As a young girl, Nadia Williams watched with interest as her father ran the Brooklyn grocery store he owned for 25 years, willingly spending evenings and weekends helping him stock shelves.
“I always appreciated putting the work in for something that’s your own,” she said. “It’s a different kind of joy when it’s yours—it doesn’t feel like work anymore.”
The experience imbued her with a hunger to one day run her own business. She just needed an idea to get started. In 2020, the spark finally came to her. Stuck at home during the pandemic, Williams—a spa regular—searched the internet for products to provide the self-care she was missing during quarantine. Coming up short, she decided to test the waters with items aimed at helping women feel rejuvenated. As a loyal Amazon customer and Prime member, she knew Amazon was the place to get started.
“Already knowing how good Amazon’s customer service was, and how much trust Prime members have when buying from Amazon, I knew people would have less problem ordering something from a brand they never heard of,” Williams said.
She launched her brand in the Amazon store with a single product—reusable makeup remover pads—to learn the nuances of selling in the Amazon store. The product sold well at first, until Williams noticed the market became saturated with similar items. This, however, didn’t deter her.
“Once I discontinued the makeup pads, I knew how to really perfect my marketing strategy with Amazon. That’s when I launched the products I was really interested in.”
Missing the aromatherapy experience of massages, Williams wanted to create a product that would provide a similar level of relaxation at home. She came up with the idea of aromatherapy shower steamers—made with scented essential oils that honored her Black and Arab heritage—that could turn any bathroom into a scented sauna.
After partnering with a woman-owned, U.S.-based manufacturer to create what would become her signature product, Williams used Amazon Brand Analytics, a data tool that gives sellers insight into customer search and purchase behavior, to research the right keywords to draw customers to her product page. She also started selling SOO JELLY! jelly pedicure packs, which have since become a bestseller, including with spa owners who discovered the product through Amazon Business, which helps sellers connect with B2B customers.
It wasn’t long before Crafts and the City products found their way to influencers, like actress and businesswoman Ayesha Curry. Curry promoted the shower steamers on Instagram and in an Amazon Live video, and recommended them in her own Amazon store.
“I was just over the moon when she promoted us,” recalled Williams. “Sales jumped 25% that month.”
Williams has seen a steady increase in her Amazon sales, growth, she said, that wouldn’t have been possible without Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which handles the picking, packing and shipping of orders.
“I’m living in New York City in a small apartment. The fact that I can send everything to Amazon and they’ll figure out all the logistics is what’s really allowed me, as a small business owner, to thrive,” she said, adding that FBA is especially valuable in the lead-up to the holidays, where from Black Friday through mid-December she sees orders double.
“During those special days and events in one’s life, Amazon is the one of the first places people go for their gifting needs,” said Williams. “When people are searching for ways to give back to the important women in their lives, I’m so proud to be one of the companies that stands out.”
As she scales, Amazon will remain at the heart of Williams’ business, especially as she expands into new sales channels. To capture a new audience, Williams recently started leveraging TikTok Shop, using Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment to provide TikTok customers with the same customer experience—from two-day delivery to real-time tracking—that she herself valued as an Amazon customer.
“That Amazon allows multi-channel fulfillment is amazing for me as a seller and for my customers. It gives them a truly dedicated shipping experience, no matter where they shop,” she said.
Williams is just at the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey. With plans to expand her product line, she estimates she’ll be able to take her business from a side gig to her main source of income in the next year.
“As someone who just had this idea, and who never had any business experience and has done everything self-paid, the growth I’ve experienced has been exponential,” she said. “Had Amazon not been available to me, I doubt I would have experienced the success I have so far.”
This year, Crafts and they City earned a 25% year-over-year increase in Amazon sales, with the bulk of sales coming in ahead of the holidays. Crafts and the City’s aromatherapy shower steamers are the company’s best-selling product during the gifting season. These not only make great presents for over-worked moms, but come packaged in a beautifully designed keepsake box that begs to be gifted.