Well, seeing as my last blog post was about Small Business Saturday, it's probably time for a little update, huh? ;P
This year has been flying by and we are heading quickly into the warmer months (at least here in the northern hemisphere!), when Standard of Grace outfits really shine! If you follow me on Instagram, you'll already know about the news I'm about to dive into, but I thought this was a good place to share the details about how and why we're going to run things a bit differently for embroidered outfit releases.
So, what's changing?
Until now, I have primarily been pre-making outfits in sizes and styles that I've chosen/work best for the textile and releasing them as ready-to-ship pieces. What I'm going to do instead is offer a select number of made-to-order listings, (from one featured textile per release) where customers may choose the exact style and size of outfit they need.
Why make this change?
While pre-making outfits makes it easier for me to ensure the textile is maximized to its full extent, doing it that way makes it so that I am constantly guessing at what sizes and styles my customers are looking for. I know which sizes/styles are the most popular, but since quantities are so limited and I like to vary the options, I typically only make one of each size/style, so even the most popular ones are limited to one or two per release. Changing the format to made-to-order makes it so that if 5 listings are available and all 5 customers want a 12/18 month romper, then they can all get that outfit/size, whereas before I would probably only have one 12/18 month romper available.
The Pros
- More chances to get exactly what you want. This is especially great for those looking for outfits in larger sizes that I don't usually offer in my releases, or those looking for more than one outfit for siblings.
- A bit less pressure on release days to be there "right" at release time. Since I can't 100% accurately predict exactly how many/what styles of outfits I'll be able to squeeze out of each textile, I will be updating inventory and styles available as orders come in. The best chance at getting what you want will still be right when the website opens on release day, but this format allows for those who can't be there right on time to still have a chance if/when I'm able to add additional listings to the release after evaluating the textile based on orders already placed.
The cons
- Longer turnaround times. Obviously, made-to-order means that items won't ship as quickly as ready-to-ship ones will. Turnaround time will typically be 1-2 weeks, depending on how many outfits I'm able to make from each textile.
- Not being able to see what the outfits will look like beforehand. This one is tougher for me to justify, but I guess this is where I ask you all to have a little faith that the outfits will turn out better than you expect! I literally spend hours working on pattern placement with each textile, making sure that the embroidery is maximized to its full potential for each and every outfit and ensuring that each piece is equally special and one-of-a-kind.
And if you're looking for inspiration, just take peak at some of the photos in my Instagram feed, or the highlighted stories, where I'm planning on posting a lot more, so you can see examples of previous outfits.
How long will listings be available for each release/textile?
Listings will be available for 48 hours or until they sell out, whichever comes first. I'm limiting the time they will be available so I can best maximize the textile and pattern lay/cut out all the outfits at once. If any fabric is leftover after the 48 hours, then I will sew up some ready-to-ship pieces and sell them individually on my website.
Anything else we should know?
I think that about covers it! Anything else about the nuts and bolts of ordering/shipping/etc can be found/will be updated in my FAQ section on the site!
Thanks so much to those who have continued to follow along with me for a while and to those who are new to Standard of Grace! I hope this change works well for us all! And if it doesn't, then we'll just change it back. Ha! ;)
featured photo provided by @carolinebrookes and @rachelleighprocell