Small pieces sell on detail. Detail only has value when clients get to see it.
A wallet or a necklace is easily price-compared because clients see only the object. Sinh Vũ helps your brand show clients the craftsmanship, the story and a box worthy of the piece.
Three things first: close-up photos that show detail and craftsmanship, a box or fabric pouch worthy of the piece, and a card stating the material, care and warranty. Without those three, a small piece can only compete on price.
Stitching, hardware, leather surface, finish: the things clients must look at closely to believe.
Open it and the piece sits in its place, pretty enough that clients can give it as a gift without rewrapping.
Say clearly what it's made of, how to care for it, and what the brand takes responsibility for if something breaks.
All of it is accessories, but every piece has buyers with a different reason, so each needs to say something different.
Their customersMostly women, choosing by shape, material and occasion; they buy with intent.
Brand challengeShow the real shape and material with photos from many angles, so clients feel at ease before they can hold it.
Their customersMen and women, often buying as gifts; they care about the leather, the stitching and durability over the years.
Brand challengeMake clear why this wallet is worth more than others of the same kind, and package it well enough to give.
Their customersClients buy small and fast, often by feeling, and many purchases are gifts.
Brand challengeA small piece needs a story and a box to become a memorable gift.
These are the places where accessory brands tend to lose clients, and good craftsmanship can't save them on its own.
Clients photograph the brand's piece and send it to another shop asking if they have the same one and at what price.
Tie the piece to a story, a mark and a box of its own, so clients can't compare it piece for piece.
Start from this problemClients ask whether it's real leather and whether it's truly handmade, and the brand has no way to show them yet.
Close-ups of the making process, a card with the maker's name, a material card; say only what the brand can prove.
Start from this problemA beautiful wallet handed over in a plastic bag or a plain paper box, and clients don't dare give it as a gift.
A box and fabric pouch designed for it, solid and good-looking, with room for the material card and warranty card.
Start from this problemAt trade fairs or a counter inside another store, accessories are jumbled together and the brand can't be seen.
A set of counter, trays and price tags with one mark, compact enough to carry to many places.
Start from this problemAt the Browse stage. Clients can't hold the piece yet, so they have to look closely through photos; if the photos don't show detail, clients turn to a cheaper piece.
Touchpoints are the places where clients see, touch or hear about the brand. You don't need to do everything at once. These five touchpoints decide the value clients perceive in a small piece.
It's the first thing clients hold, and often what they give away along with the piece.
Shows clients the brand takes responsibility for the piece in the long run.
They stand in for clients holding it in their own hands before buying.
At a fair or a shared counter, this is the only place clients meet the brand.
A small engraving, stamp or embroidery lets clients recognize the real thing.
Listed in the order to do them. A new brand can stop at step two or three; a brand with regular clients goes through them all.
Name, a compact mark that can be engraved on leather and metal, and the color and type set.
Box, fabric pouch, material card and warranty card.
Close-up detail photos and photos in real use.
How to tell the craftsmanship and materials, without overclaiming.
Counter and display trays for trade fairs or for selling inside other stores.
Sinh Vũ hasn't published a handbag or leather wallet project. The LiuGems jewelry project is the closest, since both are small, high-value pieces; GIFT for LIFE is close on the problem of the gift box.
2009LiuGems sells natural-stone jewellery to people who believe minerals carry energy, a trade where beauty tends to arrive improvised and promises tend to run ahead of proof…
Natural gemstone jewelry: eight product lines, one shared face.
The principles behind it
Compact and crisp when engraved, embossed or printed onto leather and metal. Sinh Vũ tests the logo as a small stamp on leather before settling it, because thin strokes are easily lost.
Solid, so the piece sits squarely when opened, with room for the material card and warranty card. The material should suit what's inside: for a small, delicate piece, a compact box and not a big, fussy one.
Show clients: close-ups of the making process, the maker's name, a material card. Say only what the brand can prove, and don't use the word handmade as a slogan.
Not yet. At a minimum: a name, a mark, color, a box or fabric pouch, a material card and a close-up photo template. Do the rest when the brand expands.
The brand name, how to get in touch, how to care for the piece and where to ask for support when there is a problem. The specific warranty terms are the brand's to decide, and must be ones it can honor.
Sinh Vũ has done LiuGems (natural gemstone jewelry) and GIFT for LIFE (corporate gifts). Sinh Vũ hasn't published a handbag or leather wallet project.
A few lines about the pieces you make, your clients and what is holding you back is enough. Sinh Vũ reads it and replies within one working day.
