We have been trying to gain some traction with our seedshop for 3 years now. What would you like to see? What would make you buy? We have been working hard to spread our micro collection to about every variety you could think off. I dare say we have one of the biggest collections in north america. Thank you for any advise 🙂
by LynnBinBin
14 Comments
Oh, I should add the website link- http://www.littleislandseed.com
Well , right now , it seems like the best places to advertise are Instagram and YouTube.
There’s all kinds of things you could do on a youtube channel for a seed company , you could have a ‘get to know the people who work here’ and what they do you can show your process for savings seed , you can talk about your favorite varieties, etc…
Being both a tomato nerd and sourdough nerd – I enjoyed browsing through your website. I found it easy to navigate around, well organized, eye appealing, good content and professional looking. I tried your site on my iphone originally and found that to be awkward – much easier on laptop. Could be user error but thought I’d mention.
The one thing that stands out to me in your company is that you grow and harvest most if not all your own seeds. I’m under the impression that most well known/large seed companies don’t make the majority of what they sell – and buy seeds grown by large multinational foreign companies. Might be something to highlight in your marketing – and not just a footnote in your seed descriptions. That locally grown sort of thing appeals to me but others might not care.
All in all, you do come across as a company focused/experts in a niche market.
This is great! I couldn’t find any information about shipping, including costs and where you ship to and anything else on that front.
I don’t think most Americans know what PEI stands for. (I didn’t). You could add the word Canada, and spell out the acronym to make it more clear.
I liked your website a lot! Great photos and well organized. Being in the states and since I saw you mention you ship worldwide I would love shipping info and costs easily available. As shipping (and occasionally the time frame) can be a deterrent due to cost or missing your seed starting window. Maybe a blurb somewhere on what constitutes a micro tomato or the benefits of growing the micros vs traditional (space, indoor option, etc.) I find a lot of people aren’t very familiar with them.
I added you to my list of seed companies to check out for supplies! Thanks for sharing. Looks great!
I would love to see more varieties from Bunny Hop Seeds which are less available in Canada.
Heirloom and open-pollinated are not synonymous. You may have nearly all open-pollinated varietals, but almost none of the micro dwarfs are heirloom. An heirloom varietal must be at least 25 years old. You’re calling a lot of tomatoes heirloom that do not qualify.
ETA – 25 is the lowest age requirement you’ll find anywhere. The most popular minimum age for heirloom tomatoes is 50, and some people argue that they must predate World War II, which is now 75+.
Have you looked into some high level SEO?
You also NEED an email list. Provide something of value, such as and e book and then you need a newsletter to get that going. If you would like some help, that’s what I do. DM me.
Its a very nice site, easy to navigate with good information and excellent pictures. I like that you dont just sell a little bit if everything and instead have large amounts of mainly tomatoes and peppers.
As someone who grows dozens of varieties of peppers every year you have a good selection of peppers that every day cooks can use, a couple of unique super hots could definitely get some traffic to your site as pepper people… we can be a little crazy chasing that heat.
I will definitely be bookmarking your page, while I do have already have a great pepper seed vendor that im pretty committed to, I dont have a tomatoe seed vendor Im overly attached to. Since deciding to only grow for Canadian suppliers they last couple years Im glad to have stumbled across you on here.
PS. Love the sourdough page!
I like your pictures! I love to see something other than the same stock photos that every site uses (or worse, drawings of the crops without actual pictures).
I agree with other comments – your navigation needs work and if youre trying to sell to a US audience you’ll need to better explain where you are in Canada and what’s unique about that place. (I had to Google what PEI is and where its located in CN). And there are way too many FAQs – put everything on one page with headings. The germination FAQ is actually a guide, not an FAQ.
Deal breakers for me are:
Your logo looks AI generated. Thats off-putting because you have a lot on your site about why we should support your small business, but you didn’t do the same by hiring an actual designer for your branding work.
I like the awesome collection of micro dwarf tomatoes! But $5 for 10 seeds is just too expensive for an unknown seed company. Coupled with that – you don’t have policies anywhere on your site that I could find that explain resolution for poor germination. (I skimmed the germination faq and didnt see it). Also some microdwarf listings say how many seeds come in a pack and some don’t – thats a red flag for me.
Aside from the micro dwarf tomatoes there’s not much here that is unique so either the price or quantity needs to be a really good deal and I’m not seeing that.
I would recommend you figure out what your “thing” is – what makes you different or unique? What makes you so different and so unique that I should spend more money in your shop than other places? And it can’t just be that the seeds are open pollinated. For me (in the US) you are in competition with the major seedhouses and with other small seed growers. I buy a lot from MIGardener because their thing is being budget friendly – they have cheap seed packs and low shipping minimums. I buy from Sandia Seed Company bc their thing is peppers – they have an incredible selection of heirloom and OP peppers from Mexico and New Mexico. I buy from the Alliance of Native Seedkeepers bc of their focus on social responsibility and community investment, etc. etc. I don’t see a clear “story” on your page. If your thing is micro tomatoes then build your branding around that.
Glad you posted, I am enjoying looking through your site! Love your logo, and am happy you are listed on the Seeds of Diversity seed business map.
I appreciate that you have a clearance section for seeds – this can be a fun, economical way for gardeners to try new-to-them varieties.
For years (and still, to a degree), I was interested in buying new and unusual open-pollinated tomato varieties. Now, I find myself drawn to old and/or rare, flavourful heirlooms. Varieties that have regional and interesting stories/histories attached to them. I also am increasingly on the lookout for varieties that were developed in, or have a unique history in, Canada (e.g., Harrow tomatoes, Tancook Island cabbage, etc.)
I don’t typically grow micro-dwarf tomatoes but have friends who do, and I will certainly spread the word!
It is a lot to absorb for small businesses, but free shipping events (within Canada), even if held once a year (best to start promoting well in advance), are communicated/shared like wildfire on the online seed and seed-trading groups. Contests are, too. An alternative is to include a free package of seeds with orders (which you can put a minimum cap on – e.g., “on orders over $20). It’s funny, but the draw of a free package of seeds to a seed collector/fanatic can go a long way to triggering a purchase.