Moving my Etsy shop
June 17, 2017 7:01 AM Subscribe
I've had an Etsy shop (link in profile) for over a year. Despite a lot of hard work promoting it, my views/sales are suspiciously low. I've been reading about Etsy's algorithms and certain policies they have that are seller-unfriendly. Now I'm thinking about moving my shop, but I don't know if I should, and what new platform would be the best. More inside.
In my shop, I sell visual art (paintings of various media), hand-painted glassware, handmade jewelry, and a few other things. I've been very diligent about tagging all my entries so items can be found. I promote on the shop's FB page, on Twitter, on Tumblr, and on Pinterest. I tried both Facebook ads and Pinterest ads. They were very expensive and yielded a lot of views but no paying customers. I have also been promoting within Etsy, but I got frustrated that I was losing a lot of money every month on my shop because of those costs.
I've been learning from reading and talking to people how problematic Etsy's search algorithms are. Also, they openly admit that they prioritize shops with tons of items and tons of items sold in search results. So even if my work is more relevant, I rank lower than those shop owners. I feel pretty sure they they have other techniques which result in smaller, newer sellers not getting adequate promotion/positioning within the site. Currently, I sell maybe one item a month, and I want to do better.
So now I'm on the hunt for a different platform, but I don't know a lot about the differences between them. My art is very moderately priced, so I don't have much interest in something like Saatchi. I'm leaning towards Shopify with a plug-in (or whatever you call it) to my shop's FB page so folks can shop straight from there. But I honestly don't know which platform is likely to bring me more paying customers or even more traffic. Etsy is by far the largest marketplace, but it's not working for me.
I appreciate any suggestions on this. Thanks!
In my shop, I sell visual art (paintings of various media), hand-painted glassware, handmade jewelry, and a few other things. I've been very diligent about tagging all my entries so items can be found. I promote on the shop's FB page, on Twitter, on Tumblr, and on Pinterest. I tried both Facebook ads and Pinterest ads. They were very expensive and yielded a lot of views but no paying customers. I have also been promoting within Etsy, but I got frustrated that I was losing a lot of money every month on my shop because of those costs.
I've been learning from reading and talking to people how problematic Etsy's search algorithms are. Also, they openly admit that they prioritize shops with tons of items and tons of items sold in search results. So even if my work is more relevant, I rank lower than those shop owners. I feel pretty sure they they have other techniques which result in smaller, newer sellers not getting adequate promotion/positioning within the site. Currently, I sell maybe one item a month, and I want to do better.
So now I'm on the hunt for a different platform, but I don't know a lot about the differences between them. My art is very moderately priced, so I don't have much interest in something like Saatchi. I'm leaning towards Shopify with a plug-in (or whatever you call it) to my shop's FB page so folks can shop straight from there. But I honestly don't know which platform is likely to bring me more paying customers or even more traffic. Etsy is by far the largest marketplace, but it's not working for me.
I appreciate any suggestions on this. Thanks!
Best answer: Some more random thoughts below, but the key thing I want to get over is hypothesis, test, conclusion, iterate.
I tried both Facebook ads and Pinterest ads. They were very expensive
Ok, first, shorten your test loops - run two or three ads, don't spend more than $30, and see which one provides a better response rate. Only plough additional money into ads that have already proven to have a decent RoI in pilot runs.
By the way, do you browse with an adblocker? Yeah, so does everyone else. I'm not sure who's clicking on ads any more, which is why I'd probably concentrate on organic and social media traffic.
and yielded a lot of views but no paying customers.
Ah. So the ads work, but potential customers are bailing when they see the goods.
What's wrong with the goods? Poor photography, too expensive, poor marketing copy, doesn't fulfill the expectations you set up with the ad? Again, experiment and iterate. I know you can do split testing on Shopify, I don't know about Etsy.
Are you directing paid traffic to your storefront, a browse page, or an individual item page?
Is your photography so good that people are going to want to pin your stuff on pintrest?
Once on Etsy, is it easy to jump from your store to someone else's? (Are you paying to get a customer on to Etsy's site, only for them to direct that customer somewhere more tempting?)
I've just looked at your store, and I'm kinda thinking "too much stuff, too unfocused, doesn't meet a need". Are your ads essentially "come buy pretty things", and then you're dropping them on your storefront? Try something more specific like "unique candles for mother's day", and drop them on the candles page. Start with the customer's need ("I need wedding stationery") and curate a store that meets that need, rather than piling a load of things in one place and hoping they find something they want.
Although oddly enough I've tried hand-poured candles myself, and couldn't make it work - I couldn't compete with the mass-produced cold-pressed stuff, which looks just as good if you don't know what you're looking for, and certainly burns just as well. Looks like you're using rubber moulds?
Would a more focused store (lets say, OOAK marbled endpapers for bookbinders) be both easier to market (narrower niche), and more sticky once you get people there?
Love the alcohol ink paintings, BTW. And the photography there is great. What would happen if you sold cheaper Giclée prints of these, instead of the originals?
Can you teach people to make those paintings? Would you become an authority if you did? Would people pay for your paintings if you were an authority? How can we test that without investing a lot of effort and money?
Are there people who buy art regularly who you can reach out to?
How can you make people stay longer? How can you measure how long they stay? Do you publish a steady trickle of content (did I say I love these paintings?) on to social media? Do you have a call-to-action about following you on social media? Do you offer exclusives to followers?
Like I said, random thoughts. Figure out a way to test for success before you try to implement anything I suggest - I have a terrible track record in this area :)
posted by Leon at 10:49 AM on June 17, 2017 [21 favorites]
I tried both Facebook ads and Pinterest ads. They were very expensive
Ok, first, shorten your test loops - run two or three ads, don't spend more than $30, and see which one provides a better response rate. Only plough additional money into ads that have already proven to have a decent RoI in pilot runs.
By the way, do you browse with an adblocker? Yeah, so does everyone else. I'm not sure who's clicking on ads any more, which is why I'd probably concentrate on organic and social media traffic.
and yielded a lot of views but no paying customers.
Ah. So the ads work, but potential customers are bailing when they see the goods.
What's wrong with the goods? Poor photography, too expensive, poor marketing copy, doesn't fulfill the expectations you set up with the ad? Again, experiment and iterate. I know you can do split testing on Shopify, I don't know about Etsy.
Are you directing paid traffic to your storefront, a browse page, or an individual item page?
Is your photography so good that people are going to want to pin your stuff on pintrest?
Once on Etsy, is it easy to jump from your store to someone else's? (Are you paying to get a customer on to Etsy's site, only for them to direct that customer somewhere more tempting?)
I've just looked at your store, and I'm kinda thinking "too much stuff, too unfocused, doesn't meet a need". Are your ads essentially "come buy pretty things", and then you're dropping them on your storefront? Try something more specific like "unique candles for mother's day", and drop them on the candles page. Start with the customer's need ("I need wedding stationery") and curate a store that meets that need, rather than piling a load of things in one place and hoping they find something they want.
Although oddly enough I've tried hand-poured candles myself, and couldn't make it work - I couldn't compete with the mass-produced cold-pressed stuff, which looks just as good if you don't know what you're looking for, and certainly burns just as well. Looks like you're using rubber moulds?
Would a more focused store (lets say, OOAK marbled endpapers for bookbinders) be both easier to market (narrower niche), and more sticky once you get people there?
Love the alcohol ink paintings, BTW. And the photography there is great. What would happen if you sold cheaper Giclée prints of these, instead of the originals?
Can you teach people to make those paintings? Would you become an authority if you did? Would people pay for your paintings if you were an authority? How can we test that without investing a lot of effort and money?
Are there people who buy art regularly who you can reach out to?
How can you make people stay longer? How can you measure how long they stay? Do you publish a steady trickle of content (did I say I love these paintings?) on to social media? Do you have a call-to-action about following you on social media? Do you offer exclusives to followers?
Like I said, random thoughts. Figure out a way to test for success before you try to implement anything I suggest - I have a terrible track record in this area :)
posted by Leon at 10:49 AM on June 17, 2017 [21 favorites]
Why not just do both?
posted by srboisvert at 11:12 AM on June 17, 2017
posted by srboisvert at 11:12 AM on June 17, 2017
Part of the issue is that your shop is all over the place. Most people who do distinctly different product lines on Etsy do so in different shops.
I could imagine your painted glassware, painted candles and painted ornaments in the same shop, but your jewelry is a complete head-tilt, what is this doing here, kind of reaction based on viewing the other items. The paintings are a bit out of step, as well. The alcohol ink ones match your painted objects in style and overall effect, but the other ones don't, so they make the whole presentation seem less cohesive.
Not saying you won't find more success on a separate platform, but I feel like if you move to another platform where you're still selling a mess of different things that seem fairly unrelated, it still won't create an impression of you as an artist / creator that's compelling to buyers.
It seems counterintuitive -- if Etsy favours shops with more items or fewer, then why would you want to split things up? -- but you have to create an experience that's attractive to a buyer as well as an algorithm.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:14 AM on June 17, 2017 [4 favorites]
I could imagine your painted glassware, painted candles and painted ornaments in the same shop, but your jewelry is a complete head-tilt, what is this doing here, kind of reaction based on viewing the other items. The paintings are a bit out of step, as well. The alcohol ink ones match your painted objects in style and overall effect, but the other ones don't, so they make the whole presentation seem less cohesive.
Not saying you won't find more success on a separate platform, but I feel like if you move to another platform where you're still selling a mess of different things that seem fairly unrelated, it still won't create an impression of you as an artist / creator that's compelling to buyers.
It seems counterintuitive -- if Etsy favours shops with more items or fewer, then why would you want to split things up? -- but you have to create an experience that's attractive to a buyer as well as an algorithm.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:14 AM on June 17, 2017 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: I really appreciate the feedback on my shop. I'll definitely spend some time thinking how it can be more focused.
In meantime, my question here is about online platforms, not general shop feedback. I don't have a lot of the kinds of information I'm seeking, so that is why I asked about platforms, hoping for answers about platforms. I hope that we can keep the focus there. Feel free to message me if you have comments about any other aspect of this.
Thank you.
posted by mermaidcafe at 12:06 PM on June 17, 2017
In meantime, my question here is about online platforms, not general shop feedback. I don't have a lot of the kinds of information I'm seeking, so that is why I asked about platforms, hoping for answers about platforms. I hope that we can keep the focus there. Feel free to message me if you have comments about any other aspect of this.
Thank you.
posted by mermaidcafe at 12:06 PM on June 17, 2017
It sounds like you have unrealistic expectations for what your online store host can do for you. Think of your online store as more like a landlord than an agent - they may have responsibility for maintaining some signage and making sure people can find your shop, but they are not going to drive clients to you.
Etsy sellers I know who regularly sell from their shops have built up a clientele through doing in-person craft markets, consigning at local stores, and/or from being involved in crafty communities more generally - they post tutorials, they are part of local organizations for their media, they may teach classes in their techniques or write articles. SEO and online ads aren't a major part of their plan. So, think more broadly about what a platform to sell your work looks like.
Another option that will help with showing up in searches and finding communities to market to is to go niche - a friend who buys from etsy regularly goes there searching for art related to the not-common sport she's involved in. I purchased from etsy a while ago searching for a t-rex baby toy for friends who had t-rex-themed wedding invitations. Since your work appears to be mostly abstract, this might take some thinking.
posted by momus_window at 1:13 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Etsy sellers I know who regularly sell from their shops have built up a clientele through doing in-person craft markets, consigning at local stores, and/or from being involved in crafty communities more generally - they post tutorials, they are part of local organizations for their media, they may teach classes in their techniques or write articles. SEO and online ads aren't a major part of their plan. So, think more broadly about what a platform to sell your work looks like.
Another option that will help with showing up in searches and finding communities to market to is to go niche - a friend who buys from etsy regularly goes there searching for art related to the not-common sport she's involved in. I purchased from etsy a while ago searching for a t-rex baby toy for friends who had t-rex-themed wedding invitations. Since your work appears to be mostly abstract, this might take some thinking.
posted by momus_window at 1:13 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
People are giving you feedback on your shop because there's very little the platform can do for you. You're already on the largest marketplace for handmade goods, as you say. Something like Shopify doesn't even have a built-in audience. It's simply a way for you to put up a website, and from there on everything is up to you and you alone. No search algorithm, no frontpage listing, just you and your website.
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the differences between Shopify and Etsy.
I don't know what other platforms you're considering, but none of them will have the critical mass that Etsy has. But as the article points out, that can work for you or against you. The rest is really up to your own marketing efforts, which other posters above have already outlined.
posted by satoshi at 4:20 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the differences between Shopify and Etsy.
I don't know what other platforms you're considering, but none of them will have the critical mass that Etsy has. But as the article points out, that can work for you or against you. The rest is really up to your own marketing efforts, which other posters above have already outlined.
posted by satoshi at 4:20 PM on June 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Have you tried selling your stuff at an art show or craft fair? Maybe that could help you gauge which pieces generate the most interest/sales and help you narrow your focus. You can also get feedback directly from customers about preferences and pricing. Good luck!
posted by defreckled at 6:11 PM on June 17, 2017
posted by defreckled at 6:11 PM on June 17, 2017
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(But my gut feeling is that you'll get more bang for your buck out of better off-site marketing than out of moving the shop.)
posted by Leon at 7:11 AM on June 17, 2017 [11 favorites]