March 2026 Roundup
Welcome back to my new mini-blog series, where I reflect on what happened while running my UK small business over the past month. Check my roundup for February 2026 here.
Well, March 2026 was a very slow month for sales. Sales trickled in throughout the month. With the world in financial turmoil, it seems people in general just don’t have the extra cash they did. But I am still hoping that things will pick up again soon.
I did celebrate my birthday, and Panda Motion Designs celebrated 4 years in business this month. An amazing win.
My son has been enjoying Lego club at school, so I have managed to get in a little extra time working on my business. But with the Easter holidays starting in a few days, it’s going to be tricky to balance it all for April.
So let’s break the month down and take a snapshot look at what’s been happening.
Sales Snapshot 📦
Sales in general have been down compared to the same period last year. There could be several reasons for this — ongoing Middle Eastern conflict, people tightening their spending, possible Etsy changes — it’s very hard to pinpoint one definitive cause.
Overview of Shop Stats:
- Best Seller: Sci-Fi Door/Wall Sign
- Unexpected Performer: Book Lover Coaster: Drink Tea, Read Books – This brought in many views and a couple of sales.
- Slower Product: Bee Lavender Bookmark – This is usually quite popular, especially at this time of year.
Interestingly, views on my website have increased slightly, while Etsy views have dipped. I’ve been blogging more consistently, so that may well be contributing to the website traffic boost.
Repeat Customers: No repeat customers this month, but several new ones and a couple who ordered multiple items.
What Worked Well: I sold my first BBQ Parking sign design and is heading off to the USA. I also made one sale via Etsy Ads.
What I’m Changing for April: I joined VibeQuiz a week ago, and I hope that will help drive through some sales. VibeQuiz is an online gift-finding tool that helps you find the perfect gift based on vibes. You answer fun, quirky questions about the recipient, and VibeQuiz suggests gifts from brilliant UK-based independent shops. Go and check it out.
Product Development Corner 🎨
I have added 3 new product designs to my shop and a few more in the pipeline. March has been more inspirational than February.
New Bunny Plushie is now available in my Etsy shop. Have handwritten notes or drawings sublimated onto a cute plushie.
New spring/flower-themed sticker sheet.
New baking-themed tote bag for Cake Queens.
I plan to develop a product range around the “Cake Queen” design, such as notebooks, coasters, mugs and more. I also plan to develop a variety of cake colours and designs so customers can choose a design to suit what they are looking for.
April is going to be busy balancing new product development and the school Easter holidays. But it will be interesting.
Community & Connection 🤍
I am always grateful for my small business community.
We have all been very busy lately, especially for Easter and Mother’s Day orders, which have been great to see so many small businesses doing so well.
Big shout-out to Emmi’s Kitchen for her ongoing ideas to keep kids busy and helping others on her Skool community page.
Social Media shout-out to Pebble Gift Shop for her likes and tags on Instagram. Also, some very funny and relatable reels.
The Reality Check
Sales have been challenging again this month, and I won’t pretend that seeing a drop compared to last year hasn’t been tough mentally.
I have continued to focus on work behind the scenes, product development, social media planning, better photos and more.
No matter how slow it gets I am very proud of every sale. Panda Motion Designs made it to 4 years in business, and I am so proud of that. I plan to ride this rough sales time out and come out the other side well prepared and better than ever.
Life Behind the Desktop
Life continues as usual. The daily school runs, stocking up on Easter eggs and finding time for myself.
And as the 2025 tax year comes to an end, it’s time to make sure my finance spreadsheets are up to date and ready for the dreaded tax return. It’s not a fun thing to do every year, but it needs to be done.
But I’m incredibly thankful to have the flexibility to work around school life. The money I do make goes towards fun days out and constantly restocking the fruit bowl (because children are bottomless pits).
It’s busy. It’s messy. But I wouldn’t change it.
Looking Ahead to April
April will continue to focus on Spring and start to look towards Father’s Day and end-of-year teacher gift ideas.
I am planning on designing more cake-themed designs to go with the Cake Queen tote bag. More whimsical designs, more new product types. I am still developing some new coaster designs, but they require more work.
Two weeks of April will be mostly taken up with the school spring holidays. This will mean design and product launches will take a bit longer to get out
My goal will be to focus on social media promotion in the hope of reaching more people.
Until Next Month
Thank you for supporting my little business this month. Whether you ordered, shared, liked or simply cheered me on — it truly means everything.
If you’re a fellow small business owner, I’d love to hear how your March went. Why not share your own reflections in the comments?
Until next month 💛
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