How to Get Customers for Your Online Store

You built the store. The photos look good. The checkout works.

And then… nothing.

That’s not a store problem. Nobody knows you exist yet.

Most new stores fix that with ads. Ads work — for as long as you pay.

This guide is about the other ways in: other people’s shelves, other people’s audiences, and your own list.

Rented customers vs. owned customers

Ads aren’t bad. They’re rented.

The rest of this guide is about building the part you own.

NextStep 1 · Know exactly who buys — in their words ↓

step 1Know exactly who buys — in their words

Before you reach anyone, know what to say.

Read every review you have. Then read your competitors’ reviews — especially the 3-star ones.

You’re looking for two things: why people bought, and what let them down.

• “Bought it as a housewarming gift” → you’re a gift brand. Say so.
• “Smells strong even unlit” → that’s your headline, not “premium soy wax.”
• “Wish it came in a smaller size” → that’s your next product.
• “Arrived cracked” → that’s the competitor weakness you fix and mention.

Use their words on your product pages, in your emails and in every pitch below.

NextStep 2 · Get on other people’s shelves ↓

step 2Get on other people’s shelves

Small shops — gift shops, boutiques, home stores — need new products every season.

When a shop reorders, you’re selling to its regulars — without having to find them yourself.

Start with shops that sell things next to yours, not the same as yours:

Gift shops for a candle brand40 shops · built by your AI team

	Shop	City	Sells now	Contact
1	Juniper & Twine	Portland	Cards, mugs, local art	hello@juniperandtwine.example
2	The Little Porch	Oakland	Home goods, no candles	Contact form
3	North Fork Mercantile	Sacramento	Gifts, one candle brand	buyer@northforkmerc.example
4	Seabright General	Santa Cruz	Gifts, books, soaps	Contact form
5	Alder Street Goods	Eugene	Home and kitchen	Contact form

You find them on Google Maps, on wholesale marketplaces like Faire, and by asking where your own customers shop.

Or your AI team finds them while you pack orders.

Then write to the buyer — usually the owner — with one real detail and an easy first order:

JM

Jess Moreno<jess@foglinegifts.example>

to Rosa · Juniper & Twine

Draft · waits for your OK

candles for your new card wall?

Hi Rosa,

I saw Juniper & Twine just moved into the bigger space — the new card wall looks great.

I make small-batch candles in San Francisco, and they sit well next to cards as an easy add-on gift.

The starter order is 24 candles in 4 scents, with a tester for the counter. Want our wholesale sheet?

— Jess, Fogline Gift Co.

One detail. One small first order. One question.

NextStep 3 · Send product to creators who already post about it ↓

step 3Send product to creators who already post about it

You don’t need a famous creator.

You need one whose followers already buy things like yours.

Look for creators who post about your category — home, gifts, cozy routines — and whose comments read like real conversations.

Then offer the product with no strings, and say what you’d love, not what you require:

JM

Jess Moreno<jess@foglinegifts.example>

to Talia · Slow Sunday Home

Draft · waits for your OK

a candle for your Sunday reset videos

Hi Talia,

Your Sunday reset videos are the calmest thing in my feed — the rainy-window one especially.

I make small-batch candles in San Francisco. Could I send you our Cedar & Smoke? No strings, no post required.

If you do share it, just mark it as gifted.

— Jess, Fogline Gift Co.

That last line is the law, not manners.

The FTC expects creators to disclose free or paid products. Make it easy for them to do it right.

Shops and creators get a lot of email. Follow up once around day 4 and once around day 10 — then stop.

NextStep 4 · Show up free on Google ↓

step 4Show up free on Google

Shoppers search Google for products, not just for stores.

Google Merchant Center lets your products appear for free in the Shopping tab, in Search and in Images.

• Connect your store’s product feed to Merchant Center — most store platforms have an app or plugin for it
• Write real product titles: “Cedar & Smoke Candle, 8 oz Coconut Wax” — not “Product 12”
• Use clear photos on a plain background
• Keep prices and stock in sync with your store

It takes an afternoon.

And it keeps working without a daily ad budget.

NextStep 5 · Start your email list on day one ↓

step 5Start your email list on day one

Most visitors won’t buy on their first visit.

Your list is how you get a second chance.

Give a real reason to join — early access to new products, a first-order offer, a monthly note from the studio. Then send a short welcome series:

1. Day 0Welcome

   Who you are, why you started, the first-order offer.

2. Day 2Best-sellers

   The 3 products people come back for.

3. Day 5Real reviews

   What customers actually said, in their words.

4. Day 9Gentle reminder

   “Your first-order offer ends Sunday.”

After that, one email a week. New products, restocks, a story from the studio.

Don’t only email when you want a sale.

In the US, marketing emails need an honest subject line, your business address and an easy way to unsubscribe. That’s the CAN-SPAM Act.

NextStep 6 · Turn first orders into second orders ↓

step 6Turn first orders into second orders

Getting a stranger to buy is hard.

Getting a happy customer to buy again is much easier. So plan for it:

• A thank-you email when it’s delivered — from a person, not “The Team”
• A care tip a week later: “Trim the wick before every burn”
• A review request two weeks in — sent to every customer, not just the happy ones
• A reorder reminder when it’s likely running low

One rule on reviews: you can’t buy them, and you can’t reward only the good ones.

The FTC’s reviews rule bans fake reviews and incentives that depend on the review being positive.

NextWhat to do this week ↓

What to do this week

Start with the moves that cost nothing but time:

1. 01
   Read 50 reviews

   Yours and your competitors’. Write down their words.

2. 02
   List 40 shops

   Shops that sell next to you, not like you.

3. 03
   Email 10 shops a day

   One real detail, an easy starter order.

4. 04
   Gift 10 creators

   No strings. Ask them to mark it as gifted.

5. 05
   Turn on free Google listings

   One afternoon in Merchant Center.

Or hand the lists and the emails to your AI team, and spend the week on the product.

Copy this job — or hand it to your AI team now Find 40 independent gift shops and boutiques that sell products next to mine, check each one’s website, and write one short personal wholesale pitch to each with an easy starter order. Save the list as a spreadsheet and show me the first 3 emails before anything is sent.

Start this job free →

✓Free to try✓No card required✓You approve anything sent in your name

Questions