Donna Gottardi

Donna Gottardi, owner of My Fair Trade Lady, has recently experienced a surge of growth with her customer base this last year. We asked her to share with us what she is doing right!

Having a store one hour from the Jersey shore is certainly challenging in July and August. In past years it has seemed as though the whole town packs up and leaves for the summer. This summer, as I braced for leaner times, something surprising happened–we were still busy. The lulls between customers were shorter and we were seeing many more new faces. I attribute this new normal not to some sexy new advertising campaign or other marketing magic bullets but to a handful of daily business practices that have resulted in an expanded customer base.

I believe the primary reason for this growth is our approach to customer service. This begins with greeting every person who enters the store. In addition, I ask the customers how they might have heard of us, where they are from and if they aren’t familiar with fair trade, I provide a brief explanation. Then I encourage them to take their time and have fun. My approach has resulted in some extremely loyal customers who tell their friends about their experience with us. I credit this loyalty to our customers’ interest in supporting our artisans working in fair trade and to our vast selection of beautiful merchandise. These endorsements have really helped to bring in new customers.

Another way we have increased our customer base is by doing presentations about fair trade for local schools and colleges, women’s and men’s groups, libraries and Rotary Clubs. We also receive invitations to sell our products at local farm markets, art shows, and festivals.
I have been fortunate to have been welcomed with open arms into a community of local small businesses where we are located. These relationships have also helped to grow our customer base as we work closely with one another to refer customers. Someone buying a watch battery from the jewelry store or buying groceries at the local market has ended up looking around my store with wonder and leaving with a new fair trade goodie.

I also use free social media platforms like Facebook and Mailchimp to advertise new products and events. Facebook has been an invaluable tool for us to update our customers and to interact with them. We have sold so many products from our Facebook posts that it still surprises me how powerful (and cheap!) a marketing tool it can be. Disseminating information from our Facebook page about our artisans has also been wonderful for those customers who want that additional information. And just recently, I sent out a Mailchimp campaign about a sale on our Global Mamas clothing, and in poured the customers, looking at what was on sale but mostly buying what wasn’t!!!!

Every day I am in the shop I learn and almost as frequently I am surprised by the fruits of our labor. And so, My Fair Trade Lady will happily labor on, leaving the magic bullets to the rest. Visit their website here>