How to Sell on Spoonflower, the basics
Topics and Collections
A lot of people have asked me how to sell designs on Spoonflower.com, so I laid out exactly how to create, digitize, and upload to Spoonflower and other platforms for business. Most importantly, I will walk you through how to grow your sales by thinking about trends and connecting with your audience.
The Technical Stuff
If you are intimidated by putting patterns into repeat, there are a great number of FREE resources on sites like YouTube, and Skillshare. Once you start putting patterns into repeat, you'll get the hang of it.
Here are a few ways to prepare artwork into digital files:
Scan artwork at 300 DPI TIFF format
Work in sRGB color mode
Use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create and digitize artwork and create seamless repeat patterns
Check saturated colors for out-of-gamut colors and correct (any colors with !)
Check and correct repeat seams for errors using the Photoshop offset tool
Print designs out before uploading to get an idea of how the colors print
Upload a PNG or JPG format file to Spoonflower. My preference is GIF format, but it is no longer supported
Order a swatch to proof. This is done digitally now, but it’s still a good idea on swatches with common background colors to see how it shifts from fabric to wallpaper and screen appearance.
NOTE: Order a Spoonflower swatch for tricky colors like blues, dark, or saturated colors, or create your own color map with HEX codes. Colors vary on different fabrics. If there is a substrate, or colors you use, or is trending in your sales history, create and order a Color Map on any particular fabric or wallpaper that you find is common for your audience. HEX codes are used on the Color Map and are universally easy to use across most design programs.
There are two types of printers for digital fabric printing, either natural or synthetic fabrics:
Natural – Non-reactive dyes are used in printing, which can sometimes be tricky in achieving dark or saturated colors
Synthetic - Sublimation printing can achieve rich, saturated colors
Follow the Trends
After getting the hang of creating patterns, the next step is to learn about trends and marketing. If you made some sales on Spoonflower or another platform, then you are one step ahead because you now have sales trend information to start with. If you haven't made sales yet, look at what others are selling, seeing what ranks for search queries for search terms outside of "(excluding sponsored content).
I wrote a blog post titled Trends with Benefits for Societyt6, which is a good read for diving deeper into trends.
Staying on top of trends is essential for your business. A trend is a current style or preference that generates interest, especially online or in social media. Trends are recurring patterns of what’s in fashion in the market, in your shop, on social media, in stores, or on a platform.
Keep in mind that a trend for someone else doesn't mean that it is a trend for your shop. It is best to evaluate the overall trends and see which fits your creative style and audience.
Several trends to pay attention to are:
Sales trends within your business (what’s selling?)
Marketplace trends (what’s for sale in other shops or other platforms?)
Specific trends (color palettes, subjects, style, product, or brand)
Microtrends - niche market trends (what’s happening in a distinct segment of the market?)
Seasonal trends - i.e., holidays, summer, or back to school, etc., if applicable to your work.
Get Social!
Connecting with other artists, influencers, or makers who you relate to is a great way to get to know your potential audience, which will ultimately help you design better and sell more. These are some examples of related hashtags that may change over time, but these can get you started in finding other artists to learn more from by following:
#surfacedesign
#spoonflower
#patterndesign
#fabricdesign
#DIY
#handmade
Follow hashtags to find other designers who influence the market, and use relevant hashtags to get exposure to your designs. Additionally, look for product-specific hashtags that relate to popular products made with Spoonflower goods.
Popular products made from Spoonflower fabrics include:
Baby Products: nursery decor, baby and children’s clothing, and accessories
Fashion: women’s wear, clothing, DIY projects, and fashion accessories
Home Decor: interior design projects, bed and bath, and soft home products
Stay in touch with customers and build relationships. The more interaction you have with your customers, the more you will know who they are and what is important to them in terms of designs they already buy and evaluating what their preferences are. A few great ways to engage with your audience is to do the following:
Follow your customers on social media to see how they are using your designs
Engage with customers about their creations
Feature customer creations with your designs and tag them
Create a community around your shop
Spoonflower customers sell handmade goods through a variety of marketing platforms, including Etsy, their own e-commerce websites, and other marketing platforms for small businesses. Your audience could find and purchase your designs through places like Etsy, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Wayfair, eBay, and other affiliate sites that Spoonflower has an affiliate partnership with, so it's always a good idea to get familiar with those platforms to see how your customers are finding you.
The last thing is, don't forget to take advantage of these resources on Spoonflower:
Designer analytics
Design challenges
Affiliate program
Spoonflower tutorials
Staying tuned into marketplace trends and connecting with your audience will help you to create relevant designs that will improve your sales or help you start making sales. Building a community of like-minded designers, creating a meaningful association with your brand in the minds of your customers, will help sustain your business relationships and bring new business. Engaging and marketing with your audience will ultimately enable you to create salable and trend-forward designs that your audience will be excited about.
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