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Jessica Cunningham started her design business, Studio Portmanteau, in 2013. A passion for the simple things in life — plus a fascination with tiny objects — led her to specialize in matchboxes. As a lover of all things vintage, Jessica views the matchbox itself as a small, delicate little piece of a bygone era that reminds us to slow down and light a candle.
The designs are inspired by some of Jessica’s favorite activities, such as stargazing and being outdoors. She incorporates themes from botany, astronomy, and cartography into her imagery. Using metallic dyes and a vintage foil stamper, Jessica enjoys hand-pressing her designs on each matchbox. The materials come to life through her unique perspective as a trained designer, intrepid explorer, and avid maker.
Today, Jessica uses Faire as her primary wholesale channel. Our team recently chatted with her to learn more about how she uses the platform. Jessica shared how she runs 90% of Studio Portmanteau’s wholesale business through Faire, how she switched over to Faire’s marketing tools, and how Faire Direct has increased her wholesale order volume by 15%.
How Studio Portmanteau manages 90% of wholesale orders through Faire
“Faire is convenient because it’s where I do almost all of my wholesale business,” Jessica told us. “I truly love the ease of using Faire.”
She’s able to run her wholesale business through the Faire platform because she can easily manage all of her orders in one place. Jessica is the sole proprietor of Studio Portmanteau and a mom, so she needs a wholesale solution that’s easy.
Jessica shared, “[Faire handles the tasks] I would not otherwise have time for. I have limited childcare and limited hours to work each week.” Because Faire processes payment collection and offers customer support on her behalf, Jessica can spend more time doing what she loves — designing and creating.
How Studio Portmanteau switched over to Faire’s marketing tools
Jessica launched her wholesale business using Etsy Wholesale, where she had around 100 retail stockists before the site was discontinued. Since joining Faire, Studio Portmanteau’s business has grown organically as new retailers discover her matchboxes in the marketplace. Her accounts have more than doubled.
Faire’s tools have helped Jessica strategically and easily engage with her customers. In particular, she enjoys using the email marketing tools. “I’d used Mailchimp once or twice, and it was nice to not have to use it [after joining Faire],” she said.
Jessica also shared with us how easy is for her to use. “One click of a button: ‘Hey do you want to send an email to anyone who has ordered from you in the last year?’” And she does!
How Studio Portmanteau grew sales by 15% using Faire Direct
Faire Direct allows brands to offer their existing and prospective retailers buying incentives for free. Faire doesn’t collect commission on these orders. The benefits include net 60 terms, a sign-up offer of 50% off their first order (up to $150), one year of free shipping, and free returns on opening orders. These incentives — particularly net terms — allow retailers to place larger orders more frequently from Studio Portmanteau than they could otherwise. Plus, Faire covers the entire cost of these incentives.
The first step for Jessica was to add her 100 established customers to Faire Direct. This enabled her to email these retailers about incentives directly from her Faire account, send them automated follow-ups, and track their engagement with her outreach.
Further, Jessica can share her Faire Direct link with leads and retailers who inquire about wholesale. The link is a custom URL to her Faire shop that allows retailers to access the buying incentives, plus confirms 0% commission for Studio Portmanteau on those accounts.
By using these tools, Jessica has been able to increase her order volume by 15% and win back roughly 10 inactive accounts.
You can use the same tools that Studio Portmanteau did to grow and streamline your business. Login to your Faire account and visit the Marketing and Direct tabs to get started.
