Etsy, the fourth-largest US ecommerce site in terms of monthly visits, offers opportunities for artists, hobbyists, and suppliers to have a successful business. While setting up an Etsy store is fast and easy, the real challenge lies in differentiating oneself from the millions of active sellers in the marketplace. This article provides valuable tips for selling on Etsy, explains their significance, and offers guidance on getting started.
Top Ways To Sell Successfully In Etsy
1. Determine if Etsy Is a Right Fit for Your Products
Before uploading products, it would be wise for any business-oriented individual planning to open a store on Etsy to have a clear understanding of what items are permissible and prohibited for sale.
Having knowledge of Etsy’s product policy is important for protecting yourself, your buyer, and the platform from legal problems, especially those related to intellectual property. Additionally, it enables you to determine the most effective categorization of your products in order to enhance their visibility to prospective buyers.
2. Optimize Your Etsy Shop Profile
Your Etsy shop profile is an essential representation of your business brand, consisting of various elements such as your shop banner and shop policies. It plays a crucial role in establishing trust with potential customers, making it vital to dedicate significant effort to creating a comprehensive and well-crafted shop profile. Just like when you create your product listings, be sure to invest the same amount of effort in completing your shop profile before opening your Etsy store.
In addition to your store’s “About” page, other parts of your store’s profile also contribute to establishing your brand.
- Opt for a cover photo instead of a banner image; while it requires a bigger image (the ideal size is 3360 x 840 pixels), a cover photo is displayed on both desktop and mobile versions of your Etsy store.
- Shop banners don’t show up on mobile. They must be exactly 760 x 100 pixels and no larger than 2MB.
- Use a shop icon consistent with your business brand and logo.
- Research and use keywords for your shop title.
- Use brief, compelling copy for your shop announcement section to inform buyers of your promotions and discounts.
- Use the Shop Members section to introduce your team briefly.
In addition to reviewing your content before posting, it is also necessary to assess whether the overall impression of your shop profile elicits the desired emotions for your brand.
3. Keep Your Shop Policy Simple
The guidelines for transactions in your store are set by your shop policy.
Customers who typically read this have typically already identified a desired purchase and want to assess their comfort level with the payment and delivery procedures. This particular section carries an even greater importance for customers seeking personalized designs as it provides them with information on the extent of their involvement and the duration of the design process.
To ensure a positive customer experience, it is important to keep policies uncomplicated but provide precise details. If you are a beginner seller on Etsy, you can begin by creating a basic shop policy. This involves completing a template that enables you to customize settings for various aspects such as returns and exchanges, payments, shipping, and additional information.
4. Add Multiple Payment Options
According to a recent study, the reason why 9% of online shoppers abandon shopping carts is due to the limited range of payment options available.
In considering the increasing prevalence of online shopping, it is crucial to acknowledge that certain prospective customers may still be reluctant to disclose their credit card information online, regardless of the level of security provided by your website. To prevent this potential loss, you can easily enhance the payment options offered by your store.
By requiring store owners to use Etsy Payments, Etsy allows you to offer a variety of payment options without the need to open multiple merchant services accounts. With Etsy Payments, you can accept the following payment methods:
- Credit cards
- Debit/bank cards
- Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
Ensure that you also offer alternatives for customers who prefer to visit in person.
Square has formed a partnership with Etsy so that sellers can conveniently and safely process in-person payments using their mobile devices and tablets, as well as synchronize their shop inventory. To enable this feature, simply access the Shop Manager page, select Square from the available Add Channel options, and follow the provided instructions. Additionally, when you register, you will receive a complimentary Square card reader.
5. Collect the email addresses of your customers
Due to its average return on investment of $36 for every dollar spent, email marketing holds a crucial position in online sales. Therefore, it is imperative for every business owner to establish a mailing list strategy from the beginning.
Creating an opt-in form outside of Etsy and advertising would be the best solution for Etsy sellers in this situation, as adding the email addresses of customers who made purchases from their store goes against Etsy’s Terms of Use.
To build your mailing list in a manner that aligns with Etsy’s seller policy, you can follow these step-by-step actions.
- Create an account with an email service provider like Constant Contact or Mailchimp to create a landing page for your opt-in form.
- Include the link to your landing page on your Etsy shop’s profile, about page, listing descriptions, and thank you messages for recent buyers.
- Include the link on your shop banner, email signatures, and business cards.
It is crucial to have this strategy in place right from the beginning because sending this link via Etsy Conversations or to any of your previous customers would be a violation of Etsy’s Terms of Use (make sure to continuously verify guidelines as they may be subject to change).
6. Use Etsy SEO For Better Etsy Search Ranking
Increasing the visibility of your shop and products is one of the most important things you can do to boost your Etsy sales, making Etsy SEO crucial.
You may already be aware of some of the factors that affect the ranking of Etsy search engine. These include how closely your title and tags match the shopper’s search, the performance of your product in terms of sales, and the reviews of your shop. These factors play a critical role in ensuring that your listings appear on the first page of Etsy search results.
Keyword research involves identifying the search terms utilized by your customers and utilizing these relevant keywords to improve the position of your product in Etsy search. One effective approach to finding these keywords is to utilize Etsy’s autocomplete and category functions.
use these long-tail keywords when inserting them into the title and tags of your product listing. Don’t forget to think step by step.
- Match the exact keyword in title and tag
- Use all 13 tags to maximize the chance of showing up in search
- Aim for longer keywords (2-4 words) as they have less competition and easier to rank
7. Write High Converting Product Description
A higher conversion rate can be achieved by having a good and compelling product description. The product description serves three main purposes.
- Entice and capture shopper’s attention
- Show how the product can improve shopper’s life or solve their problem
- Remove barriers of purchase
Many Etsy sellers overlook these points and proceed to list product features such as color and size, which are important but may not be the most impactful in catching the attention of Etsy shoppers.
8. Take Eye-Catching Product Photos
Taking product photos that sell does not require an expensive DSLR.
When taking photos, it is generally best to rely on natural lighting. Avoid using direct sunlight, but instead opt for light that has been reflected off of other objects, passes through a thin curtain, or is present during the early morning or late afternoon. These lighting conditions will produce pictures with fewer pronounced shadows, more evenly distributed light, and ultimately a superior outcome.
The ability to edit photos is crucial in the process of learning photo editing tools. Even if you have a high-quality camera or use your phone to take photos, they will not be flawless. It is important to understand how to enhance the brightness, contrast, and colors of the photos. This skill can determine whether a shopper chooses to click on your product or not.
9. Develop New Products That Reaches New Customers
There are numerous advantages for your shop in listing newly-launched products.
- Freshness of the store (which can help Etsy SEO)
- Customers have a reason to come back (which can increase sales and conversion rate)
- Explore a new market niche (which can improve overall sales)
If your shop has less than 30-50 products, listing more products is one of the most effective ways to enhance it.
In your shop, you might possess some popular bestsellers that appear to be adored by numerous customers.
By carefully examining products that consistently generate sales, receive positive reviews and feedback, and earn repeat customers, one can determine the factors that make them exceptional. Analyzing the favorable reviews of such products could provide valuable insights. With this information, one can develop comparable products or products with alterations in terms of color, materials, and other aspects.
To generate new products, consider examining how you can address the gap within your specific market. Online, pay attention to feedback from potential customers, whether it be negative reviews on platforms like Etsy, Amazon, eBay, etc., or discussions within forums. By doing so, you can assess if there is a chance to develop a superior product that caters to their requirements.
One effective strategy to attract new customers is by creating seasonal items. By offering special versions of your popular items during occasions like Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and others, you can greatly increase your chances of boosting sales on Etsy during those specific periods.
10. Focus On Products That Doesn’t Convert Well
These products have already achieved one of the hardest parts: traffic. Now it’s time to find out the reasons why they are not selling and improve on them. Bad photos, boring product description, missing details, too expensive or cheap are some of the possible reasons.
By thinking in a step-by-step manner, you can rephrase the text while keeping the same meaning. Do not include additional information or exclude any existing information. Lists like these can provide you with a chance to enhance and optimize them, thereby increasing the likelihood of generating sales.
11. Use Etsy Advertising For Fast Growth
Although it may require financial investment, Etsy ads prove to be one of the most effective methods to expedite the growth of your Etsy sales, provided that you execute them correctly. Consider these basic techniques when utilizing Etsy ads.
- Advertise your bestsellers first as shoppers are more likely to click and buy them
- Then promote your mid-range products (those get sales but not as much)
- Check consistently especially in the beginning and turn off the promoted listings that don’t sell (especially high views and no sales)
- Make sure the cost doesn’t outweigh your profit
- Good tool to use when you are running a sale as shoppers are more likely to convert
12. Run A Sale The Right Way
Running a sale is an efficient method to generate additional sales promptly. However, it is important to consider a few factors to avoid encountering pitfalls.
Sellers can make a big mistake by frequently running sales and offering discounts, causing customers to develop an expectation for them. Smart online customers can detect the pricing pattern, even if subconsciously, and will not purchase products at full price if they anticipate a future sale.
By considering each step, you effectively convert the discounted price into your new reference price, thereby reducing your profit margin.
