Every Etsy seller wants to learn one thing — how to get more sales on Etsy.
If you’re looking to grow your revenue on your Etsy shop massively, then you’re in the right place.
In this article, you’ll learn a bunch of tips and strategies to promote your Etsy store and get more sales.
These tips will be a mixture of new ideas and foolproof ones.
They are highly effective ways to get people on your Etsy store and convince many of them to hit that “buy it now” button.
Table of Contents
What is Etsy and How to Get More Sales on Etsy
Etsy is a great online shopping platform that’s quickly becoming one of the frontrunners in the e-commerce space.
What sets it apart from Amazon, eBay, and other major online selling platforms is its focus on a specific niche.
Etsy sellers are allowed to post three categories of products as listings on the online marketplace.
Handmade Items
These are products that you might make yourself.
These can include genuine works like paintings, handmade jewelry, veils, bags, cover-ups, hair accessories, neckties, and other decorative objects.
When selling handmade items on Etsy, you should be the original creator.
You aren’t allowed to resell handmade products in this category.
If you have other people involved in the creation process, it’s good practice to include them in the About section of your Etsy store.
Vintage Items
Vintage items could include anything that is over 20 years old.
These types of products on Etsy aren’t new vintage-style items. They should be authentic.
Craft Supplies
These supplies will include tools, ingredients, or any material you use to create a specific item or decorate an event.
You can also develop collections that are commercial, handmade, or vintage.
One popular category under this umbrella would be party supplies and decorations.
You can also sell items such as paintbrushes, paint, beads, patterns, DIY kits, and more.
Why is Etsy Getting Popular?
Year on year, Etsy has experienced stellar growth.
There were over promote your Etsy store on Etsy in 2021, a massive jump from only 46.35 million in 2019.
There were also over 7.52 million active sellers on Etsy in 2021. That number could grow even more by the end of 2022.
So why is Etsy getting so popular?
There are a few reasons why. One is because of their focus on the artisan crowd.
An Etsy shop is an excellent place for an artist, craft maker, sculptor, calligraphist, or anyone who handmakes their products to make revenue.
The other factor to Etsy’s popularity is its growing number of potential buyers and loyal customers.
Many people love the experience on Etsy.
It’s a great place to find items on the more DIY side of gift items and decorations.
Another reason is that many ways to become a successful Etsy business owner exist.
It’s not limited to one niche or one route, making it all the more likely that you can make some real money with an Etsy store.
As time has passed, Etsy sellers have learned how to increase sales on Etsy in various ways. These strategies won’t just help you create a great Etsy shop business.
They can also be fun to do for many!
24 Proven and New Strategies to Get More Sales on Etsy
So without further ado, let’s look at some of the top Etsy selling tips that will help store owners and sellers boost Etsy sales.
1) Perform SEO on Your Listings
When learning how to sell more on Etsy, search engine optimization should be at the top of your list.
Etsy SEO is the process of crafting your Etsy tags, titles, and descriptions in a way that helps them show up on search results when people use specific keywords.
When performing Etsy SEO, target longtail keywords your target customers will search on Etsy.
You want to improve search rankings on Etsy and other search engines like Google.
Use one of the best Esty SEO tools to find keywords with high search volume.
2) Write Compelling Titles and Product Descriptions
Copywriting is one of the foundations of marketing.
You can’t learn how to boost sales on Etsy without fixing your copies, especially your titles and product descriptions.
Don’t just talk about the features and descriptions of your products.
Talk about the things that make it unique and special.
Share some benefits and testimonials for key customers you might have had in the past.
3) Don’t Discount Product Photo Quality
Product photos are some of the most essential parts of your product listing.
Have beautiful product photos that show the best aspects of your products.
Consider hiring a professional photographer to take care of your photos.
Alternatively, you can buy a high-level camera.
The key to great photos is having great lighting.
Most times, having images in adequate natural light is more than good enough.
Have some images of your product against a white or black background.
4) Keep Offering New Products
The beauty of being a creative entrepreneur is that you can add more products to your Etsy store anytime.
But often, the temptation is to stop making new products when Etsy sales pick up or you get busy.
But creating and offering new products is an excellent boost to Etsy sales.
Come up with iterations of your most popular selling products.
Also, develop new products for potential customers you might not have reached yet.
5) Get on Forums
Another strategy when learning to get orders on Etsy is to get on online forums and share your products with people who might be looking for them.
Share your products on Etsy forums, where you can connect with other sellers and maybe even exchange notes on what makes their online stores successful.
But don’t feel limited with Etsy forums.
Get on other forum sites as well, such as Quora and Reddit.
Join online communities related to the categories of your Etsy business.
6) Use Etsy Ads Strategically
Another way to boost your sales on Etsy is to sell using Etsy ads.
You can use Etsy’s native advertising.
To get to the ads manager on your Etsy account, go to Etsy Ads and choose the Etsy listing you want to start advertising.
Promoted listings allow your products to appear on Etsy search results.
Promoted listings are a great way to reach more customers and convert them into customers.
Set a budget for your ads. Don’t go all in on one ad right away.
Try to split your budget across a few different products and put more funding on the product listings that convert the best.
Not all ads will succeed, however.
So be as strategic as possible and optimize your images and copies to convince people to click on your product ads and buy.
7) Boost Etsy Sales with Ads on Other Platforms
Etsy advertising isn’t the only effective paid platform.
You can try to promote your product with many other ads. Here are some of them:
Facebook Ads: Probably one of the most popular and widely used options, Facebook ads are a great way to engage people and get them to your page.
Facebook is the biggest social media platform, with roughly 2.93 billion users. So using ads there should guarantee that you can reach many people.
Instagram Ads: Instagram ads are another great way to redirect people to your shop. Since Instagram is a platform that depends highly on quality images, it helps if you have great photos of your products.
Google Ads: Google has some of the most widely-used products. It’s one of the most significant search engines, video streaming platforms, and ad programs rolled into one.
So running Google ads is a great strategy too. Ensure you’re targeting keywords that will relate intuitively to your product.
For example, if you’re selling statement shirts for feminists, it might be good to target keywords like “statement tees for women” or “girl power t-shirts.”
TikTok Ads: TikTok ads are relatively new. But the significant part about getting in early is that the cost can still be relatively low. There’s also the fact that TikTok is one of the fastest-growing platforms today.
8) Start a Newsletter
Running an email newsletter is a great way to target recurring online customers.
Retaining and retargeting past customers is an excellent strategy for growth, considering returning customers will spend 33% more on average.
Make your newsletter valuable by giving tips and tutorials related to your specialty or product.
If you’re a calligraphy artist, create short tutorials on calligraphy and upsell your calligraphy kits.
If you’re a jewelry designer, showcase some of your best designs and how they might pair up with the outfit of a target customer.
You can also make an Etsy sale or give a discounted price to existing customers for future purchases.
Many sellers might use any of these tools for newsletters.
9) Run A Shop Sale
Running a sale on your Etsy shop could also be another great way to increase sales.
Choose a set of Etsy listings that you can offer at a discount and make an announcement on your social media channels (something we’ll look at later!) or email list.
Adding a scarcity element is one way to make a sale on your Etsy shop more effective.
You can do this by creating a short sale period, usually anywhere between 3 days to a week, or placing a limited number of stocks that will be available for the sale.
Aside from discounts, you can also make other sale offers like a buy one get one offer or offering free shipping.
Ensure that your shipping fees don’t eat into your net profits.
10) Do a Reseller Program
Creating a reseller program is a great way to boost Etsy sales.
Moreover, it’s a great way to give other business owners a chance to help you grow your brand.
The typical reseller program will involve creating a bundle offer where people can buy your products in bulk and sell for a markup on the discount.
Ensure your lower price is still enough to give you a good margin.
Some Etsy stores might even use the same bundle to offer as an option for online shoppers looking to buy products in bulk to give as gifts for a wedding, corporate event, baby shower, or other occasions.
11) Include Small Gift or Tokens
Being generous is the key if you’re learning to get more traffic on Etsy by delighting your customers.
One way to express your generosity as a seller is to include a small gift or freebie.
This works well, primarily when incentivizing repeat purchases.
Even the smallest token can go a long way.
If you’re not in the position to give free products, you can consider providing small tokens like a handwritten note, a custom sticker, a virtual wallpaper background, or other receipts that might not cost much but have a lot of perceived value.
12) Give Coupon Codes Out
This strategy is an offset of a sale.
But instead of making it event-based, you can hand discounts out as part of a triggered action.
For instance, you can reward people with a five percent coupon when they sign up to your newsletter or leave a review on your shop.
Other sellers might give them to existing customers to use on their next purchase.
Coupon codes often come in a digital format.
But you can also consider printing a coupon code on physical materials like flyers, business cards, or anything that you might hand out to others to get them to visit your Etsy store.
13) Add A Scarcity Effect on Your Product
On occasion, creating a scarcity tactic even when you don’t have a sale works well too.
You can put messages like “Last 3 Stocks Left!” on your product listing title or description.
You can also offer products as a seasonal offer.
For example, a fashion designer can do a handmade summer wear line that only gets sold every summer and goes off the shelf once the new season rolls in.
14) Start an Affiliate Program for Your Etsy Store
Another effective Etsy seller strategy is running an affiliate program for your brand evangelists.
An affiliate promotes your products and gets a commission of the sale when someone buys through them.
You can invite influencers, bloggers, and other people who might be able to direct potential customers to your online store to join your affiliate program.
15) Build a Social Media Following
Organic social media engagement and following can also be valuable online traffic sources.
Your shop should have a presence on the most popular social media platforms for artisans and business owners, including:
- Facebook;
- Pinterest;
- Instagram; or
- YouTube.
You should create posts and share them regularly to engage your loyal social media followers.
Mix up promotional posts with value-giving posts that might include tips, tutorials, or other content that will encourage customers to visit your socials as often as possible.
16) Maintain a Blog
Another way to increase sales on Etsy is to drive traffic to your site through blog articles.
You can create your own blog or host it on Medium.com.
SEO also plays a crucial role in your blogs.
If you can get these blogs to rank on high-value keywords with a lot of search volume, you could drive lots of traffic to your online shop and become a very successful Etsy seller.
17) Promote With User Generated Content
User-generated content is a low-hanging fruit that can create a lot of Etsy sales.
For one, these pieces of content come from your customers, making them a low-effort promotion activity.
You can simply collect testimonials, for instance, and turn them into posters you can add to your ads or social media posts.
18) Create a VIP List
If you’re looking to learn how to improve sales on Etsy and would love to create a community around your shop, then you should consider having a VIP list.
This could simply be a chat group or a Facebook group with your most valuable customers.
The people on your VIP list could be people who meet a minimum order value or order a minimum number of times in a year.
You can reward these preferred customers by giving them special rates or early access to your latest products.
19) Cover for a Portion of Shipping
Cutting down on your shipping fee is an excellent way for shop owners to increase sales on Etsy.
Still, there might be cases where you can’t offer free shipping due to margin issues.
In these cases, Etsy store owners can still cover a portion of the shipping fee.
While not as compelling as giving free shipping, it’s a gesture that many Etsy buyers will appreciate greatly and result in more Etsy sales.
20) Give Different Payment Options
Another of the most popular Etsy tips to increase Etsy sales is to give your buyers multiple options when paying.
This will allow your customers to choose the most convenient way to pay, making the purchase more seamless.
Doing this will encourage more people to buy and create less friction for new customers.
Etsy provides many payment options. The ecommerce platform allows you to take payments through:
- Credit cards;
- Debit/bank cards;
- Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits;
- Apple Pay;
- Google Pay;
- PayPal;
- Klarna Financing; and
- Klarna installment payments;
21) Ask For Reviews on Your Etsy Shop
You can also ask past customers to leave reviews on your Etsy shop.
Studies show that you need at least 10 customer reviews to earn the trust of the average shopper.
The simplest way to get more reviews is to ask for one after they have made a purchase.
Don’t feel ashamed to follow up once or twice too.
Some happy customers could have just forgotten to boost your business with a simple review!
22) Create Beautiful Packaging
Other Etsy sellers might go the extra mile by creating beautiful product packaging.
You don’t have to handmake these if it takes too much time.
You can outsource it to a local business that could mass produce the packaging for you.
Leave your contact details, social media handle, and other information on your packaging, too, so more people follow and connect with you.
23) Ask for Referrals
Admittedly, this is not the sexiest of Etsy tips.
But asking for referrals can be the most easily underappreciated way of boosting Etsy sales.
As the old saying goes, “ask, and you shall receive.”
Many people might not recommend Etsy shops to families or friends.
But when they do, that could mean a lot of new customers for your business with little effort.
24) Cross Sell Your Products
Successful Etsy sellers have mastered the art of cross-selling their products.
So try to introduce new listings and products to your buyers.
Add a recommended list of your other products on your email newsletter.
You can also message some other recommended products to buyers you feel might enjoy another of your offerings manually.
Final Words
So there you have twenty-four strategies you can try on your store!
There are many other strategies out there.
But the key to getting more sales on your Etsy store isn’t how many strategies you know but how many you try.
Execution is key to grow your small business.
So which of these strategies are you going to try? Pick two or three at a time and test them out.
You could be one strategy away from multiplying your Etsy sales for all you know!
