SpruceifyContact

Independent retail / e-commerce · Bristol

Marina & Pine

An Etsy seller who wanted to own her brand — and her customer data.

Services

Brand identity, Shopify development, Photography direction, Email strategy

Timeline

4 weeks

Budget

£1,250

Status

2024

Marina & Pine

The brief

Marina sold hand-blocked linen tea towels and napkins through Etsy for three years, building a loyal following of around 2,000 buyers. She wanted her own brand site — partly because Etsy fees were eating 25% of margin, mostly because she wanted to own the relationship with her customers and start an email list. She didn't want a generic Shopify template; she wanted something that felt like her.

The approach

  1. 01

    Editorial product photography — each piece shot in three contexts: as object, in use on a table, in a finished interior. Visual storytelling over feature lists.

  2. 02

    Story-led product pages — each product has a paragraph on the print's history, the dye process, the maker. Read more like a magazine than a checkout.

  3. 03

    Shopify storefront on a fully custom theme — keeps the easy backend, loses the templated look.

  4. 04

    Newsletter signup with a real incentive — 'Quiet Sundays', a monthly note from Marina with one new piece and a recipe. 14% signup rate from visitors.

  5. 05

    Email automation tied to abandoned baskets and post-purchase follow-up — entirely on-brand, written in Marina's voice.

The outcome

Overtook Etsy in 3 months

Direct sales vs Etsy

£28 → £41

Average order value

0 → 1,800 in 4 months

Email list