We Have Decided To Make a New But Exciting Change at Yummiewear...
Dear Yummiewear fans and customers,
One of the biggest challenges that my sister Martina and I face with Yummiewear today is that we have had to put a hold on attending in-person markets and expos during this pandemic. First, it was due to the shutdown of the economy, but now with things slowly reopening it is by choice. We each have a high risk loved one at home and no matter how much we love and need to interact in person with our customers, the stakes are still too high for us to be in high traffic environments. Not going to events has changed and will continue to change how we meet, engage and interact with many of Yummiewear's customers that we would have previously met in the flesh. To put it into perspective, to us in-person markets have been synonymous with having a pseudo retail space of our own.
Given this new reality, we have been forced like many entrepreneurs to become even more nimble and creative, and our reliance on the online space and social media has never been greater than before. Fortunately, we are no strangers in this space and it has also been one of the most rewarding and challenging areas in which to work. Success in this realm however calls for agility, and below is how we plan to further adapt to offer you more variety in the most efficient and special way.
What is going to change?
Simply put, since we will be attending less in-person markets for the unforeseeable future and as we plan to focus more resources and energy in the online space, we will be holding less stock and inventory and switching our efforts to a made to order model.
How will this benefit Yummiewear Customers?
This will allow us to offer our customers more shirt styles while also making more designs available. We have already been implementing the new model with many of our newer designs. It has resulted in us being able to offer up to 4 style shirts for each design (in various colors too) and being able to introduce new designs every two weeks. We want to have something for every Yummiewear fan!
The made-to-order model will also enable us to get our customers and fans more involved in each design. We are already planning to schedule a virtual pop up in the next couple of months where our customers and fans share with us their design ideas and we make them a reality!
There will also be some residual benefits that will come out of this new change. For instance, with less travel and inventory we hope to decrease our carbon footprint and reduce waste by only producing an inventory that we need.
Are there any other changes to be aware of?
Like with any choice there is an opportunity cost. The made to order model will yield slightly higher turnaround times of about 8-10 days for printing production, and as our print partners adjust to new capacity norms that enable the safety of employees, we may run into some additional delays along the way. However, our customers thus far have been incredibly understanding with everything this pandemic has brought our way. The excitement of new designs, and having something to look forward to has proven to overshadow any longer turnaround times as our weekly online sales have nearly tripled during this time.
Final Words
We would just like to say that this new transition is incredibly exciting for the two of us. We have always dreamed of being able to create designs on a weekly and bi-weekly basis, but until now our priorities have not enabled this concept to be a realistic opportunity. We feel that Yummiewear’s made to order products will keep “hungry” Yummiewear fans full and happy more readily.
We thank all of you so much for your continued support and we look forward to wowing you!
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