At Ucraft, we value the success of our clients and believe that sharing their journey is an asset for all business owners who are venturing into the online world. Today, we are shedding light on Juan Scott’s Artefacto, a social enterprise and eCommerce website based in Mexico City, promoting traditional Mexican crafts.
U: What convinced you to approach the arts & crafts niche? It is quite competitive but do you think it reflects the future? Do people want more handmade objects with a story rather than mass-produced items with no soul?
J: What convinced me to approach the arts & crafts is the love I have for the handmade. I believe that the truth and beauty of cultures lie in the craft objects produced by ordinary folk, for ordinary people. Crafts have a significant role in the future, particularly in our era, where technological innovation is rapidly reaching its limitations. Crafts offer a warm and powerful connection with our past and between cultures. The craft object’s appeal is that these inevitably embed individual and collective stories offering us the soul and the beauty of a tactile experience, something impossible to recreate with mass-produced items.
U: There are plenty of enthusiast craft creators out there who want to turn their art into a lucrative business. What would be your advice on how to approach things in our current economic and technological landscape?
J: I must admit that we live in an age of unforgiving market forces, but also unique opportunities. I would suggest craft-makers strive for a balance between tradition, technology, and market demand while honoring and respecting their craft. Today’s societies make it so much easier for everyone to fall short of their true potential. Always strive for mastery and excellence, as these are the only business strategies that work in the long-term.
U: What are the challenges and opportunities of an entrepreneur running an online arts & crafts shop?
J: One of the biggest challenges is to represent and communicate the beauty of crafts through a screen. It isn’t easy to replicate the experience of touching and appreciating a craft object first-hand. On the other hand, the internet offers tremendous opportunities to disseminate and sell crafts to unimaginably large audiences.
U: What do you think is the secret behind your success? Is the uniqueness of your business, the products’ authenticity, the environmental message, the social component, something else? What can you tell us about Artefacto’s value proposition that helps your business stand out from the competition? Is business storytelling important for this type of business?
J: Several factors contribute to our success. But perhaps the most important for me is the product’s authenticity. Storytelling is crucial to provide context and meaning to crafts, which otherwise would seem unimportant. What makes our business different is that we value crafts as works of art and view them as an indispensable part of our culture. We have strong advocacy for authentic crafts that we know empower indigenous artisans while making them accessible.
We strive to offer good design, an extensive range, and a strong narrative for every craft we offer. Furthermore, we offer online exhibitions to raise awareness about Mexico’s craft traditions and history, providing links to the products we sell.
U: Your crafts online shop is a work of art, just like your products. Is something about the Ucraft website templates and features that convinced you to choose us from other options on the market?
J: With Ucraft, we can offer good and stable web design with very well-integrated control over our content and products. But for me, what convinced me was the ability to offer a multilingual experience for our worldwide audience. The way that Ucraft integrates and offers detailed personalised language options is phenomenal.
U: Is it important to have a reliable website builder when you start an online shop? Does mobile responsiveness matter?
J: It is vital to have a reliable website builder, and Ucraft has been stable and reliable from the first day. More than ever, we need reliable and responsive mobile versions of our websites. Ucraft provides solid ways to personalise the mobile experience of our website.
U: How did you find Ucraft and how did it help you build your outstanding online store?
J: I found Ucraft, searching for multilingual website builder solutions. Ucraft has helped me build our website with its powerful multi-lingual options and outstanding design features that have helped me build a very personal and unique website that meets my needs perfectly. All with an affordable price, unmatched by any competitor.
U: What did you love most about working with the Ucraft website builder and our company?
J: I love the apps, and the way languages are integrated. Besides, customer support is terrific. Every single issue I have had has been dealt with timely and outstanding responses.
U: If you were to recommend Ucraft to a friend, a colleague, or an artist, what would you say?
J: You have to try Ucraft! You can build a compelling, multilingual website with minimal effort. They make it easy for you to personalise and enrich your website with articles, search options, and intuitive apps. Ucraft is ideal for e-commerce websites. Using their apps, you will have full control over your operations, design, and marketing with a very integrated and unified user experience.
U: Can you please offer our readers who want to follow in your footsteps and become successful with their online stores a few last recommendations/suggestions/advice?
J: Be mindful of every aspect of your website. It can sometimes be overwhelming, but you can create a unique and personal website using the right tools with patience and dedication. If you struggle, ask for support!
