How to Get More Sales on Etsy

Andris Mucenieks

Aug 8, 2022

Etsy doesn’t stop growing. In times of booming eCommerce, Etsy is unique for allowing you to create an online store without needing to pay for costly subscriptions or hosting.

With solid planning and knowledge of the best marketing techniques and apps, you can be among the successful Etsy merchants and stand out among the 5.30 million active sellers on the platform.

This article will teach you how to get more sales on Etsy through up-to-date marketing strategies applied to the marketplace.

Establish Your Etsy Store Name and Brand
Improve Etsy Sales by Working on Etsy SEO
Use Enticing Product Images
Try Out Etsy Ads
Boost Etsy Sales With Social Media
Do Market Research and Follow Trends
Create Your Etsy Shop Policy
Explore Third-party Apps for Etsy
Boost Etsy Sales Through Competitive Pricing
Offer Free Shipping for Your Etsy Products
Don’t Forget About Coupon Codes and Sales
Use Etsy Customer Reviews to Boost Your Reputation
Create an Email Marketing Strategy for Etsy
Increase Sales on Etsy by Offering Customized Products
Prioritize Customer Support and Communication

Tips and Tricks on How to Get More Sales on Etsy

First, you’ll learn how to increase sales on Etsy – from creating your brand and optimizing your Etsy SEO to email marketing. We’ll also provide lists of the best apps for increasing sales on the online marketplace and becoming a successful Etsy seller.

1. Establish Your Etsy Store Name and Brand

Your brand is the perception you give your customers – the image you convey, the expectation you create, and the way you capture attention. It communicates who you are, what you care about, and why the customer should care about you and your product.

To define your brand, answer these questions:

What’s your story, and what makes you sell what you sell? Be authentic and memorable.
What's your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? What value do you bring to the customer?
How would you like to be described and remembered?
Who are your potential customers? Who are you targeting? What's your niche?

Be clear, consistent, and focused. Don’t try to be many things to a lot of people. Focus on providing the best value for your target customers.

Everything in your shop must reflect your brand – your Etsy store name, language, tone, description, and visual identity (logo, banners, fonts, colors, and product pictures).

Finally, you must know:

The competition – check other Etsy sellers and position your brand. Answer how you can solve your customer’s problems better than the competitors.
The customer – what do your customers want, and what do they need? What are their problems?

2. Improve Etsy Sales by Working on Etsy SEO

SEO is the tool to drive more traffic from Etsy search results and external search engines.

Even though Etsy is a closed marketplace with its own rules, optimizing SEO and increasing your shop’s visibility is still possible.

Keywords

Keywords are the search terms most used when looking for something on the internet. Search engine optimization starts with keyword research – this step is crucial for boosting Etsy sales.

Look for keywords related to your brand and products, revealing your audience’s interests and needs.

Use free or paid tools to research and monitor trending keywords related to your products and USPs and get insights into your target audience:

General SEO tools

Etsy Search Analytics – accessed in the Marketing section of the Etsy Shop Manager (has information about keyword search sources of traffic).
Google Analytics – free
Google Trends – free
Ahrefs – plans from $99 to $999, paid monthly. Ahrefs also offers a Free Keyword Generator tool.

SEO Tools Integrated with Etsy

eRank – insights on your SEO, analysis of Etsy tags, attributes, and multi-word vs. single-word keywords. eRank also connects directly to Google trends.
Seller-Way – analysis of competitors' shops and sales, monitoring hot trends and bestsellers. Listing design ideas.
Price: freemium. Plans from $8.33 to $19.99 per month (billed annually).
Marmalead – includes search volume, keyword engagement, and specific shopping information such as market-based pricing for similar product listings or how long shipment takes.
Price: the Entrepreneur plan costs $19 per month, $15.84 per month (billed annually).
Sale Samurai – long tail keywords, shop analytics. Real Etsy search volume.
Price: 3-day free trial. Simplified and affordable pricing, $9.99 (monthly plan) or $99.9 (yearly plan).

Don’t miss our additional resources – watch our video 10 Tips for Etsy SEO and get acquainted with our detailed guide on Etsy SEO.

Applying the Right Keywords

Once you’ve thoroughly researched the keywords related to your brand, products, and niche, it’s time to apply the best keywords where they’re appropriate.

That includes the About section in your Etsy account and all the details, like product descriptions, listings, and categories.

Apply keywords wherever possible, but don’t overstuff or make the descriptions unreadable. Use long-tail keywords when possible – keyword phrases that add relevant information.

Take time to write your Etsy store description in the About section, using long-tail keywords that describe your USP.

Optimizing Title, Product Descriptions, and Listings

Avoid generic names, titles, and product descriptions.

Titles – should be short but informative and contain appropriate keywords and relevant information. Place the keywords at the beginning of the titles, as long titles aren’t fully displayed in Etsy and Google search results.
Product Descriptions – highlight essential product features such as material and dimensions. Use long-tail keywords to describe product features when possible.
Tags – provide relevant keywords, preferably long-tail, and characteristics with the 13 tags in the listings. Don’t waste tags translating the terms, as Etsy translates them automatically.

Blogging with Etsy

Blog articles are one of the most effective ways to generate organic traffic and bring your website to the first page of search results.

Etsy doesn’t support a blog, but the platform is integrated with Pattern, which allows sellers to build homepages and a blog for monthly subscriptions of $15.

It’s also possible to create your own blog on WordPress.org or another platform and use it to promote your Etsy shop.

Create quality content regularly. Plan the themes for your posts from keyword research that resonates with your target audience.

Use the blog to answer questions and issues your customers may have. Inform them about your products, but don’t oversell.

With time, a consistent blog will make you an authority, improve your SEO, and drive organic traffic to your Etsy shop.

3. Use Enticing Product Images

The quality of product photos is considered a decisive factor when buying for 90% of Etsy shoppers.

Captivating product pictures are critical for success, as customers can’t touch and feel your Etsy products as in physical stores.

Your photos should be good enough to replace that experience and convince the customer your product is worth buying.

You can display ten pictures per product. Make sure to show the best photos first.

Also, be mindful of sizes, resolution, and formatting. Etsy has specific guidelines for optimizing product photos. Non-optimized images can negatively interfere with Etsy scores and your Etsy SEO.

Check the Etsy guidelines for formatting pictures.

You may also be interested in our tips for taking great product photos for Etsy.

4. Try Out Etsy Ads

Etsy offers on and off-site ads. On-site ads are known simply as Etsy Ads or promoted listings and are paid advertising running only inside the eCommerce platform.

To set up an advertising campaign, go to the Etsy Shop Manager, then:

Etsy Ads places the promoted listings visibly within Etsy search results, with the tag “ads by.”

The two factors influencing the promoted listing are the amount bid and the listing quality.

Setting a high daily budget affects the listing visibility, but non-optimized items will perform poorer even with lots of money spent on internal advertisement.

To use the full potential of Etsy Ads, you should improve the listing quality by refining your SEO. Etsy attributes a quality score to the listing according to the titles, tags, and shop history.

On the other hand, Etsy Off-Site Ads promote listings ranking well in the Etsy quality score outside the marketplace, on platforms like Bing, Google, and social media.

Essentially, you’ll be charged for an off-site ad only in case of successful conversions from the said ad.

The off-site ad fee is 15% for shops with less than $10,000 annual sales and 12% for those above. Cookies track advertised listings for 30 days and charge the same fees in return purchases.

While off-site ads are advantageous to the shop at first as free advertising, the sellers have no say on which products are promoted. The fees may add up when some Etsy listings are heavily advertised outside the marketplace.

In that case, you may consider opting out or even removing the listing. How much does Etsy take per sale in total? You can learn all about it on our blog.

Shops below the $10,000 target can opt out of the program in the Shop Manager Settings section. Click on Off-site Ads and then on Stop Promoting My Products.

Take a look at our detailed guide for Etsy Marketing for more valuable tips.

Social media is everywhere. Use it to promote your Etsy store among your loyal social media followers and increase sales – mostly for free.

Create social accounts for your store beforehand. You can integrate Etsy with Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Social media options can be found in the Marketing section, under the Social Media menu.

The page is straightforward and focused on creating social posts. Access the menu Social Accounts in the right-hand upper corner to connect your social networks.

You can share listings to Social Networks in two ways:

From the Listings Section

From the Marketing Section

Boost Sales with Pinterest

Etsy has a special relationship with Pinterest, as both platforms share an audience of creatives and people interested in vintage, handcrafted, and niche products. Despite the total number of users on Pinterest having diminished in 2021, its advertising audience reach grew by 7.3% – an additional 16 million users by Q1 2022.

You can create a Pinterest Pin directly from an Etsy listing. They stay synchronized to the Etsy store, and the products can be bought from the pins without needing to leave the website.

The pins are organized in boards, essentially thematic groupings that can be used for showcasing product collections from your Etsy shop.

Finally, platform users can add pins from other boards to their own, potentially increasing the reach of products.

Pinterest provides additional analytics on the products and pins.

How to Get More Sales on Etsy with Instagram and Facebook

Instagram and Facebook are the most popular social networks and can be used differently for promoting your Etsy shop.

Take your time to get familiarized with Meta terms and conditions and avoid account restrictions.

Use Instagram for reaching younger audiences and influencers. Focus on image-driven content and cross-promotions with Facebook.
Sharing to Instagram should be done on a smartphone, and it requires the Sell on Etsy app.
Use Facebook to reach broader audiences and older generations with elaborate posts, including pictures and videos.
Create Facebook shops and groups. Your customers can buy directly from Facebook and engage in groups.
After you tweaked your Etsy SEO, got some organic traffic, and collected data, use targeted paid ads both on Instagram and Facebook to increase your reach.

6. Do Market Research and Follow Trends

In short, market research is planning the possibilities of success for products similar to yours.

When doing market research, look for competitors and the best-selling items on Etsy, evaluate how their products compare to yours, and how to distinguish your products and make them better.

To find the most popular Etsy sellers with similar products, use the Etsy search. Type a keyword related to your product and look into the competition reviews and see what the customers like and dislike in products similar to yours.

7. Create Your Etsy Shop Policy

Policies help protect sellers and buyers, putting everyone on the same page. Even small shops, new sellers, or hobbyists without a business license can benefit from defining clear policies.

Also, a clear policy may be that missing factor for your first customers wanting to buy from your Etsy shop.

Do you need a business license to sell on Etsy? Check our blog and understand what applies in which cases.

Not long ago, sellers willing to write their policies needed to write parts of them in detail. Etsy recently made that task easier, automating and standardizing most parts of it.

There is more than one way to define your policies:

After that, Etsy automatically displays what could be covered by your Shop policy:

Postage
Payment options
Returns and exchanges – easily customizable. You can accept or reject returns and exchanges, and Etsy provides fields with the required time for the customers to contact and ship the items back.
Etsy also makes it possible to state which products cannot be returned or exchanged, like digital downloads or intimate items. Etsy defines the buyers as responsible for returning postage costs.
Cancellations are not accepted according to Etsy's automated policies. The option can be switched, although it’s not recommended.

The only actual text you should write is the GDPR-compliant policy required from any shop selling to the EU. For that, Etsy offers a complete template according to EU law in the Seller Handbook, stating what kind of information is collected from the user, why it’s needed, and how it will be used.

8. Explore Third-party Apps for Etsy

Several apps and integrations are available to boost your Etsy shop functionality, expand your reach, schedule and automate repetitive tasks.

You can boost sales and visibility with the help of apps. You can find some of them in the Integrations section, located in the Shop Manager. There are also plenty of external apps that connect to Etsy or can be used similarly.

Outfy – schedule social media posts of Etsy listings according to templates.
Price: first month free. After that, plans from $15-$100 per month.
SynCommerce – allows selling Etsy products on Amazon, eBay, and Shopify.
Price: $40-$200 monthly.
Mockup Editor – offers customized designs for product listings, including 3D elements.
Price: from $5 for a single download to the annual unlimited plan for $69.
ViralWoot – create and schedule viral campaigns on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. Boost Social network traffic and analyze content.
Price: freemium.
Vela – this app allows bulk editing, listing editing, photo library, or photo editor with background remover. Its interface is streamlined and modern. Also, it makes it easier to manage several stores on Etsy and Shopify.
Price: 7-day free trial, plans from $5-$10 monthly.
Seller-tools – Etsy business reports, customer insights, trend analysis, keyword tools. Different packages – Promotion, Marketing, and SEO. Price: freemium. Plans from $9.95-$119.95, billed monthly.
Printify – Printify integrates smoothly with Etsy and provides the largest print on demand network on the market, with a catalog of more than 700 customizable products. Printify takes care of all logistics, including shipment. Price: unlimited products and up to 5 stores for free. The plans, starting from $24.99, increase the number of stores per account and add a 20% discount on all products.

You may still compare Etsy vs eBay or Shopify vs Etsy to get inspiration from other platforms and marketing strategies to implement in your Etsy store.

Make It Happen Today!

Start Designing

9. Boost Etsy Sales Through Competitive Pricing

There are many forms to calculate your final prices. We suggest considering one of these two pricing strategies to apply to your Etsy store:

In both cases, you’ll need to factor in the competition in addition to your costs and value.

When deciding which strategy to follow you should consider your target audience.

If your probable customers are students or younger audiences, you should consider lowering your profit to expand your reach.

However, quality may speak louder than a slightly lower price if you’re selling your products to professionals, financially stable individuals, or families.

In any case, don’t cut on value or quality. Choose what keeps your profit margin acceptable while offering a higher value to your customers.

Get more tips on how to make money on Etsy in our blog.

10. Offer Free Shipping for Your Etsy Products

Etsy holds three options for shipping settings – free shipping guarantees, the smart pricing tool, and shipping profiles.

However, the marketplace actively pushes the sellers to offer free shipping. Potential buyers will be more attracted to a product priced higher with free shipping than the same merchandise sold at a smaller price but with shipping fees.

Products with low shipping rates are ranked higher by the Etsy algorithm. In other words – a free shipping policy will improve your Etsy SEO.

The shipping policy and settings of your Etsy shop, including offering free shipping guarantees, can be set up in the Settings menu, then click on Delivery Settings.

Add the shipping costs to the final product price; otherwise, you’ll suffer losses.

A free shipping guarantee from a minimum order value of $35 applies to the US. Etsy shops outside the US must define shipping profiles according to location and product.

11. Don't Forget About Coupon Codes and Sales

There are many reasons for running special sales, offering a coupon code, or a product for a discounted price, including:

To set up an Etsy sale, discount, or coupon code, go to the Shop Manager. Choose Marketing, then Sales and Discounts.

You can also set up automatic discounts for abandoned carts or favorited items in the same section.

12. Use Etsy Customer Reviews to Boost Your Reputation

User reviews are social proof, they convey trust to the customer and provide more future sales.

User reviews impact Etsy SEO, for good or bad, as they impact the Etsy customer and market experience score. User reviews will interfere with your position on Etsy search rankings.

In addition, user-generated content can develop customer relationships and attract potential clients.

Always answer the reviews, attend to any issues raised, and consistently follow up.

You can also ask for reviews for your loyal customers. Never use bots or automated tools for reviews – that goes without saying. Besides the ethical issue, clients will notice that something is off.

Like pictures, reviews are a significant part of a customer’s contact with the product in an Etsy shop, as they cannot touch and look for the product in real life.

93% of the customers are influenced by reviews, while 92% are prone to purchase when influenced by trusted reviews. On the other hand, four out of five customers give up on some purchases after reading negative reviews.

The majority of customers will engage with shops with at least 3.4 stars.

Finally, negative reviews can cancel companies quickly.

13. Create an Email Marketing Strategy for Etsy

Email campaigns may look old-school but are a highly effective and low-cost way to increase Etsy sales.

These are some of the benefits of email marketing:

Full ownership of the channel – Etsy doesn't collect or manage your email list, and you can keep it independently of platform changes.
Educate loyal and new customers about your products and inform them about updates or posts.
Develop and keep relationships with target customers.
Promote new products and campaigns.
Keep your audience engaged and connected.
Offer unique benefits like coupon codes and discounts to customers already interested in your Etsy shop.
Improve data gathering and understanding of the customer.

What Content to Send to Etsy Shoppers?

Email marketing utilizes transactional, lifecycle, and promotional emails. The platform already sends informative emails about orders and shipping.

Email marketing for Etsy should focus on creating engaging promotional emails.

Optimize and reduce image sizes, as larger pictures can trigger spam filters.
Add explicit alt texts to the pictures, as many browsers and emails don’t display photos immediately.
Keep consistency and regularity – the format and schedule. Email marketing should generate trust and reflect your brand.
Avoid spam trigger words and overused terms like “limited offer!” Use up-to-date checkers (see apps below).

Creating your list

You can acquire emails and subscribers through multiple channels, including social media platforms, external websites and blogs, and even live events such as fairs using paper lists.
Ask for consent to add email addresses to your list, and ask if your customer wants to receive messages. Adding emails without permission is unethical, illegal in some countries, and violates Etsy policies. Unwanted emails will discredit your store and brand and turn customers away.
Offer benefits in exchange for email addresses/subscriptions to your list – tutorials, e-books, coupon codes.
Make it easy to subscribe – use call-to-action buttons in Facebook shops, and add widgets if you have a website.

Apps for Email Marketing

Mailchimp is not integrated with Etsy but can be used in conjunction with your blog site or separately. It is still the best option overall for email marketing.
It allows sending 10,000 monthly emails, with a daily limit of 2,000 emails, for free. The free plan offers several additional features, including free website building in a Mailchimp subdomain, campaigns, automation, and analytics.
Mad Mimi – Mad Mimi is an email marketing tool that integrates with Etsy. Their plans are customizable according to the contact numbers, costing from $10-$1049 monthly.
Blogiestools and Mailmeteor – these free apps check spam trigger words, comparing them to constantly updated lists.

14. Increase Sales on Etsy by Offering Customized Products

Customized products are the best option to reflect your brand and stand out among the competition.

Even if you make your own handmade products, Etsy also allows selling using print on demand, increasing your options and expanding your reach.

If you're unsure of what customizable products you could sell on your Etsy shop, we've prepared various lists to assist you with things to sell on Etsy, 25 best-selling merch on Etsy, and 80 ideas for what to sell on Etsy.
Watch our short video explaining some differences between amateur and professional graphic designs and how to improve your skills in that area.
Sell printables on Etsy to generate passive income.

Finally, remember that POD is one of the best options available to sell handy merchandise with your custom designs.

Partnering with Printify will give you access to a catalog of more than 700 customizable products, from t-shirts and mugs to embroidered hats and custom tote bags.

You can customize the products in our easy-to-use Mockup Generator.

Printify will manage fulfillment, inventory, and shipment. Last but not least, Printify’s 24/7 merchant support is top-tier and will have you covered in the more demanding situations with your customers.

Make It Happen Today!

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15. Prioritize Customer Support and Communication

Loyal customers are essential, as most revenues come from repeat purchases.

Here are some tips to improve your communication with your online customers and develop relationships:

Create a great customer experience in your shop by providing good product pictures, and detailed and accurate product descriptions.
Always be polite and respectful, regardless of how the customer behaves.
Communicate clearly and be concise. Always get to the point.
Set up saved replies for the most common questions. Go to the Shop Manager, Messages, and click on Saved replies below the message text box.
Be responsive. If you cannot answer quickly, set up auto-replies acknowledging that you received their messages, and you’ll get back to the customer as soon as possible. That can be done in the Messages section of the Shopping Manager, in the Auto-reply menu in the right-hand upper corner. Click on Add new to create new saved replies.
Be proactive in building relationships with your customer base.
Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Always be honest, even if it’s not the answer the customer would like to receive.
Apologize if necessary.
Add a “Thank you” message to buyers in the receipt pages and emails received after purchase. That can be done in Shopping manager, Settings, Info & Appearance. Then scroll down to Message to Buyers.

Conclusion

Etsy is a great online shopping platform, and the competition is tough. Is selling on Etsy worth it? Definitely – it’s possible to increase sales on Etsy by applying the right techniques, apps, and resources.

In addition, using POD with Printify in your Etsy store will guarantee diversity, quality, and customization for your products, attracting a stream of online shoppers.

In this article, you learned how to get more sales on Etsy. Use these tips and tricks and take your Etsy store to the next level. Always check our resources on how to sell on Etsy, and remember to count on Printify to assist you with your eCommerce journey.

Make It Happen Today!

Start Selling

Written by

Andris Mucenieks

Andris is a writer and scholar with 10+ years of experience inside and outside academia. Devoted to his family and a convicted introvert, Andris left teaching to focus on what matters. He loves creating things, playing musical instruments, and walking around forests.

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2 comments

Yusuf

August 9

Great post thanks for share this amazing and informative post

Reply

Florence Kingsley

August 10

Hi there!
Happy to hear you enjoyed this article.

Reply

How to Get More Sales on Etsy

In this Article

Tips and Tricks on How to Get More Sales on Etsy

1. Establish Your Etsy Store Name and Brand