When we hear the term “Pinterest-worthy,” our minds immediately conjure up impeccably decorated spaces and perfectly symmetrical, scrumptious baked goods.
We also imagine the idyllic life that must be led by someone who can so effortlessly make all of these beautifully crafted items. They must have spare time, a whole room in their house dedicated to craft supplies, and a Midas-like crafting touch.
Everybody wants that life, right?
But so few of us have the resources of time and energy to turn out perfect pins. There’s a reason that whole websites exist dedicated to “Pinterest fails”! It’s time-consuming to go to the craft store every time you want to make a new craft. And it’s expensive to buy a whole roll of ribbon when all you needed was a 4-inch piece.
This is where Adults & Crafts found their niche.
The Box
“Co-Owner Marianna wanted a more convenient and fun way to complete the cool Pinterest projects. She thought there had to be an easier and less frustrating way than doing everything yourself,” Kevin Black, the cofounder of the Adults & Crafts Crate, tells us. Marianna brought the idea of curated craft kits up to Kevin, who had a little experience with online businesses, and the next day Adults & Crafts was born! While the first iteration of their business was centered around traditional retail and one-time purchases, they quickly realized the potential of converting to a subscription-based model. “Right after the business was started,” Kevin says, “we decided to experiment with a monthly subscription box and the rest is history!”
One of the most important things Adults & Crafts did, right from the beginning, was diligently working to understand their audience. This guides them on what to put in their subscription box every month and how to market it.
This has been their most important piece of advice for new subscription box business owners.
“If you are selling to everybody, you are selling to no one!” Kevin says, “Get specific with your target market, create an ideal customer and sell to them. Just try to get to your 1000 diehard customers and you will be set! Getting customers is hard enough so once you get them, spend a lot of time and effort retaining them. Using highly-targeted, specific marketing is a great way to begin your journey to 1000!”
Kevin & Marianna’s target customer:
- Wants to learn new things
- Enjoys creating functional, conversation-starter pieces
- Is time- & waste-conscious
Learn more about how to identify your audience here.
“Marianna will scour the internet, Pinterest, Instagram, and more for trendy and engaging projects,” Kevin says. “We love to mix up our projects between learning new craft skills/techniques and having the final result be something functional that can be used around the house.”
Adults & Crafts knows that keeping their ideas fresh and audience engaged is key to their continued success. To accomplish this, they constantly pull ideas from diverse sources such as:
- Surveying current subscribers about what interests them
- Searching Cratejoy Marketplace reviews for ideas on what subscribers will love
- Watching YouTubers and crafting influencers to see what’s trending
- Scouring Pinterest – of course!
The Journey
Adults and Crafts originally started their store on another platform and did not have a Cratejoy website.
“We initially did not think Cratejoy was available to us as we started the business on a different platform,” Kevin tells us. Kevin & Marianna thought they could only sell on Cratejoy’s Marketplace if they built their website through our platform. Kevin continues, “Then one day someone from Cratejoy reached out to explain we can still be on the Cratejoy Marketplace, which was music to our ears! We immediately created a listing and the sales started flowing! Cratejoy is so tailor-made for subscription boxes, which made the startup phase a breeze and ongoing operations even better!”
By listing on the Cratejoy Marketplace, Adults & Crafts have greatly benefited in many ways. They can now participate in exclusive sales, promotions, & PR opportunities that Cratejoy offers. They also have access to a whole new audience (1 million shoppers [!!!] visit the Cratejoy Marketplace every month!).
Learn more here about why so many subscription box business owners use Cratejoy.
And it is all about the customer for Adults & Crafts. Even as they think back on how successful they have been, they recognize that it took them a little while to get there.
“We would have loved to engage our customers more from the beginning and offered more consistent communication,” Kevin muses. “Ultimately, we can only go as far as our customers take us, and they are our number-one priority. If we established more consistent communication in the beginning we would have learned a lot of lessons earlier. They also are obviously the best source of information for why people cancel, projects they would like to do, likes and dislikes of the business… all extremely important elements of a successful business.”
As Kevin & Marianna shifted their business to be more customer-centric, they have received wonderful feedback from their strong subscriber base.
“Getting emails from customers about how our craft kits have positively impacted their lives is what keeps us going, there is no better feeling! Whether it is someone recovering in the hospital, someone gifting it to a grieving family member, or someone who simply needed a creative escape from their routine, it all means so much to us! There are so many positive emotions that come from crafting so we truly love our product. After all, crafting is cheaper than therapy!”
The Dream
Adults & Crafts is growing and they have set an ambitious goal for their business.
“We would like to double our subscriber count every year until we get to 1 million happy crafters around the world!” says Kevin.
And we know they can do it!
Marianna & Kevin have a clear strategy which springs from the passion they have for their products. Combine that with their steadfast commitment to their customer and Cratejoy’s suite of specifically-designed tools and products for subscription box business owners — recipe for success!
