Whenever I learn something new about running my Etsy shop, I like to write it down and share it with other small business owners so that they can learn from them as well! Here are 7 simple ways to improve your Etsy shop, be sure to comment with your own point of view of new ways to improve…I would love to hear all about it!
1. Purchase a domain name.
This came along as one of those “duh” moments to me. I just did this…and I can’t tell you why I waited over two years to make this transition. And you want to know what made me do it? A flub on my business cards! I had business cards made around 8 months ago and the url on it was shopalwaysrooney.com and I JUST found my mistake last week. How embarrassing, right? Yeah I couldn’t believe my mistake. So I immediately went over to GoDaddy and bought the domain for $10 which is MUCH cheaper than buying all new business cards. I guess you could say this was a happy mistake since it is a much easier URL to give out than shopalwaysrooney.etsy.com (try saying it outloud…it is hard for people to grasp and remember).
So with all of that said, having a domain name makes your shop appear much more professional and is way easier to promote. It is a small investment and has a big pay-off in the end. Do it now! It is easy- use a domain site like GoDaddy (you only need the domain, not hosting!) and after you purchase your domain go to “My Domains” and click “Manage DNS” then “Forwarding” and type in your Etsy domain where you want your new domain to point to. So simple and takes about 10 minutes!
2. Look at your favorite shops & compare yours.
If you are stuck in a rut, go over to your favorite Etsy shops or some of the shops that are on the Etsy blog and compare. Notice the details like having sections on the left hand side for easy navigation. Is your shop banner too cluttered or not in line with your overall brand? Do they post shop updates? Take note of how they do it. Look at their about page and photos, what stands out? Do your photos stand out like that? Ask yourself these simple questions: What stands out to me on their shop page? Does anything stand out to me on my shop page? How can I change that?
I’m in no way saying mimic another shop or do everything like someone else. Please don’t! My point is to get you to notice things you may be overlooking. The changes you need to make are most likely small but overall beneficial to your shop.
3. Add more products.
This is something I am personally working on and really takes time. I am trying to branch out to new product lines, leather colors and bags. This all takes an investment so my strategy is to add what I can now, little by little. I added luggage tags back to my shop this past month and its already improved my shop in a big way!
The more products you have in your shop, the more trust you can gain from a buyer. Having only a few listings can make your shop feel stale and neglected. To add products without having 10 different items, add a lot of variances to your items and make them separate listings.
4. Get critical feedback.
This is one I don’t really love but I know is necessary. Once a month or so, send your shop to a trusted friend or fellow shop owner and ask for feedback! Family is the most honest, so try sending it to them too. Evaluate your reviews and even reach out to a customer and ask for further review! Critical feedback makes room for you to grow your shop, not hurt it.
5. Get personal.
A simple, low overhead way to improve your Etsy shop is to offer personalized items. This is a HUGE selling point on Etsy. People come to get unique gifts and products and when you offer personalized products it makes your products more unique.
6. Take note of common requests.
I have a few requests I get a lot through my shop that I am working to implement right now and make available to everyone. If I get a request more than once, than I can clearly see that maybe that product or variance would do really well. It is really cool how customers can push you to create things you would have never thought of on your own.
7. Let people see the real maker behind the product.
I don’t know about you but when I find a shop or small business I like, I look to follow the real person behind the brand or product, not the product itself. For example, I love to follow Caitlin Crosby of The Giving Keys. She is so inspiring and posts real life stuff which ultimately pushed me (well…my husband) to buy a giving keys necklace for Christmas! Allowing people to see who is behind the product allows relationships to be built, trust to be formed and people to support you even more because they don’t just see a bag as an accessory but they have a connection to the person who created the bag.
I am really working towards this as I tend to be a more private person, but I really want to create relationships with people and help them instead of just sell them something.
I hope you try out some of these techniques and see growth from your shop because of it. I’m in a season of trying new things in my shop so I would love to hear your Etsy insights as well.
Looking for more Etsy help? Here are sometips on starting your shop, 15 lessons I learned from my shop in 2015, How to gain more traffic, Some personal insights on running an Etsy shop
*All photos by Rachel Andersen
