Hi guys, let me just say that we are hearing you. We are in no way dismissing your concerns about the drop in your orders, nor ignoring them.
Truth is, during the past few months, we’ve seen some (non-HD) Hubs maintain the same level of activity, others thrive, while others, you, experience a drop in the number of orders. I had a look at your Hubs orders and your decline in orders is a fact. As Filemon mentioned though the significant growth in the FDM orders on the platform is also a fact.
That being said, it’s difficult for us to pinpoint a single problem as the cause of this . Most opportunities come wrapped up as problems though, so coming next year, I’ll personally reach out to each of you to see how we can tackle this.
To get some perspective, I’ll also reach out to other members in your local community, Hubs that haven’t experienced a drop in orders. I think the key here is focusing on questions that result in actionable insights. It would be interesting to see for example what are other Hubs doing to increase revenue, inspire repeat purchases and appeal to new customers.
- What was the most successful thing you did this/last year to entice customers into your Hub?
- How do you find your customers?
- Why do you think you managed to maintain a constant level of orders?
- What’s your top How to Hub tip?
- Are there any specific actions you take to encourage existing customers place more orders at your Hub?
One other thing worth noting is that we’re all operating in a price-driven market and this is something that can definitely work in your favor. Of course, things are never that simple, but it’s important to clearly pinpoint your 3D printing business differentiators when looking at the bigger picture.
There are many ways to tackle this and we’ll do that step by step.
In the mean time, any input is much appreciated.
As I see it, you, our Hubs are the new face of entrepreneurship. As a Hub however this means managing every aspect of running a business, including marketing, bookkeeping, and customer service. This is a lot, which is why working together and sharing experiences, good or bad, is extremely valuable at this point. We are in this together though.
Cheers,
Gabriela