5 Steps to a Successful ETSY Shop
Not every shop that opens in ETSY has the grit to stay and be successful on ETSY. And boy, don’t all we sellers know it! There are so many failings in small businesses, especially with some mistakes that we ETSY sellers can make (link to mistake blog) but fortunately, there are some tricks-to-the-trade that can aid you in getting your shop at the top of the results.
Here we’re going to go through 5 steps to ensure your ETSY shop is successful, let’s go!
1. High Quality Images
Images are the very first thing that any prospective buyer sees so you need to make sure your images are attractive to the buyer. Below is a prime example! You don’t need to have the best camera, the best props or even the best lighting – but it is so important to at least have the main product you are selling shown as the star of the show. When adding images it is essential to think like a customer (link to blog post) and look at your images as though you were debating buying. What is missing? Are there enough images? Are the props too loud? Is it clear what you are selling?
2. Using Already-Successful Auto-Populating Tags
There’s a little not-very-talked-about secret in the world of ETSY sellers and it’s the ability to use auto-populating tags. What are they? To put it simply, they are phrases that automatically appear once you begin typing within ETSY’s search bar. See the image below for an example.
So, when you’re looking for tags you want to make sure that the tags you are using are the ones that already appear in the search bar – these are phrases that prospective buyers have typed into the search already. There is very little point in adding an unknown keyword/key-phrase, as it is unlikely to gain as much momentum as those already in use.
3. Having a Secure Successful Niche
The brilliance of ETSY is that your shop is your shop. You get to choose what you add, what you remove and what you’re charging in the process. However, it is essential again to think like a buyer! Finding your niche is super important, not only for your own benefit but for buyers too. Think of a niche like the product basis for big companies, for example, Mac have cosmetics and Nike have sports clothing. Obviously, I’m not suggesting we try to compete with these types of businesses but it can help you to get a rough idea of how these companies are ‘niching' down their products and, most importantly, stay in their lane for recognition.
Read more about ETSY’s ideas on how to find your seller niche here.
4. Being Punctual
Being punctual is more than just replying to messages whenever they arrive in your inbox. In fact, they continue right through until the buyer has received their item from you. We’ve all been in a position where we buy something online and the moment we’ve clicked ‘add to cart’ and ‘complete order’ we’re instantly on clock watch.
Maybe it’ll be here tomorrow…or Tuesday… Wednesday at a push! And we wait. And wait. Then wait some more. And it's 7 days later and there is no sign of it. Don’t be that shop! Huge companies can delay orders for a number of reasons, but they can afford to take the hit if one person stops buying from them. We, the small business owners, can’t! If your policies state that you’ll dispatch the order in 1, 2, 4, 15 days… then make sure that it does. Buyers are not only more likely to leave a positive review if they receive their order in time, or earlier, but they may also become return customers!
5. Clear Policies
Policies and their meanings can vary from country to country, and they can differ depending on what you’re selling. For example, earrings may not be returnable due to reasons of hygiene and safety. Not only should you ensure that your policies are clear but it is essential that you state your ground on a number of things, these include:
- your processing times
- delivery times
- any custom/import taxes that may be applied if items are leaving the country in which you live.
Check out this article on how to set up your policies by Etsy themselves.
So there you have it, our top 5 steps to a successful Etsy shop! These are small, simple steps that can have a huge impact on your small business' growth. Do you have any other tips I've not mentioned? Let us know in the comments or by getting in touch via our social media!
