Swindon & Wiltshire News
Bristol-based alternative to Etsy officially launches
A new marketplace where customers can buy handmade gifts from independent crafters and designers across the UK has officially launched.
Crafters Market was created during the lockdown period in 2021 by its Bristol-based founders David Pottrell and Holly Woodruff, who felt many crafters were growing frustrated with the fees associated with selling online at existing platforms.
David and Holly are independent crafters themselves and wanted to bring a fresh new marketplace that is fair and equitable for both buyers and sellers.
Following organic growth and a complete rebuild of the entire platform using artificial intelligence extensively, they are now ready to go to market.
Since launching, the business has had over 1,000 independent crafters sign-up and is seeing strong visitor numbers, which are growing month on month. David and Holly are keen to take advantage of this growth and start to scale the business.
Data shows that the global handicrafts market is a rapidly expanding, multibillion-dollar industry, with estimates valuing it at over $739 billion in 2024 and it is projected to reach nearly $1 trillion by 2030.
In the UK, craft sales exceeded £3 billion in 2019, up from £883 million in 2006. Approximately 37.7 million people in the UK buy craft objects according to the most recent data. The market has experienced a four-fold increase in the volume of craft objects bought annually between 2006 and 2020, rising from 5.6 million to 24.7 million items.
According to the Crafts Council, 10.3m Brits are buying craft online – a figure that has more than tripled over the last decade and projections show that the market is only set to grow further in the future.
“The market has huge potential and is growing faster than ever and we feel like this is our moment to grasp the nettle,” said David.
“The burgeoning desire from consumers to buy sustainably, the emergence of more people having multiple income streams and the soaring cost of living requires the market to respond and provide marketplaces like this.”
He said the growth of AI has been a huge enabler for the business: “The entire platform was rebuilt using AI extensively – from development workflows to content and automation. This shows what AI can do, and we will continue to lean into this technology, to allow us to scale quickly.”
