Personalised products have been a big hit this Christmas according to a recent survey, with more and more hand crafted products on the market place.

The rise and rise of websites such as Etsy.com has perpetuated this movement, and it continues to grow and expand. Etsy allows you to set up your own shop for free, selling your own hand crafted goods, with really small listing fees (presumably to prevent a load of stale content being featured on the site), and minimal commission.

Not only this, but you can join teams, the leaders of which are able to join a leaders group, which will help them to develop their teams and figure out more and more ways to promote other people’s items.

One app that has been very successful at developing this idea is Spreesy. This links in to your Etsy account and allows you to not only sell and promote your own products on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, among other social media platforms, but also enables you to take your shop one step further by promoting other people’s products. So, if you see a product that is a good fit for your store, you can earn commission by selling those products, and help other creative people to sell to a wider audience. Everyone’s a winner.

Our store is available at www.spreesy.com/galleryblondine/.

The great thing about Spreesy is that it is designed for your smartphone. With more and more people shopping on their phones, this is a very convenient way to shop. You simply download the app onto your phone and visit the Marketplace to discover products by other people. The categories include Jewellery, Handmade, Footwear and Fashion.

Everyone loves receiving a personalised gift. It makes it look as though you have really thought about the person you are buying for, rather than just stopping at the petrol station to pick up some Ferrero Rocher and a bottle of wine on your way to see them. Helping someone to achieve their business dreams by buying personalised, hand crafted gifts is also a distinct advantage, particularly during these difficult financial times.

Other stores we love include Hey Hi Hello Art, which you can find on Folksy.com; and the more established Gemma Correll at Gemmacorrell.com.

Browse through the collections at Etsy, Red Bubble, Folksy, Spreesy and other such stores for yourself to discover the huge array of beautiful products on offer from talented artists and crafters.