The British Craft House celebrates successful first year
On 1 November The British Craft House turns one! And what a year it has been. What started as a business idea on Susan’s run back in 2019 has turned into a platform of nearly 500 independent artisans working hard all over the country having sold thousands of products.
We are not one to blow our own trumpet enough, but our birthday is a great opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved in just 12 months ….
– Sales have more than ten-doubled since we launched
– Site traffic is up by 1000 per cent
– We’ve tripled the number of high quality, independent, British sellers. More than 450 shops are live, supporting them all is a privilege.
– We’ve been featured in national, trade, regional and local media – from radio interviews to newspapers articles and seller products being featured in glossy magazines
– We are huge online and on social media – investing in Google advertising, gaining huge traction on social media with and our newsletter has over 6,000 subscribers
– We represent sellers from all over the country – from Lands End to the Shetland Islands
– Most of our buyers are British, but we’re seeing an increase in international sales such as America
– Our customers love our sellers – with more than a third of buyers coming back for more after their first purchase
Our British Craft House community
“Summing up our first year is nearly impossible. It’s been blood, sweat and tears to get off the ground, but seeing the British Craft House grow so hugely in just 12 month fills me with such joy and pride. I knew there was a market for unique, independent, hand-made products, but the support has been beyond my wildest expectations.
“Lockdown really elevated our sales, but what makes me the proudest is the support our sellers feel from our whole British Craft House community during this time. It’s given me a purpose and I love being able to fly the flag for independent British sellers,” Susan says.
Hundreds of sellers have contacted Susan over the past year thanking her for creating a site that ticks the boxes for their products. Many have been part of the journey from the start and have seen sales grow month on month.
“Susan has been great and I’ve loved being part of the British Craft House journey from the start. From being one of the first testers, to now having such a huge part of my business sales coming through the site has been fantastic. I’ve loved seeing it progress. It’s not just a site – it is such a supportive community and I’m so proud to have been part of it from the start,” Carolyn Ford from Silverbird Designs says.
What’s next?
Not one to rest on her laurels, Susan is working hard on next steps for the British Craft House. She is continuously investing in both the IT and marketing of the site, as well as the offering available.
“Quality is so important and we want to continue to offer the best of British independent hand-made products. We have recently expanded to include food and more back-office upgrades following input from our sellers. We have an app being built to reflect the fact that over 60% of our sales are made on a mobile. We have had more adverts going into national media this past month and traffic to the site keeps increasing. Christmas sales are already rocketing and who wouldn’t want a British Craft House purchased gift under their tree. I’m passionate to keep supporting our community and I can’t wait to continue our success,” Susan says.
To apply to be a seller visit: https://thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/sell-with-us/
To find the latest media coverage about The British Craft House visit: https://thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/in-the-media/
ENDS