Building a business model around collectors can significantly boost your sales and help develop a loyal product following. By offering collectible items, you create a sense of exclusivity that keeps buyers coming back for more. In my online shop Welljourn, I've seen firsthand how focusing on collectors has transformed my business. From higher order values to strong customer engagement, selling to collectors is a strategy that can lead to long-term growth.

Creating a business model around collectors is one that many of us small shops should embrace and focus on to increase our profitability and grow our sales.
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col·lec·tor
/kəˈlektər/
noun
a person who collects things of a specified type, professionally or as a hobby.
"an art collector"
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In my online shop, I have put a focus on marketing to collectors and the results have been amazing!

Welljourn: A Collector Business Case Study

I recently received an e-mail from a customer in my online shop Welljourn, that shows the power of selling to collectors.

This customer asking me to make more things so he can buy them for his collection.

How often do your customers ask you to make more so they can spend their money in your shop?

And the next day I had an order from a Cold Audience Facebook Ad and they bought the entire set - a new collector!

This happens every day in my business since I’ve put my focus into this business model.

Collectible Safari Shelf Sitters from www.welljourn.com

The concept is to have a product line that draws in COLLECTORS.

This can be any type of product that lends itself to the customer desiring more and more of that item in different, colors, styles, patterns, designs, etc.

Collectible ornaments from www.welljourn.com

For those of you who do have the opportunity to build your products around people who love to collect what you sell, it will help your business scale and be more profitable.

In the last few years, I went from having a mix of products that were not communicated as collectibles to making a pivot and fine-tuning my inventory to focus on collectibles.

Some are year-round and some are seasonal (ornaments) the common thread is I know my customers will continually want more.

Here are a few examples of things I market to collectors in my shop @welljournshop

1. Safari shelf sitters
2. Tagua nut animal carvings
3. Holiday ornaments

WHO ARE COLLECTORS?

The psychology of collecting is rich and complex, so consumer research on what motivates your customer’s collector behavior is important to determine your marketing messages.

In my store, I have over 50 customers that have bought 3+ times from me.

I have another sub-set of extreme collectors who have ordered 7+ from my store.

Collectable Tagua Nut Carvings from Welljourn.com

THE BENEFITS OF SELLING TO COLLECTORS:

Higher average order value
High lifetime customer value
High open rates and sales on new product e-mails
Easier to target ads to the right audience
High engagement and community comments on ads
Less discounting as collectors tend to buy full price and will often pay for shipping.

They are your dream customers so make it easy for them to become loyal to you and keep collecting!

WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTS ARE GOOD FOR COLLECTORS?

I recommend you start by thinking about what you collect?

Here is a sampling of things I collect and buy from small shops, to give some examples that might inspire you.

1. Pottery from the amazing artist Coco Chispa