Have you decided on selling handmade and vintage products on Etsy? Etsy is an incredible online marketplace to sell handmade products. They boast millions of active buyers constantly shopping for the next vintage products. As the leading platform for artisans, Etsy has experienced an increased sales volume. As sellers flock to Etsy, savvy sellers search for innovative ways to drive traffic to their Etsy shop and increase sales. Many sellers get insights from Etsy’s regular updates, which is good, but some other tips and tricks can help increase product visibility and sales on Etsy. Are you already selling on Etsy? Are you wondering how to get sales on Etsy? I highly recommend that you acquaint yourself with familiar marketing tips to boost your sales. In this guide, you can learn how to increase your products’ visibility, increase Etsy traffic, and how to get sales on Etsy.
Why Etsy Matters
Etsy is a powerful marketplace for selling artisan homemade and vintage products. As an Etsy seller, you are billed 5% transaction fees for each transaction, including a listing + shipping fees of $0.20 for each product listed quarterly. In 2021, they recorded an annual GMS and Revenue of 132% and 141%, respectively, with a large majority of that revenue hailing from the seller transaction fees. With Etsy Payments, the company’s official payment processing service, now in place, Etsy is expected to record increased sales in 2022. You may be wondering why Etsy has millions of active buyers. It is simple; Etsy is a unique platform that sells handmade items – not even Amazon boasts this feat. Buyers shop on Etsy to get items they can feel and trust with their hard-earned money. These and more contribute to the influence of Etsy on both sellers and buyers. The question now is; how can you (a seller) leverage Etsy’s active buyers and get more customers.
15 Less Familiar Marketing Tips On How To Get Sales On Etsy
Without wasting time, let us get into the business of today. Etsy is already an established platform that affords you tons of potential buyers. However, your job is to attract these buyers to your shop. With the following marketing tips, you are sure to learn how to get more Etsy sales for your handmade products.
1. Offer exceptional customer service
Customer service ought to be your number 1 priority as a business person. Offering impeccable customer service is crucial to your success on Etsy, and in any business. These are three strategies to boost customer service on Etsy:
Create branding that your customers love
Branding creates a connection between a business and its customers. When you think of the swoosh logo, Nike immediately comes to mind. Consider branding your products and Etsy store. It begins with creating a unique logo, designing professional business cards, and using a unique store theme that matches your store and logo. Advance branding has to do with product packaging that will impress your target customers. This way, you are sure to offer excellent customer service.
Create a return, refund, and shipping policy
Shoppers love to know what protection you offer them if something goes wrong with the order. If you want to get more sales on Etsy, ensure that you create a return, refund, and shipping policy. This way, potential buyers are confident that their shopping experience won’t just end after making payments.
Get reviews
Over 71% of shoppers check other buyers’ reviews when considering a purchase. As a seller on Etsy, you want to rack up as many positive reviews as possible. Do your best to offer:
- high-quality products
- fast response to inquiries
You will discover that your buyers won’t need to be coaxed before leaving a positive review and becoming repeat customers.
2. Add rich keywords to your titles and descriptions
It is essential to use engaging titles and descriptions when listing your products on Etsy. More importantly, you should consider adding rich keywords when listing titles and descriptions. Keywords are a major traffic generator. Keywords are search words or phrases that users input in the search box when searching for a product. Without traffic, you will run out of business in no time. Infusing the right keywords or key phrases will
For example, if you sell Rose flowers, you want to include rich keywords such as “Your brand name + Rose Flower” or “Beautiful Rose Flower” or in some cases, add your location, e.g. “California Rose Flower” and so on. You can use free tools like Google Keyword Planner to research keywords in your niche. Having done this, you will sprinkle these keywords throughout your product titles and description. This is a sure way of driving organic traffic to your Etsy store.
3. Offer multiple payment options
While PayPal is the most popular payment option in eCommerce, considering multiple payment options will be a bonus for your Etsy store. Offering multiple payment options give shoppers the flexibility to make payment, however, pleases them. This can influence a buyer’s decision and, in turn, boost Etsy sales. Etsy now accepts payments in installments to spice things up which means buyers can get a product while paying in parts.
4. Leverage Etsy advertising
Wondering how to get more Etsy sales? Try Etsy advertising. The fantastic thing about Etsy is its millions of active buyers. Etsy can easily be categorized as an independent online marketplace which means that advertising on Etsy will profit more than any other platform. Like Google, Facebook, or Instagram ads, Etsy advertising costs money. However, you will be taking advantage of a system that will increase your sales.
Consider the following when using Etsy advertising:
- Make sure the cost of advertising doesn’t outweigh your profit
- Advertise your best-selling products first because shoppers are more likely to click and buy them
- After which, promote the products that do not get as many sales, i.e. mid-range products
- Cancel any promotion that does not convert as expected
5. Take Attention-grabbing product images
The value of uploading quality photos cannot be overemphasized. Your success on Etsy depends on so many things, including good photos. No matter how beneficial online shopping is, it cannot replace the feel of products in a traditional store. Since potential buyers won’t have the luxury of feeling, inspecting, and testing the product closely, using quality photos should be sufficient. Taking photos in this era is very easy; you don’t need an expensive camera. All you need are:
- Photos that represent your products
- Use natural lights
- Correct colors and add brightness
- Take different angles of your product
- Display products in different settings to show shoppers how they can use the product themselves
- Avoid direct harsh sunlight, rather use light through a thin curtain, light that is reflected off other objects, or lighting in the early morning/late afternoon
NB: You can take photo editing courses to learn the essentials of taking quality photos. Even if you buy an expensive camera, you will still need to learn photo editing before the photos come out perfect.
6. Connect your Etsy shop with your social media accounts
Yes, Etsy accounts for millions of active buyers, but on social media, billions of people are transacting monthly. If you want to know how to get Etsy sales, connecting your Etsy account with your social media accounts is crucial. Social media is a great way to reach out to potential buyers from all over the world. It is a crowded space where you can find people interested in handmade products. Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are popular social media platforms that can boost your Etsy sales. All it takes is to create a FREE account on at least two of these platforms, build up followers, and engage your audience with helpful content before pitching sales to them. When linking your Etsy shop with your social media accounts, there are a few tips to consider:
- Put your Etsy shop handles on your social media profile
- Ensure to engage your visitors with informative and educative posts
- Retain your visitors by creating attractive and important announcements frequently
- Add unique and quality photos of your brand and content while creating a listing on your social media account
Take advantage of social media and use it to drive more traffic to your shop.
7. Take advantage of creative packaging
Product packaging is a great way to entice customers. Along with product packaging durability and quality, customers now worry about packaging. And it gets more serious when we talk about an artistic marketplace such as Etsy. Customers would expect to see much better-created packaging. As an Etsy seller, you should create something unique, something that can flaunt your brand, something your customers will use to recognize your brand. Your product packaging should be so attractive that your customers will be curious to see what’s inside the box.
8. Don’t worry yourself when you get a negative review
Reviews are crucial for any business. It is natural for sellers to get excited when they receive a positive review, but there is no excitement in negative reviews. I know you make every effort to satisfy your customers, but unfortunately, you cannot please every customer. So, when you receive a negative review (which is inevitable), try not to stress much about it. Instead, prove the customer by apologizing for their dissatisfaction with the purchase. You can also guarantee that things will go right for them on their next purchase. This action will indicate to potential buyers that your brand is committed to giving customers the best experience.
9. Create a mailing list to secure long-term customers
Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of marketing that is still effective today. While other forms of marketing focus on driving traffic, email marketing focuses on building a solid relationship with existing customers. The idea is for existing customers to become repeat buyers – always returning for future purchases. Getting more Etsy sales can also be achieved through emails. Via email marketing, you can make your customers aware of the new products you are launching. Your Etsy shop will first pop into their minds when they need an item you sell. While this seems like a fun idea, you have to understand Etsy’s policy. Etsy shuns adding your customers’ emails directly to your mailing list. Instead, create a signup page and link it to your Etsy store. Offer them an incentive in exchange for their emails. This way, you will have their emails based on consent.
Not getting sales on Etsy? Consider the following Etsy email marketing tips:
- Start a good relationship by sending welcome emails
- Be careful not to offer new subscribers a discount or coupon code. They may have a bad feeling about paying FULL price when they could have purchased for less
- Offer something extra for your purchase (e.g. care guide)
- Use emails to ask customers for reviews about their purchases
- You can include a coupon code for the next purchase to encourage repeat purchases.
- Use emails to keep your customers abreast of new products and sales
NB: Email marketing has the highest ROI conversion rates among all the digital forms of marketing. Thus, you can leverage email marketing as an effective tool how to increase sales on Etsy in 2022.
10. List new products that interest new and existing customers
Competition is a common thing when it comes to selling online. Listing fresh new products brings freshness to your store, improving overall sales. As an online retailer, you want to fill your store with more of those products that constantly get sales. Having between 40 and 50 products is good, but you will get more edge when you increase your product list. You are not just increasing your product lists; you are adding products similar to your bestsellers – the type that your customers love. Read your reviews to sort this kind of product. Learn what your customers like about this product and create your new products with similar colors, materials, styles, and variations.
BONUS TIP: Try investing in seasonal products; they are a sure way to reach new customers. Create items for Easter, Halloween, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, etc. Do this and see your Etsy sales and conversion rate increase.
11. Drive revenue using coupon codes
Coupons work like crazy. You can attract potential buyers to your Etsy store by using coupon codes. Ask potential buyers to subscribe to your newsletter or tag your store/share your post on their social profiles to qualify for coupon codes. This less familiar Etsy marketing tip will help you boost Etsy sales in 2022.
12. Create a blog about your business
Having a blog is a long-term strategy for driving external organic traffic. Blogging involves creating a section on your website where articles about your niche are displayed. The idea is to create articles that will rank on social media, e.g. Pinterest, forums, e.g. Quora, or search engines, e.g. Google, Bing, or Yahoo. When people search for items related to what you sell on any search engine, your blog and Etsy shop will appear. Blogging shows that you are an expert in your field.
BONUS TIP: Blogging can take a lot of time, but it pays off eventually. As I said, it is a long-term strategy, so you want to be prepared to put in the work and exercise patience.
13. Think about forums
Along with blogs, forums are an effective way of driving organic traffic. Answering questions on forums like Quora can be helpful to redirect traffic to your Etsy store. The idea is not to promote your products on Quora but to answer questions relating to your niche so that readers can visit your Etsy shop after reading your information.
14. Focus on Etsy SEO to improve Etsy search ranking
Since Etsy boasts millions of active buyers, improving your Etsy shop on its platform makes sense. Etsy SEO works the same way you optimize your listing for the Google search engine. Sellers should take note of the following:
- Product titles and descriptions should include rich keywords, especially long-tail keywords
- Use all 13 tags to maximize the chance of visibility
- Include keywords in your images and upload high-quality images
There are more strategies to optimize your Etsy products and shop, but these few tips can increase your shop’s visibility on Etsy, eventually leading to increased sales.
15. Offer flexible shipping options
Shipping comes in last on our list because it plays a significant role in customer satisfaction. Introducing free shipping is a guaranteed way how to get first sales on Etsy in 2022. Studies have revealed that buyers love free shipping and overpaid shipping, no matter how low. Hence, displaying free shipping on your Etsy store is an effective way to get more sales on Etsy. Before you can adopt the free shipping model to attract buyers, you must first consider several factors.
- Decide your minimum order value that qualifies for free shipping, e.g. shop for three different items to enjoy free shipping.
- Come up with a price tag for your products that qualify for free shipping, e.g. get free shipping for products above $45.
- Offer free shipping during a specific time frame e.g. orders between April 1 and April 19 will get free shipping.
While you are excited to offer free shipping, ensure you should not run at a loss. For instance, if you sell a bracelet for $6 (with your profit intact) and shipping is supposed to be $3, you can decide to sell the product for $10 and offer FREE SHIPPING. Buyers will prefer to opt for $10 with FREE shipping than pay $6 + $3 for the product and shipping fee.
Bonus Tips: Start Dropshipping With The SaleYee Platform
The SaleYee platform is a leading wholesale and retail dropshipping platform. The SaleYee platform has tons of reliable suppliers that offer quality products at affordable prices. Unlike Etsy which deals with homemade goods, the SaleYee platform offers a wide range of products that gives retailers multiple options of what to sell. Like Etsy, the SaleYee platform sells homemade and vintage goods, but at a discounted price. Here are a few things you must know about SaleYee.com:
- Quality products from the best categories – over 30,000 profitable SKUs with high-profit margins
- Completely free to sign up – no listing fee; no monthly subscription fee
- Fast customer support
- Local warehouses in China and the United States for free and fast shipping
- Huge discounts on every product
- Seamless integration with eBay, Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify stores
- Shipping products from local warehouses reduce shipping costs by a large margin
The SaleYee platform has enormous resources to help retailers succeed online.
Conclusion
Etsy is a popular platform where you can sell handmade items and savvy retailers are earning thousands of dollars consistently monthly. You can be among the bestselling retailers on Etsy. It takes implementing this guide on how to get first sales on Etsy. Not getting sales on Etsy? Follow the aforementioned tips.
