There’s no shortage of e-commerce companies betting on content as a way to engage with consumers and increase transactions. And we’re also starting to see content companies turn on e-commerce as well. Brit + Co., Brit Morin’s online community and content platform focused on the DIY and maker movement, has dabbled in e-commerce through subscription craft kits and an affiliate shop. But today, Brit + Co. is expanding its e-commerce plans significantly with the launch of an Etsy-like marketplace where makers can sell their goods.
The new e-commerce destination, called the Brit + Co. Shop, allows consumers to buy crafts, jewelry, tools, accessories, and other artisan products from makers, and designers.
The company is also including video tutorials that teach maker skills such as calligraphy and circuitry from DIY experts so that shoppers can use the destination as a one-stop shop to learn new methods and then buy the tools and items needed to create these products.
Morin says that the marketplace will appeal to the growing maker economy, which totals $30 billion in the craft and hobby market alone. Similar to the way that Etsy has been able to allow small businesses and artisans to create value from their trade, Morin hopes to empower makers to sell via her e-commerce destination. For example, Morin is offering makers business services to help increase their sales such as product photography, PR/marketing support, design services and more.
In turn, Brit + Co. is going to take a cut of every transaction, but is not disclosing the financial details of the revenue share agreement.
Dubbed Silicon Valley’s answer to Martha Stewart, Brit + Co.’s decision to expand into a marketplace offering makes a lot of sense considering the startup’s focus on DIY and makers. But taking on Etsy is going to be a challenge. The New York-based marketplace for hand-crafted goods has 1 million sellers and offers tens of millions of items. That sort of scale has been achieved over time and through a variety of partnerships.
But Brit + Co. is hoping that the intersection of how-to content and e-commerce will be the differentiating factor and potentially the ticket to sales