FEEDBACK IS GOLD

Asking for feedback is a scary thing but it can also be one of the most valuable tools when it comes to growing your business. I will admit to being a bit nervous when I made our questionnaire live a little while back but I’m glad I did because I received a lot of valuable information that I hope will make you love our products and brand even more.

In addition to saying a big ‘thank you’, I wanted to take a moment to touch on some of the key pieces of feedback I received. I’m not going to go through every single thing that was said but you better believe I read Every. Single. Word!

Overall, I am SO pleased for a couple of reasons.

1. You all made me blush and tear-up a little with all your kind words about me and Wooly Doodle (virtual hug)
2. The majority of the feedback is inline with where I’m taking the fall/winter line so cheers to that

While getting kudos is great, I believe the real value is in getting constructive feedback and so here are a couple of the main themes that emerged.

Colour vs. Monochrome

While I did have some people comment that they love the monochrome and want me to keep it coming, I had more people say that they want me to bring back colourful prints – nature, animals, dinosaurs etc.. If you’ve been following us from the start, you’ll know that Wooly Doodle is no stranger to colour. We aren’t a monochromatic brand but I did want to do a monochromatic line and will likely continue to have at least one monochrome print in all our lines moving forward. I’m also working on something else to please you monochromies (is that word?) BUT for those of you who asked for colour and nature –you’re getting it soon (eee!). 

Sizing

You have been asking for bigger sizes for a while now and I finally added sizing up to 3T to our site. The good news is that I will continue to offer these sizes with the next line, though I can’t promise they’ll be at the same price-point as some of our smaller sizes because of production costs which I’ll speak to shortly. Now that my own son is getting older and is more busy and mobile, I’ve also been thinking about how I can ensure that as Wooly Doodle evolves to include larger sizes, that I’m also ensuring our clothes remain durable and functional.

Price

I am not surprised whatsoever that I received feedback on the pricing of our clothing. I actually thought I’d get MORE of this feedback than I actually did. I know the Wooly Doodle price points are high and one of my goals for this year is to get them down a bit. Our pricing will always be on the higher side of average because of the fabric that I source and the craftsmanship and time that goes into the items but there is room for improvement here and I’ll be the first to admit it.

Getting pricing and production costs down is tricky business. Up until now, I haven’t been able to take advantage of wholesale pricing because I just wasn’t doing the volume at the start of the year. Add to that, my goal is to always source high quality and unique prints – it’s one of the top things you said you love about Wooly Doodle. So without any wholesale discounts, fabric costs can run between $30-40 a meter or yard. I won’t bore you with a detailed breakdown of all of my costs but let me tell you, the profit margins stink.

Now, as Wooly Doodle moves into the bold new future, I’m taking some steps to get those costs down so I can pass some of the savings on to you as well. I will still be offering the same quality fabric with the same unique prints – those are non-negotiable for me. I am, however, starting to do more bulk purchasing and am getting creative with my designs in the hopes of making Wooly Doodle a little more affordable and accessible. 

What’s next

We will have a couple of new lines launching throughout the remainder of the year. Our fall line will drop on August 18, 2017 and along with it I’ll be launching the first print in our other (superawesomeandsupersecretunlessyoufollowusoninstagramwhereivebeengivingtonnesofspoilers) line, which I hope to carry year round (prints 2 and 3 will follow in September but will be worth the wait).

I also want to ask you to continue to provide feedback – the good, the bad and the ugly. Whether it’s a facebook review, a message, an email or even a Snapchat – it’s the only way I can get a pulse on what you all are thinking and wanting and that, my friends, is gold.

Thanks for reading, y’all.

Elizabeth xo