Every handmade, vintage, or digital seller faces slowdowns at some point. Whether it’s seasonal shifts, changing buyer habits, or broader economic trends, slumps happen. The good news? You’re not powerless. Slow periods are an opportunity to fine-tune your shop, sharpen your strategies, and position yourself for a stronger comeback.
Here’s what to focus on when your online sales take a dip.
NOTE: Some of the reference articles focus on Etsy, but the practices shared can be applied to any online shop. We recommend reviewing all of them to find ideas that fit your business.
Optimize Your Listings
If traffic is slowing, now is the time to take a hard look at your listing optimization. Visibility often starts with your keywords—and if your titles, tags, and descriptions aren’t targeting high-performing phrases, you could be missing out on potential buyers.
Use tools like eRank’s Keyword Tool and Listing Audit to:
- Identify underperforming keywords
- Spot opportunities for stronger tags and titles
- Align your listings with current shopper search behavior
Even small keyword updates can gradually boost your visibility and get you back into more search results.
Some eRank articles to check out for more info on keywords are Find Low Competition Keywords with eRank, The Importance of Superstar Keywords, and Etsy SEO: Your Visibility Scores.
Boost Your Conversion Rate
Traffic alone won’t fix low sales if visitors aren’t converting into buyers. Take a critical look at your listings and shop policies. Ask yourself: Are my photos crisp, clear, and enticing? Do my descriptions create urgency or a strong emotional connection? Is the checkout process easy and trustworthy?
A few areas to focus on:
- Refresh your product photography to better capture attention
- Add strong calls-to-action in your descriptions (“Order today to ship by this holiday!”)
- Update your FAQ and policies to make purchasing easier and lower buyer hesitation
- Review your shop’s traffic stats to see where visitors are coming from and focus your efforts on the sources that bring the most engagement
Sometimes, the problem isn’t getting traffic—it’s converting visitors into buyers. Use eRank’s Traffic Stats alongside Google Analytics to spot where you’re losing momentum and focus your improvements.
For additional help in this area, check out Mastering Your Etsy Shop Growth with eRank’s Traffic Stats, Boost Your Clicks with Standout Thumbnails, and What to Fill Out in Your Etsy Shop.
Review Pricing & Shipping
Pricing and shipping can make or break a buyer’s decision, especially when budgets tighten. If sales are down, it’s smart to reevaluate how your prices and shipping compare to similar listings. eRank’s Profit Calculator is a great tool for looking at your own pricing, and the Competitor Sales tool provides a way to easily take a peek at your competitors’ pricing.
Consider:
- Adjusting pricing to reflect current market expectations
- Offering free shipping on select items to increase appeal
- Highlighting clear shipping timelines, especially during peak seasons
- Create bundles or gift baskets to encourage additional purchases
Small strategic changes can make your listings more competitive without undercutting your value. Check out How to Calculate Your Etsy Shop’s Profit Margin, as well as Create Gift Baskets for Easy Gifting.
Run Promotions & Sales
When done right, a short-term sale can be a powerful tool to jolt traffic and attract fence-sitting buyers. eRank’s Trend Buzz tool can even help you time promotions around high-traffic periods and upcoming holidays.
Ideas to spark engagement:
- Run a limited-time percentage-off sale on bestsellers
- Offer a “Buy One, Get One 50% Off” deal on complementary items
- Create coupon codes for email subscribers or repeat customers
Promotions not only drive immediate sales. They also encourage more favorites, reviews, and return visits. If you need help to set up promotions for your Etsy shop, check out How to Set Up Sales and Discounts for Your Shop from the Etsy Help Center.
Compare Listings Side-by-Side
When sales stall, it helps to step outside your own shop and evaluate objectively. Use eRank’s Compare Listings feature to put your listings next to your competitors’ and look closely at pricing and keyword tags. For even more details on a listing, click the Listing Audit button. You’ll get a quick view of the full title, description, photos, and more—making it easy to spot differences between their listing and yours.
Identify questions like:
- Are my thumbnails as attention-grabbing?
- Are my tags as relevant and specific?
- Is my pricing competitive for similar products?
Spotting these differences gives you clear, actionable steps to strengthen your listings. Want more tips for effective comparison research? Check out Mastering Competition Analysis on Etsy on the eRank blog.
Monitor Competitor Trends
Before assuming your slowdown is only your shop’s issue, take a broader look. Use eRank’s Competitor Sales to monitor how shops in your niche are performing.
If competitors are also seeing a slowdown, it could be an industry-wide seasonal pattern or a broader economic shift. If only your shop is struggling, it’s a stronger signal that listing improvements, product variety, or marketing could help.
You can also use eRank’s Compare Sites tool to check overall traffic trends for major selling platforms. View incoming traffic for the past 90 days and see if your platform’s traffic is declining to help you decide whether it’s time to expand to another platform that’s gaining momentum.
Consider Economic Factors
Sometimes, forces beyond Etsy impact your sales. Broader economic factors—like inflation, supply chain disruptions, changing global policies, or changes in consumer confidence—can lead to temporary slowdowns across many industries.
When that happens, focus on what’s still within your control:
- Promote evergreen, lower-ticket gift items
- Offer digital downloads or printables as budget-friendly alternatives
- Communicate value, quality, and long-lasting benefits in your marketing
Understanding the bigger picture can help you stay steady during turbulent times.
Utilize Data & Analytics
Your shop’s metrics aren’t just numbers—they’re clues. Regularly reviewing your traffic stats, listing Performance, and keyword rankings with eRank shows you where momentum is slowing or picking up.
Look for patterns such as:
- Are views dropping across the board or only on certain listings?
- Are favorites still happening, even if purchases aren’t?
- Which keywords are declining—and which are gaining?
The more you track your data, the quicker you can pivot and adapt your strategies before bigger problems take root.
The Bottom Line: Keep Moving Forward
Sales slumps are frustrating, but they’re temporary if you stay proactive. Use this time to optimize your listings, refresh your photos and descriptions, rethink your pricing and promotions, and dive into your shop’s data alongside broader market trends to understand and discover ways to increase traffic to your online shop. Slow seasons are perfect for running A/B tests, identifying underperforming listings, and giving your shop a much-needed cleaning so that you’re ready when traffic picks up again.
With eRank’s tools—and a mindset focused on tweaking, testing, and improving—you’ll not only ride out the slow periods but come back stronger, smarter, and better prepared to catch your next big wave of success. Remember that your mindset is everything!
