as well as you.  Tell us what light bulbs went on for you and what you might be tweaking in your own shop!  And, as always, thank you for entering the contest.  There will be another one next month.