Why Customers Can't Get Enough

 Remember back to the days of Tickle Me Elmo and other favored toys during the holiday season, were supply and demand caused people to pay outrageous amounts for items no longer available in stores?

Why is it that customers do that?

You have just as great of chance of creating the next big hit as the cyber shop or crafter sitting at the table next to you. However, it's one of those deals where the old saying, "You have better luck at winning the lottery" comes to mind.

So why is it, that customer's can't get enough of one item then another?

book publishers, crafters, artists, and musicians have been asking this questions for years. Here's a little secret for you...I don't know the answer either.

But what I do know, is the same thing any statistician is going to say. It depends on a multitude of factors. When J.K. Rowling was writing Harry Potter, she never knew it would be such a big hit. It was actually rejected more than fifty times by publishers. "That will never sell."

What I also know, is that you never want to hone your craft around a trend. Don't write or create for what is hot now, write what you know, craft what you love, and sing what you like.

So then how are you supposed to figure out what customers want so you can make a buck?

Let's go back to those statisticians for a moment. Statistically speaking, customers want a good product. When they buy something handmade they're looking for something unique, seasonal, or of gift giving quality. When you go to the store you're looking for something specific.

It just happened in one particular year a bunch of people decided a red monster that laughed made a great gift for three thru 5-year-olds, which in turn hiked up the demand. Then there is that statistician again who will tell you that the variable between the time of year, current economic standing, and original price of the toy all had a factor in it's success.

I happen to know too, that from one mother to another, if my little girl wants something and tells her friend, then her friend is going to want it. See how that works? 

Everybody is out to keep up with the Jones, but nobody really knows who they are. In the business of selling your craft, you want your customers to love your product just as much as one child loved a Tickle-Me-Elmo doll to start a trend of your own.

When you supply your customers with a unique, well made, product that fits their needs, then they're bound to share their shopping experience and your name with their friends.