How has your industry changed in the last 20 years?

[isabelle]

Hi Seller Community! Happy Wednesday ✨

Today we're wondering....

How has your industry changed in the last 20 years?

Can't wait to read your replies! 

[Doran]

SO many ways in the beauty industry.  When I started... the biggest way to gain exposure (besides word of mouth) was the YELLOWPAGES! And, it was expensive.  Social didn't really play a part yet and was just starting up. Several salon owners I know named their salon with an A just to be in the front of the Yellowpages.   

Lash extensions were something they did in Asia that I discovered and started here in my studio in California.   I had to beg people just to try them out.  I spent hours putting them on myself so I could explain and show them to clients.  Finally, I ran a Groupon (they had just started out) to get before and after pics.  I still have a ton of those clients to this day.  It was my only successful Groupon ever. 

There just weren't as many options on modalities and what was out there was HARSH.  There is a hairdresser next door that is still pretty old school, the other day he showed me some of the stuff they did before my time and I get why so many people are scared of facials!  I was traumatized just from the pictures.  It seems like the beauty industry is gentler now but more effective.

My credit card machine was plugged into the wall.  I had to pay to rent it and pay for the bank to mail me a statement each month... online statements didn't exist yet.  Balancing the statement was brutal because they charged a different rate for each type of card (business, rewards, Amex, etc) Plus, I had to pay for a phone line.  Ugh, it was so expensive.  

Everyone wanted to work in mega salons or spas.  Today the solo or partner studio is taking over. 

With the boost of social media clients just find me.  I don't have to work as hard at marketing to new people just to the ones I already have.  But, with social came this influx of fast-moving trends. Sometimes it feels like as soon as I learn a trend it is already on the way out! 

Overall it has been a fun ride.  

[JUYBoutique20]

I definitely agree with you.  My daughter is a beauty blogger, and it really amazes me that you can get on social media and see other people's experience with products you are curious about.  I found my esthetician by reviews on Instagram.

[Bronze_Palms]

I love how you broke this down into so many different aspects!

Have you leveraged TikTok? I am curious how localized businesses can utilize the trend.

[JUYBoutique20]

What I like about the fashion industry is it recycles everything eventually.  So, the fashion from 20 years ago and beyond is on trend this season.  We also got our fashion news from strictly magazines and tv, like BET and MTV.  Now we have so many options to keep up with and we see it basically everywhere through phones, tablets, tv, magazines, social media, blogs, etc.  I love how easy it is to get the info especially since I deal with it daily...

[Twpchair]

Isn't that crazy 😂 im watching styles, my mom would have worn and people are rocking it! They say everything comes back around over time! I wish you all the best! That's one thing, everyone needs are clothes, especially me I have 4 closets full and my husband has one dresser 😂 good luck and keep growing and a huge success!

[MichelleP]

Mines has changed in so many ways being a pet transporter we went from groundshipping to international because of the amount of people looking to purchase dogs in particular 

[Twpchair]

It's been a roller coaster ride for sure of the ups and downs. Each year we were growing and growing from 25-34 k. Each year than the pandemic hit and that slowed things down for a year and a half but we are picking up speed and going in the trends of the good years so far!  I started with a 750 sq ft building to a 12k sq ft building in my 8 yrs with square. My only downtrend I am seeing and it might be my location which is an older community really and they started pulling out all their money when the Feds started talking about monitoring bank accounts. I try to reassure them that they (Feds) are not watching or care if you buy a new couch 😂 so we are in a pickle with what used to be 90% cards to about 50/50 split. I know most businesses say cash is king but our location is 1/4 of a mile from 3 interstate connections and 1/2 of a mile to the end of our county we are prime pickings to get robbed and at our chamber of commerce meeting they agreed! So now I started the reverse of most businesses and offer 10% off all card transactions. It seems to be working so far and our local bank closed the next closest bank is 35 mins away one way so cards are my best friend and much easier for me to send our spreadsheets monthly to our CPA. You just start to pick back up and breathe and boom. But so far week 2 that I offered the 10% off it's worked and people are using cards again! Growing and learning along the way. This and being in 5/6 forums has helped tremendously as I have used 5/6 suggestions from other businesses. Thank you guys so much I truly appreciate it and love all the great suggestions! 

[TCSlaguna]

What's interesting about our industry is that in the last twenty years it has gone from adults buying crystals to kids and teenagers who see them on social media. So now we make sure to stay active on social media to reach our customers. 

We have gone from 800 sq ft to an amazing 2500 sq ft building across from the beach. We now have an online store and regularly hold events that people register for through our website thanks to Square. But what has changed most for us is that we are now a data-driven company. Every decision from what we order to how many people we staff on a specific day is driven by data derived from Square. 

[GrannyMay13]

Quilting has grown by leaps and bounds along with everything else and all for the better.  I remember my grandmothers and Mother making templates out of cereal boxes, cardboard boxes anything they could think of to use.  One of my grandmothers sewed her fabrics to newspaper to help stabilize her projects.  They had wonderful sewing machines of course they are vintage now.  Fabric choices have gone from feed sacks to hand made Batiks! The quality of quilters cotton has become so good we don't worry a lot about shrinkage unless you use flannel, homespun that type of fabric. There are so many designers, manufactures, patterns, prints, solids it is over whelming!  We use acrylic templets and die cutters to cut out our quilt projects.  Our sewing machines have changed too from basic straight stitch to embroidery machines to longarm quilting machines you can choose to stand or sit at these machines.  

It seems that this industry shows no signs of stopping with younger folks trying out this craft.  Lots of men also quilt and do so beautifully! 

It is a multibillion-dollar industry that is expected to only grow larger in the next 5 to 10 years. 

[dslovejoy]

Exponentially. I do computer repair. The changes with the hardware and software are too innumberable to describe.
I still work on 20+ year old systems, just to keep them going, while keeping abreast of the newest and latest changes to the software, security, etc.
20 years ago, taking a credit card required actual paper, with a carbon copy.

[Twiggy]

The Flower industry has changed in the fact you needed editorial - magazine coverage to get noticed or word of mouth. You’d be on a dance floor and then chatting and it would be someone famous - then you’d get the contract - it was very much who you knew.   It’s still similar but in a more digital way - anyone can self publish and loads of imagery in the flower world is stock photos.  

Supermarkets are now the largest retailer of flowers in the UK.

Online / Postal companies come and go.  Interflora or FTD as you may know it were probably your go to early 00’s - not many people use this service now.

Then when websites became cheaper - flower order farms / gatherers popped up.  These were fake stores / legit companies - normally someone sat in a home office or in front of the TV - that took an order over the phone from as above “Yellow Pages” then placed it with a real florist at a much reduced rate.  Luckily these have disappeared and gone.  Before you had to have a bricks and mortar store to get accounts with wholesales and now it seems anyone can open a plant store.  

We also had Brexit - before we could place an order with one of our Dutch suppliers by 4pm in the UK and it would be in your store the next morning.  Now it takes around 48 or 72 hours. 

The cost of flowers has increased dramatically and wholesalers now carry very little stock or the basics for adhoc.  The industry collapsed in 2020 - it was vey sad luckily its building up again 

This video shows what happened to our industry - you might want a tissue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KB-gEg3aG

What is great for 2022 is that companies are more aware of waste and social media has been able to showcase peoples work internationally.  There’s lots of new UK growers and the plant trend from 2012 is still in full swing. 

Companies like square have really helped smaller businesses like ours.  We now have access to software and hardware only large retailers could afford.  It was really noticeable how easily we could adapt during lockdown and it will be interesting to see if the world of AR bouquets - in online gaming or NFT plants / art takes off - its something we are looking at. 

[artsurmesure]

I'm a graphic designer and I started in 2001. At first we used to spend a lot of time on the drawing board. We would dedicate so much time doing a simple poster. Back then, I used to draw, paint, etc. When we had an ad, I use to put it on a disc and drive to the printer, drop the disc and come back hoping everything was ok.  Clients used to approve ads by fax! Today, it switched. With image banks, so many fonts available, and web/email, we spend a lot less time on creating unique pieces. I wish I'd spend more time sketching, and creating images, but with the budget people allow, it's just impossible. In the BUDGET/QUALITY/TIME concept, people used to spend their money on QUALITY. Today it's about DELAYS and BUDGET. So it's impossible to have something totally custom made for a low budget and/or a tight delay. (yes I'm nostalgic, but it is what it is). 

[spinwithnichola]

Constant growth in all aspects. Manufacturing technologies have added value to our product line. Most recently we have suffered massive supply chain disruption. This is a significant challenge. Fortunately everyone of our customers is well aware. 

[CottonCarrie]

I've been in my business for 40 years (this year!) and boy have things changed. I am an artisan making clothing by hand and selling at shows both indoors and out. 20 years ago, or thereabouts, I started using another online credit card system so had to set up a bank account with another bank other than my own through the Ontario Crafts Council as it was known then. The fees were all over the place and I had to pay $5 on cards when I didn't use them...so in the Winter months that was $5 each month on each card when I was making no sales. I had to remember so many account numbers to punch into my phone (which I rented from Bell for each show) it took time to process a credit card sale....but I managed. Then I found SQUARE and that side of it has been much simpler.

I sold a lot of knit outfits to women in business...now those women and I are older and either have enough clothes and/or don't go to business anymore...or work online. I started felting unique jackets and vests so that brought some new life to my business, and having a website (built for me 20 years ago, but now by me) helped keep me in the loop, along with social media. 

Teaching was always a part of what I do but with so much more experience under my belt I've done more teaching, even social media to seniors at our local senior centre. I also now build web sites for some of my artisan colleagues so that has been an interesting side gig.

As a senior, I am looking forward to doing one or two shows again this year, it will help get me motivated to make new and interesting stock which I haven't been doing for the past two years....and keep me connected to my colleagues. 

When you are an artisan working alone in your studio it's great to be involved in shows in the arts scene, meeting new young artisans who are amazing, learning new things and imparting some wisdom acquired over four decades.

[Keys]

Thank you for your post. Just having two craft shows under my belt as a newbie on the scene. It has been interesting to see how quickly the more experienced vendors pack, display and tear down their shops. I'm looking and learning.

[MysticalMetis]

I carry only Indigenous artist-designed items. The Indigenous economy and tourism industry is booming in Canada. Before people bought stolen designs from India and China. Now consumers are beginning to support Indigenous artists and leave fake stuff behind. 

[Yurievitch]

It's gone from paper to crude software to electronic signatures. I can do at least three times the work more accurately than before.

[Anthem]

COFFEE - One of the beauties of coffee is built directly into its fabric, the culture that surrounds it. I think it's global, at least core to the four continents I've visited - COMMUNITY. 

Quite possibly the most impactful shift has been one from sit-down to drive-thru. While many consumers and maybe the larger profits have followed the convenience train of drive-thru settings. The culture surrounding coffee is still an experience, a time to meet and share life together, to build community.

Roasting profiles have shifted from mass market to customization along with a shift from huge commercial roasting to a more localized experience through home roasters, pocket roasters, in-store roasting, and the fine-tuning they bring to the craft they share with those around them.

Like many industries, increased awareness has risen regarding the complications and inequities along the supply chain from field to cup. 

As with most choosing to comment, the changes are more than we can document effectively or in ways to keep the interest of others. I'll finish with profits. With constraints in the supply chain, increasing raw materials, labor, rent, and all the expenses associated with business, the low ASP of coffee shops leaves little room for margin. While costs are certainly increasing and consumer willingness to pay a higher price is better, it isn't keeping up with costs. I suspect, this is and will continue to be one of the largest challenges for independent coffee shops. Staying motivated and adequately staffed in light of diminishing returns. 

[MudFire_Deanna]

I am definitely feeling the transition from paper to technology and that is a wild timesaver - I started in this industry in 1999 during the panic of what was going to happen to all of our computers for Y2K 😂. As far as technical advances clay/glazes haven't seen too much change but online availability has changed the face of the industry a lot and there are really cool advances like flexible screens to apply pigment - silk screened 24K gold that you can transform a drawing into a gold decal for your piece. Oh and touch screens that communicate via Bluetooth/WiFi for kiln control - so I can see when a kiln is cooling and firing when I am off-site.

[DLRosenberg]

I've only been in this industry for 3 years and it has changed so so much. Due to social media and the pandemic so many have gotten into metaphysics and crystals. Because of this, so many people have decided to sell crystals because it is a way to make a quick profit. More competition is driving up price. China is buying out mines all over the world and consolidating- also driving up price. There are more of us competing for the same amount of material which is crazy!