Selling Physical Products to the E.U. is About to Get a Lot Harder
A new product safety regulation coming into effect in December is about to make non-European sellers do a lot of extra work.
Etsy’s AI Problem
One year after examining the potential impacts of generative AI on creative industries, it’s clear that tools like those on Etsy are both useful and disruptive, leading to policy clarifications and heightened awareness of AI-generated content’s prevalence and challenges.
What’s Hot in the European Craft Industry: A Report from h+h cologne 2024
The world’s creative manufacturers and distributors convened at h+h Cologne in Germany, where small retail is king.
How Sanctions Against Russia Affect the Craft Industry
Two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sanctions are affecting the creative industry beyond Russia’s borders.
Private Equity Firm Makes $5 Billion Offer for Michaels
As the craft retailer, Michaels, goes private — again — JOANN and Cricut are going public. Here’s how to understand the implications of these changes.
Etsy’s Blockbuster Pandemic Year
Product sales on the craft marketplace Etsy more than doubled in 2020, to $10.3 billion making this a blockbuster year.
Pandemic Crafting Props Up Michaels’ Sales in Third Quarter
Mega-retailer Michaels is doing OK, but it’s not out of the woods yet.
Bolstered by High Sales, Etsy Prepares for a Highly Unusual Holiday Season
Etsy reported $2.6 billion in sales for Q3 2020, the second-highest quarter in its history. Mask sales are cooling as holiday shopping begins.
Quaranzines: Pandemic Inspires Analog Zine Projects
Zines — limited-edition, DIY, often photocopied publications — never went away, per se, but are experiencing a wide-sweeping revival during the pandemic.
Michaels Bounces Back from Pandemic Closings
Craft retailer Michaels got this quarter’s sales up 11.1% over last year by going hard on e-commerce and new marketing initiatives.