Over the past year, we’ve been thrilled to see our community of business owners and entrepreneurs in Europe continue to grow, and to witness our customers from around the world achieve success on Faire. We recently spoke with members of our brand community in France about how their businesses have evolved since joining our marketplace. Here, jewelry brand GISEL B., artisanal jam company Confiture Parisienne, and natural skincare brand BAIOBAY share how their first year on Faire has helped them reach new overseas retail markets, increase their sales, and achieve their business goals.
GISEL B.
Designer Clémence Masson founded GISEL B. in 2015 to produce handmade jewelry in Valence, France. Her goal was to create jewelry that used classic materials in new ways and were offered at a reasonable price. GISEL B. product line consists of delicately crafted pearl necklaces, gold-plated earrings, bracelets, and more. The company prides itself on ecological and local production, and all jewelry is handmade in France. In addition, all materials—with the exception of their pearls—and packaging are of European origin.
Clémence first developed her brand by forming close relationships with clients from trade shows and showrooms. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she realized she needed a new sales channel. In 2021, she discovered Faire and decided to give it a try. Upon joining, Clémence realized how the marketplace could increase her brand awareness and grow sales in new overseas markets. “I understood quickly that more clients meant more visibility and therefore more orders,” she said.
Faire also helped with tackling logistics, giving the team more time to focus on other priorities. “You can’t imagine how happy we are when we get a Faire order,” she said. “We don’t need to prepare any labels, and Faire streamlines delivery and speeds up the process.”
The GISEL B. team also uses Faire Direct—a set of tools that allows brands to offer new retailers incentives and discounts for shopping on Faire—to increase conversions with their own prospects. The team added the Faire Direct widget to GISEL B.’s website to make ordering on Faire easy, and when clients want to order via email, they share their unique Faire Direct link which unlocks benefits for those retailers. “All my clients are so happy because they have free shipping for a year, so I know they’ll be back”, she said, adding that buyers tend to place larger orders on Faire.
Today, Clémence uses Faire as her sole marketplace platform, and GISEL B. is offered in more than 90 retailers all over the world, from China and Australia to the U.S. and beyond.
Confiture Parisienne
Nadège Gaultier and Laura Goninet founded Confiture Parisienne in 2015 to revive a Parisian tradition and create exceptional jams made according to artisanal methods. The pair started small, taking training courses for jam makers and creating beautiful, one-of-a-kind jars for their product. They worked with professional chefs to create their original recipe without any additives or preservatives. The company has since grown to offer dozens of flavors, from raspberry macaroon and Earl Grey tea to vintage champagne.
Nadège and Laura knew early on that they wanted to focus on placing their products in retail stores. While they were able to develop partnerships with some top French shops, they struggled to tap into the U.S. market. Joining Faire in 2021 finally gave the company access to the new markets they’d been seeking.
“Faire helped the business expand in the U.S. while maintaining control on our image, price, and buyers,” Sales Manager Gaëlle Ribeiro said. Before joining Faire, the company only had three U.S. buyers, but today, they’re growing sales with far more U.S. retailers. They’ve also found new types of buyers like lifestyle boutiques and gift shops. “Faire opened up a whole new audience for us, which we didn’t think was possible,” Gaëlle said.
Faire has also allowed Confiture Parisienne to streamline operations with smaller retailers, so they no longer have to spend as much time on each order. Finally, the benefits of Faire Direct—including 0% commission and €300 free credit on initial orders—have also helped win over new prospects and inspire new purchases from inactive buyers. “It’s a win-win for us and for the retailers,” Gaëlle said.
BAIOBAY
Margaux Tron-Brossard founded BAIOBAY in 2019 to fill a gap in the skincare market for organic products with a pleasant texture and planet-friendly packaging. She aimed to create a brand that offered healthy ingredients and fragrances that people could fall in love with while prioritizing sustainability. Today, BAIOBAY offers lip balms, hair care products, exfoliating scrubs, and more, all made from natural and organic ingredients.
During the company’s early years, Margaux struggled to grow sales with retailers that had not heard of her brand. However, after joining Faire in 2021, she started converting more prospects with minimal risk and effort.
Margaux said she uses the Faire Direct incentives—like 60 day payment terms and a free credit on their opening order—to convert more prospects. “There’s less risk-taking on our side, as well as for the shops,” she said. In addition, her team no longer wastes time chasing down invoices. “Faire Direct has played an indisputable role in our business,” Margaux said. In fact, about 90% of the company’s sales come from new prospects.
Faire’s virtual trade show events like Faire Winter Market have also helped bring in new sales for BAIOBAY. The events have even motivated inactive customers to make new purchases using Faire’s terms and benefits as a selling point. Finally, Margaux frequently updates her photos, videos, and collections on her shop page to make sure she’s standing out to new prospective customers.
Learn more about the benefits of Faire Direct.
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