Photoroom helps Beadhouse attract new customers in a highly niche market

The challenge: Running Beadhouse as a solopreneur, Ivonne found it difficult to keep up with product photography for over 17,000 items listed on her online store. And despite having thrived in a highly niche market for 20 years, she found herself needing a technological and creative edge to grow her online presence and brand identity, and attract new shoppers.

Our solution: Photoroom's AI Background Remover and AI Backgrounds tools allows her to easily and quickly customize the backdrop of her product photos to create professional-quality listings, streamline her workflow, and maintain full creative control—all without the expense of hiring a photographer.

Results: Photoroom has profoundly impacted Beadhouse, leading to more first-time buyers, a growing social media following, and a stronger overall brand identity. Photoroom's ongoing updates and responsive support have kept Ivonne engaged and excited about her business's future, empowering her to showcase her products in the best light.

Ivonne Kronenberg, the creative and driving force behind Beadhouse and a jewelry-maker herself, embarked on her entrepreneurial journey over 20 years ago when she moved from her home in the Dutch Antilles to start a business in the Netherlands. Initially focused on ceramics, Ivonne's passion gradually shifted entirely to beads, leading her to establish Beadhouse—a perfectly named haven for bead enthusiasts.

“With beads, I just have this teeny-tiny part of the craft business, and it still surprises me just how many people are into it. But there’s a lot you can do with these tiny beads, from simple stringing to elaborate works of art.”

Starting with a small brick-and-mortar store, Ivonne's business has grown significantly over the course of two decades, moving locations four times to accommodate an ever-expanding inventory. Beadhouse now operates both in-store and online, offering a huge selection of beads— from glass and porcelain to metal and gemstone, and everything in between—sourced from around the world including the U.S., Japan, and the Czech Republic.

Running Beadhouse as a solopreneur with only the occasional hired help, Ivonne has worn just about every hat there is throughout the years, managing everything from procurement to the website to customer service and operations. Despite the challenges of keeping up with the relentless pace of market trends and ever-evolving marketing demands—in addition to new bead shapes, materials, colors, and finishes—Ivonne and Beadhouse have consistently thrived by staying open to learning, adapting, and innovating.

Discovering Photoroom: A game changer for Beadhouse

Running a web-based business means Ivonne is always in need of high-quality photos and images. While some suppliers provide product images, many do not, leaving her to manage a significant portion of the photography herself. With over 17,000 products available on her web store, this can quickly become an overwhelming and almost impossible task for one person.

So when her customer recommended Photoroom, Ivonne was immediately intrigued and decided to give it a try. After all, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

“I put Photoroom on my phone and started playing with it. It was the free version. And then—after only a week—I thought, that’s it. I need this! Now, if I don’t have a picture, I just put the product on a white sheet and let Photoroom do its magic.”
- Ivonne Kronenberg, Founder & CEO, Beadhouse

Despite not being a professional photographer by any means, Ivonne found Photoroom incredibly user-friendly and effective. Hiring a professional photographer for such a vast inventory of products was too expensive and just out of the question for the small business owner, but Photoroom's AI-powered tools allows Ivonne to maintain control over the entire process and save time and resources.

And the impact of Photoroom on Beadhouse’s online presence has been significant.

“I’m on Facebook, but I had taken Beadhouse off of Instagram because I was so frustrated with figuring out what images to use for my posts. But with Photoroom, I can make hundreds of stunning product photos of my beads in no time. It’s wonderful. I’m a huge fan.”
- Ivonne Kronenberg, Founder & CEO, Beadhouse

The simplicity Photoroom provides is key for Ivonne as she single-handedly manages what feels like a hundred different tasks for the business each day. “I take my picture, choose my background, up it goes.”

Ivonne also loves the flexibility and creative inspiration that Photoroom offers. “You get to play around with the different backgrounds and features, and it's so much fun. In the beginning, I always chose one of the pre-designed templates, but right now, I’m really into AI prompts. I put in exactly what I want and either tweak it to my liking if needed or use it as is.”

Photoroom has not only enhanced Ivonne’s product photography but also boosted her overall confidence in how she showcases her products and engages with her audience. In embracing Photoroom, she has unlocked new potential for Beadhouse, showcasing her products in the best light and connecting with customers more effectively than ever before.

Ivonne’s secret to consistent and creative product photos that sell: Photoroom’s AI Backgrounds

Ivonne shares that her standout Photoroom feature is definitely AI Backgrounds. After removing backgrounds, she can easily customize the backdrop of her photos easily to match or enhance the product and quickly and add elements like logos or watermarks to strengthen her brand.

“My last name is Kronenberg, which loosely translates to ‘Crown Mountain’ in English. I thought, I’m going to make a logo and add it to my pictures because they’re mine; it’s my personal jewelry. So I started doing that, and now I’m really into adding logos into the photos.”

In addition to giving her daily workflow a creative and time-saving edge, the ability to create and save personalized backgrounds in Photoroom has significantly streamlined Ivonne’s workflow. This ensures consistency and a professional touch across her product photos, enhancing her overall brand identity and attracting new customers.

“I save my custom backgrounds as favorites, and then it’s just a matter of saying, ‘OK, I want this.’ It’s incredibly efficient.”

Ivonne also appreciates the quick and responsive feedback from the Photoroom team.

“If you have a problem, the support is so quick. I found the Facebook group, which gives me answers before I even know I had a problem. And when Justyn (Community Lead at Photoroom) comes on for a chat, you can ask questions directly. I don’t think there’s another app that offers this level of support.”
- Ivonne Kronenberg, Founder & CEO, Beadhouse

Photoroom powers a brighter future for Beadhouse

Photoroom’s impact on Beadhouse has been profound, helping Ivonne streamline her workflow, enhance her online presence and brand identity, engage more effectively with her customers, and boost website traffic and sales (especially for first-time buyers). As she continues to explore new creative avenues, Ivonne says Photoroom will definitely play a central role.

To anyone considering trying Photoroom for their creative business needs, Ivonne says the key is to be specific in your prompts, and learn how to make the app work for you and your particular product-type and industry. "The more you use it [Photoroom], the more you learn how the app works and the better you get at getting exactly what you need from it."

“I paid for Photoroom Pro, and it has repaid itself over and over again. It’s truly incredible what you can do with Photoroom.”
- Ivonne Kronenberg, Founder & CEO, Beadhouse

Try Photoroom yourself today. Available on Android, iOS, or the Web.

And if you’re into bead crafts or interested in learning more, make sure to check out Beadhouse and follow along Ivonne’s journey!