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Are your Etsy sales slow these days? If so, no need to panic! Between Easter and “Back to School,” most retailers experience a decline in traffic as people log off their computers and head outdoors.
Rest assured, there are still plenty of potential customers out there shopping. In fact, according to Etsy’s Mid-Year Report, from January through March the platform welcomed 7 million new buyers. And fortunately, there is a lot you can do to boost your sales and actually profit from this off-season.
Revise your SEO
Since less of your time is occupied fulfilling orders, this is a great opportunity to review your titles, tags, and descriptions. If you have not done this within the past few months, chances are good that you will find some terms to revise or replace. Use eRank’s Keyword Explorer to see what buyers are currently searching for on Etsy. You can also utilize this tool to check on your existing keywords and the degree of competition they have now in search results.
If any need to be replaced, scroll down the page to the Related Searches table to discover other keywords that might perform better for you. For example, here we can see that Etsy competition is high for the term “car accessories.” Try “car accessories for women” or “cute car accessories” instead.
Remember, Etsy recently announced that keywords in listing descriptions will also factor into being found in search. So, now’s the time to rewrite those for any of your underperforming items.
Research new niches and audiences
Do you know who your shop’s target demographic is? If not, how would you describe the majority of your customers? Age, special interests, and approximate yearly income are all important factors in determining this. Once you have figured out who your target demographic is, it will be much easier to zero in on new potential customers on social media.
If you’ve already identified your target audience, right now is the perfect time to reexamine what you know about your people. Chances are, some of their needs may have changed since you last checked. And as the needs of buyers change, so will your customer base.
Note too that historically, the majority of Etsy shoppers have been women. Yet according to Etsy’s Mid-Year Report, 35% of new shoppers identify as men. Therefore, this statistic is important to keep in mind when designing new products.
Have you been selling trendy products and that trend is beginning to wane? Check out eRank’s monthly Trend Report and features like Trend Buzz. Use the Marketplace Report to broaden your research. Find out what fans are shopping for now, and give it your own spin to retain your customers.
Launch a summer collection
You can also use this time to brainstorm new product ideas and launch a summer collection! Bonus points if your new products are designed to be used on Fourth of July or Labor Day. Products that can be gifted as wedding favors are also quite popular from spring through early fall.
Before launch, spend a few weeks building hype on social media. Show sneak peeks of your new line; make behind-the-scenes posts. Then run a sale on launch day to attract even more buyers.
Do some digging; plant some seeds; start weeding!
As Etsy enters its infamous “summer slump,” focus on growing your Etsy shop. By updating your SEO, reevaluating your customer base, and marketing new seasonal products, you can profit from this time!