Have you started an Etsy page with little success? We’re here to help! Etsy can be very tricky to figure out on your own and it can get frustrating when you work so hard and don’t make any sales. If you follow us on Instagram you’ll see that we’ve been killing the Etsy game for almost two years now and here we offer quick tips that will help get your shop seen. In the future, we will dive deeper into all the topics mentioned below along with other tips on how to sell on Etsy. Make sure to follow along for more information!
The Appearance of your Page and the Items You Offer
The appearance of your page and items that you sell are some of the most important aspects of selling on Etsy. The key is to stop customers as they scroll and have them click on your item. For most categories on Etsy, the market is extremely flooded so you need to differentiate yourself from everyone else by having high-quality, eye-catching photos. But the best part is you don’t need a high-end camera to achieve nice photos! Most new smartphones have amazing cameras on them as well as basic editing tools. We actually still use our phones for the majority of our pictures and videos!
Start with a decent location; find a spot to display your item and make sure it is clean and bright. Take several photos of the item from different angles and then stage your piece and take some more photos, the more the merrier -you can always delete them later and restaging a photo is a pain in the butt! If you don’t have any artificial lighting you can adjust, take pictures during the day using the natural light either inside or outside.
Once you have some pictures you can use for one or more listings, get to work on your page. Upload a logo as your icon, even if you create it yourself. Give your brand an identity! Make a banner or use a product photo as your banner. The more information you offer the more professional your page will look. This includes filling out all of the pages offered to you; the about us page, the policy’s page and item descriptions. You would be surprised at how many times we have had people decide to order from us because they thought our story was cute or relatable! ❤ If you take a look at any Etsy page that is selling well, you will see that it is nice and complete.
Customer service!
Be speedy and friendly. How quickly you answer questions and how you interact with customers can be the difference between earning a sale and losing a sale. If you only answer messages once a week or even less, the customer will have most likely continued looking elsewhere and already have made the purchase through another shop. ALWAYS answer customers questions politely and respectfully. Be as detailed as you can and make sure to answer all of the questions, even if the answers are in the item’s description. Customers who have a good experience purchasing through you will be more likely to leave a good review, tell a friend, and even come back and purchase more items from you.
One way to get some insight into different styles of customer service is to browse through other Etsy shops and online retailer’s review pages. You can check out responses to negative reviews and get an idea of how to respond to a certain situation, or you can go through good reviews and see things customers care most about. A lot of bad reviews are pertaining to poor customer service — you will NOT please everyone and mistakes will happen, but no matter who is at fault, you must respond respectfully and politely. Take it all with a grain of salt, because if you are creating a great product and being friendly, you will please most of your customers and even create great relationships along the way!
Item variations
Each customer is as unique as each seller’s items and listings. Customers are looking for that special piece that reaches out and grabs their attention! Variations are a big differentiator for a lot of Etsy sellers. Try to offer size and color variations so you reach a wider variety of people with different styles and spaces. Also, if you offer options unique to only your shop, you have something that can set you apart from the competition. The future customer may click on an intriguing image but if it doesn’t have any additional photos or a size option they were looking for, they will likely move on. Every time you make a new item in a different color or size make sure to take photos so you can use them in listings and for answering customers questions. Etsy gives you ten chances for you to show off your pieces, so use them all!
Take advantage of the item descriptions because you can explain variations and distinguishing factors about your items. If all of the information isn’t right in front of a customer they may not want to reach out and ask and are likely to move on to another shop. Most customers will go back to the search page rather than click through to your shop. If you have something similar, but monogrammed, or an add-on to the item they are looking at, put a link in your description to it! Etsy is a flooded marketplace and your goal is to have the customer click your item in a few seconds because there are tons of other options out there. Put in the effort to differentiate yourself and it will pay off!
