If you’re looking for ideas on how to improve your Etsy sales then you’re in the right place. I’ve had several Etsy stores now, and I’ve grown them all to a size that has provided the kind of income that I needed at the time.
There are some simple steps that you can follow to make sure that you’re really focused on your Etsy store. Etsy isn’t Amazon or eBay. Customers don’t expect the kind of “big business” approach that they see there. They shop on Etsy because they’re looking for something unique, artisan, and from a small business. If you fulfil and exceed their expectations, they’ll be telling their friends about you and coming back for more!
1. Never stop improving your shop
There’s always something you can work on in order to increase etsy sales, but it doesn’t have to be huge, dramatic actions all the time. Even something simple like using crosslisting apps, automating certain processes, and using certain tools can go a long way in helping your sales. Set aside just fifteen minutes a day to work on your store. I like to grab a coffee in the morning and make it my first task.
But what do you work on in those fifteen minutes? It could be a whole number of things. You might grab your camera and update a listings photographs, or work on your titles for a couple of listings. If your shop is looking pretty shipshape you could spend a bit of time doing some sketches for a new product or researching a wholesaler.
The point is that you need to spend time each day improving your shop and what you can offer customers. If you never set aside time to improve and you just fulfill orders, then your shop will not grow over time. When you’re trying to expand your roster of products, consider testing them out first. Filling up your shop with products no one wants to buy could also tank your business. Thus, it makes business sense to do a Product Concept Test for any new products you wish to introduce to your shop, so that you are able to ensure steady growth for your business.
2. Reach out on social media
Don’t rely on Etsy to bring all your sales. I see it time and time again on various websites that someones Etsy sales are down but it often transpires that they’re not driving any traffic to their shop from social media. You can’t rely on Etsy to provide you with all your customers, you must be doing something more. And the good thing about social media is that it doesn’t have to cost you a penny.
Focus on just a couple of social media platforms where you think your target customers will hang out. I love Instagram and Facebook because they’re both really visual platforms that encourage interaction from customers. Other people have great success on Pinterest.
My best tip for social media would be to have great images. When you’re shooting product photos always a grab a couple of extra for social media that might not work as well for Etsy. Try and style your products on a person or in the environment that they’d be used in, these kinds of images really draw people in.
3. Be a boutique
Like I said above – Etsy isn’t like Amazon or eBay. It’s a boutique shopping experience rather than a chain store. Etsy is made up of thousands of sellers who are all really good at something niche. Don’t be afraid of your niche – instead, you should exploit it!
Make sure all the items in your Etsy store relate to each other in some way. If you’re wondering how to improve your Etsy sales but feel like your SEO, photos, and customer service is on point, then perhaps you need to add a new product line that fits alongside your existing products. But think boutique: imagine owning a smart retail boutique, and think about if you could see the products that you sell now sitting together on the shelves of your store! If you couldn’t, then perhaps the products aren’t right.
All new product lines should add value for your customer and should work with what you already sell. If you can’t imagine your customer putting two different products you sell in the same basket, then perhaps they’re not the right set of products for your Etsy store.
4. Make your branding and photos consistent
I’m not saying that all your photos have to look identical (remember you’re a boutique, not a chain store) but your store should feel coherent overall. Many sellers think that pure white backgrounds are the way to go, but unless they’re lit and photographed well, striving for a white background can hinder rather than help you.
Think about your branding and who it’s trying to appeal to, and then make your photos reflect that. I love to use cute styling props in my images, the kind of things that I could imagine my target market buying and using alongside the items that I sell.
In the past, I’ve also used complementary products from friends shops to style my images, and then linked to their Etsy shops from the listing. It never helps to share around a bit of love, and actually it adds value to the customer as they might have been looking for the exact accessory that you used in the image!
5. Provide excellent customer service
You don’t have to hand-deliver every product or give your customer a call to check their order arrived. But it doesn’t take much to go the extra mile and create a customer experience that will bring people back to your shop and get them telling their friends about you.
It could be as simple as a handwritten thank you. I had some beautiful business cards made up for my Etsy store with plenty of white space on them. Before I add one to my package I just write a little thank you on it. It takes me thirty seconds and is well worth it to remind people that you’re an individual rather than a huge corporate entity.
I also like to provide customers with a small printed note in their package reminding them that I have a mailing list that they can subscribe to (which gives them a discount). My mailing list serves as a way to connect with my customers and remind them that I’m a small independent business. Honestly, I think that every business, be it small or large, should take advantage of mailing lists and include them in their marketing strategy because it can help entrepreneurs learn about the purchase pattern of their customers and allow them to create curated shopping experiences for the clients in the future. It also provides them with extra customer service – suggesting ideas for things in my product line that they might want to buy (interested individuals can learn more about this by going through this post at https://www.ballantine.com/3-reasons-why-a-customer-mailing-list-is-important/).
Business owners should keep in mind that their clients are the most important aspect of their business. It is a deciding factor that will help the brand to be popular and successful not only in the home country but across the globe. Hence, it is their responsibility to make the customers happy with the great products and services.
Anyway, those are my top tips for how to improve your Etsy sales. What do you think? Are you going to put any of them into action?
What’s important is that you grow your business to the size that suits you. My Etsy business is quite small, but provides a consistent part-time income that compliments my PhD studies!
