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All Trilobite: Changes to the Trilobite Store

Filed Under Trilobite Clothing

The Almighty Loonie

Most (although maybe not all) of you know that I run a paleontology themed clothing store at Cafepress.com, called Trilobite Clothing. I don’t mention it a whole lot on this blog, because I’d like to be thought of as a science blogger, not as another online marketing hack trying to sell to you through a lukewarm blog.

But all that aside, I do run Trilobite Clothing, and actually turn a low three figure profit on it yearly. But like any other enthusiastic business-owner (trying to pay his way through university), I’d like to expand. So, in that spirit, I’ve decided to make a few changes to the way I run things. And NO, that doesn’t mean I’m turning eTrilobite.com into an advertising vehicle for the store.

Design Announcements
First, I’ll be posting about new designs on the blog, in the “Trilobite Clothing” category. The number of these posts will depend on the number of new designs, obviously. These posts will serve two purposes; to inform my readers of new designs, and to talk a little about what goes into the designs from an artistic perspective.

Contests
Contests are something I’ve been wanting to get going for a long time, but I don’t feel I have the readership to support them yet. Eventually, I’d like to hold a contest for every new design I announce. Again, I feel I need more readers (not to mention more sales), to pull that off, but I’ll be looking into the economics of it.

Now that I’m on a stable host, I hope to be able to expand a little more quickly over the next few months. As it stands now, all the prizes would be won by Glendon of the Flying Trilobite, Traumador of the Tyrannosaur Chronicles, or my most loyal reader, an anonymous Belgian. Not that you guys don’t deserve it!

Pending Store Redesign
For a long time I’ve been wanting to modify the Trilobite Clothing template to make it match the eTrilobite.com design. That was the original idea for launching eTrilobite.com, to repackage my store and blog as a unified design.

This isn’t going to happen tomorrow, but I want to have it done by the end of September (gearing up for the Christmas selling season).

Store Reorganization and Revitalization
Right now, I feel like I have a lot of designs targeted toward different demographics lumped together. That isn’t to say I’m going to reorganize along strictly demographic lines (say, by age), but I will attempt to make the sections more cohesive.

I’m also adding much more text to the store. Even though I have a fairly large number of designs, the store feels a little bare.

To Conclude
As you can see, most of the changes don’t even apply to the blog, which will continue essentially as usual. However, I thought you might like a look into my plans for future profit. And hey, take a look at the store if you haven’t already, you might see something you like!

As usual, I’d love to hear what people think! Leave a comment if you’d like to ask a question or add anything.

Comments

One Response to “All Trilobite: Changes to the Trilobite Store”

  1. Glendon Mellow on August 15th, 2008 6:14 pm

    I’d love to continue to hear about new designs and updates! Don’t be shy with those. Your designs are clean and impactful I think you should show them off whenever you add a new selection.

    My 2 cents.

    (And though I’m flattered, perhaps you could save the contests for new readers, or something? I’d love free eTrilobite merchandise, but I’m hooked on your blog regardless. )

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