Competitor research is essential on Etsy. In fact, competitor research is worth doing at any level of development. You’ll learn a lot about what buyers are looking for, what makes them happy, and what can cause a shop to lose sales.
Begin by following several groups of Etsy sellers:
- Family and friends (fun, morale-boosting, friendly rivalry)
- Peers (shops that sell products of similar quality and price as you do)
- Inspirational shops (those who are doing an impressive job)
You likely already know who among your family and friends sell on Etsy. Maybe they encouraged you to sell on Etsy in the first place! Want to learn how to find other competitors from whom you can learn a thing or two? Read on.
First, identify your competitors
Rank Checker will fetch the top 500 listings from Etsy for any keyword you enter. Sort and filter the listings to get keyword ideas from the top sellers in your niche.
In the main menu, select “Keyword Research” and then Rank Checker.
- Enter any keyword from your keyword research.
- Enter a shop name (optional).
- Select a country (optional).
- Click the green Analyze lookup button.
At the top you’ll see basic metrics for the keyword as well as insights from the top 500 listings ranking for that keyword.
Scroll down to the “Top Listings” section, click the “Views” column, and sort from high to low.
Now you have a list of products from competing shops sorted in a useful order. Look for listings similar to yours that have a high number of views. These products are most likely to have a strong sales history. While perusing, make a note of shop names. If the same shop keeps popping up during your research, it could be a competitor worth monitoring. Click the star next to a shop’s name to begin tracking them, or write them down to research later.
Learn what the top sellers in your niche are selling
Have your competitor list started? Now it’s time to take a look into each shop. From your eRank Dashboard, enter a shop’s name in the Look Up Any Listing or Shop box to access our Shop Info feature.
There you’ll see their most recently sold and updated listings. Look for products similar to what you sell. Then, make a note to return to this shop regularly to discover what other products they have that sell well. This practice saves you steps when doing product research later.
Track your competitors’ sales
If you have a paid plan for eRank, you can add your competitors’ shops to your Competitor Sales report using the Shop Info feature. Do this by clicking the star next to the shop’s name. This report tracks how many sales each of these shops have each day. Focus on the shops making consistent sales.
Benefit from their customer feedback
Now you’ve got a solid list of top shops in your niche. Next, pop over to Etsy to see what kind of feedback they’re getting. As you read their reviews, be sure to note what annoys their buyers and what delights them.
Positive types of feedback worth your attention:
- Arrived quickly
- Responsive seller
- Beautiful packaging
- Quality product
- Gift recipient loved it
Noteworthy negatives:
- Smelled like cigarettes
- Smaller than I thought
- Feels cheaply made
- Had cat hair on it
- Arrived too late for my event
As you learn what your competitors’ buyers think, you can apply the good qualities to your listings and avoid the same mistakes they made.
Include inspirational shops
Having a goal, someone smart to learn from, an aesthetic or mastery of craft you admire – all are useful. For this, browse eRank’s Top Sellers report for shops in your category. Rather than looking for competitors this time, try to identify the best of the best.
Make sure to check out:
- Pricing
- Options they offer
- Product photography
- Reviews offering insight into what their buyers think
- Titles and tags* (just for keyword ideas; don’t copy them exactly)
When analyzing top seller titles and tags, please note that they may diverge from Etsy’s best practices. For instance, you might see keyword-stuffed titles, one-word tags, or fewer than 13 tags. Remember the rule that trumps all others: never change a listing that is selling well. And listings you are likely to see in the Top Sellers report are exactly that: selling well.
These listings may have gained popularity through social media (via an influencer) or perhaps through a national magazine. That won’t show in a listing audit. But you can still learn from such a listing. If its tags are poor, something else is doing some heavy lifting. Can you detect its secrets?
Conclusion
You now have more ways to identify your competitors and discover inspirational shops. Learn as much as you can from their successes – and their failures. Keep in mind that not all top shops are still selling well. Some may have gone on an extended break or are selling items that are no longer popular. You want to follow the shops that are still selling well!
For a quick video tutorial, check out coach Starla here:
