Wednesday, April 15, 2009

12 Steps to a Better Shop!

Everyone wants an individual shop critique, but there are a few basic things that will apply to almost every shop. Here is my list of the main things to consider.

1) Banner and Avatar - do they relate to your products in some way? Is the text clear and easy to read? Your avatar can be used very effectively as part of your ‘brand’, so select it wisely. I’ve kept the same avatar as long as I’ve been online.. people recognize me by my avatar. Others like to change theirs on a regular basis. There is no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way to do it. You just have to do what works best for you. I personally like to see an avatar that reflects in some way the product(s) that you sell, but that is my personal opinion.

2) Shop Title - This appears directly below your banner and is updated in the ‘appearance’(insert link here) section of Your Etsy. The shop title is also known as your ‘tag line’. Use it effectively but keep it short.

3) Shop announcement - Please don’t tell me your life history here.. I don’t want to know. I do like to see a short (few lines ) about your shop and any current ‘specials’ you may have. Also, be absolutely sure that any links that are on your shop announcement are not broken. And be aware that if you do have an active link here that I just may follow it and get distracted elsewhere. Don’t tell me about every team that you belong to here... unless you don’t want me to look at your product.

4) Featured Items - A great place to show off your different styles of work. Use items from your earlier pages (people can already see what’s on your first page). A variety of items and prices is always nice. Remember, that when people ‘heart’ your shop, these three items are their reminder! Keep them fresh.

5) Profile - Tell me about yourself. How did you get started in your art form, what inspires you, etc.


6) Shop Policies - This is one of the most overlooked sections by Etsians and is by far (in my opinion) the most important. Having good shop policies in place can help to avoid situations down the road. It is strongly recommended that every shop have policies in place for payment , shipping and returns/exchanges.

7) Location - Another very useful piece of information. Etsy is an international site, so please list your town (or the nearest larger town) , your state, and your country. I’ve been to Paris but not to France, I love Melbourne but I’ve never been to Australia. Sydney is a beautiful stop in Nova Scotia (Canada) . By putting your complete information in your location it makes it much easier for others to use the ‘geolocator’ to find you! And you are looking to be found are you not?

8) Shop Sections - Shop sections are a great way to organize your shop. Use them to your advantage! You have complete freedom to choose how you want your sections to be set up so have some fun!

9) Photos - everyone wants a critique of their photos. Make sure that the photo is clear and crisp, and use as many photos as you can of the item. Inside, outside, upside down, you get the idea. Unless you are selling a rug, please don’t put your item on the floor. Natural light is best, and avoid a cluttered background. If you are unsure of a particular photo, have someone look at it and tell you what caught their eye in it. If its not the item for sale, its not a good photo.

10) Tags - One of the most misused and abused features (in my opinion) on Etsy. When selecting tags, try to pick keywords that you would use to describe the item to someone who cannot see it. IE paint a visual picture. Don’t forget to include the colour! Please make sure that the tags are relevant though. Everything can be a gift, so ‘gift’ is not a relevant tag. ‘Stocking Stuffer’ is a tag that gets used during the holidays. As soon as someone can define accurately exactly what a ‘stocking stuffer’ is then it will be able to be used. But until then let’s just leave it off.

11) Materials - This is one of the most overlooked sections in a listing. Be as detailed as you can in your materials listing. There are 13 tags available for materials so don’t be afraid! Also, people can search by material so keep that in mind..

12) Feedback - Some sellers are concerned because they don’t have any feedback. Personally I enjoy buying from an ‘undiscovered’ shop. However, if you are concerned about not having any feedback, I strongly suggest that you make a small purchase from a fellow Etsian. Besides the feedback, you will also get to experience the thrill of making a purchase (and the steps involved).

Other places for information:

There are some absolutely wonderful reference sites right on Etsy. All are accessible from the ‘help’ tab at the top of any Etsy page.

Etsy Do’s and Don’ts - learn what you can and cannot do

Terms of Use (TOU) - the basic rules for using Etsy

The Etsy 'Sellers Handbook' - a great reference for all sellers


And of course, there is the Storque, Etsy’s mega blog. I think that just about every topic on Etsy is covered at least once in the Storque!



Please note that the opinions expressed here are the opinions of the writer and are NOT necessarily the opinions of Etsy.

29 comments:

Unknown said...

Great information! This is very helpful & I must say that when I've asked to have my shop critiqued, this is the info I have received. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out!

Adaptable Kay said...

Great information!
This is basically what I deal with when I do my many shop critiques.
I'll have to use this in my next critiques.

vineyardsky said...

Nice compilation of information, the links are so helpful. Going back to review. Thanks!

Just Be Happy said...

thank you, great info!

glentwistle said...

Well written and useful information. The links are a real plus.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for taking the time to get this up! I appreciate it!

AMIdesigns said...

This is brilliant, so full of detail yet concise at the same time!

The Fab Miss B said...

Excellent suggestions! Thanks for sharing.

Missy said...

Crochelgal, so happy to have found your blog!

I had a good chuckle at 'stocking stuffer'. Couldn't agree more!

I also thing another thing that shop owners can do, is go back through each listing and really scrutinize the item...is it excellent? would I as the shop owner buy this if I saw it? How do my listings compare to a shop of a big seller with my similar style? How am I different, stand out?...etc.

Anonymous said...

Well written and very easy to understand! And correct! Perfect to help newbies and old time sellers alike!

Craftychris

Mary Ann said...

These are great tips. I'm in the process of reshooting all my photos. I'm using a paper that looks like wood - I hope people don't think that it's a floor. Next I'm going to go through and tweak my descriptions like you've suggested.

gwengoods said...

Thank you for the info!

Valerie's Essentials said...

This was wonderful! Thank you!!! Much needed and simply put! Great job!

~Valerie

Yarnspider said...

Thank a lot. Great tips and food for thought. looking forward to reading more of your blog.

Chaoticallycrafty said...

This is very helpful information! thank you :)

www.FeltedChicken.com said...

Great List! You took all of the easiest, most important things someone can do to help their shop. Thanx for reminding me about about the importance of refreshing you "Featured" items. I always forget to change them.

Valerie said...

Thank you crochetgal for this list - the original!

Sharona R - שרונה ראובני said...

This is truly the ABC of Etsy shop management.

Unknown said...

Yep, you did good!!! I am going to print all this off as it's info we can all use!!!
Thanks so much for spending your valuable time compiling this!!!
Bevie
Now I follow you!!!
http://bevie2u2.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Pearls of wisdom indeed :D

Kim said...

Wonderful tips, I am still learning and continuing to tweak my shop. Thanks for sharing your ideas and opinions :)

AndiB said...

Very nice! I'm going to link to you from my blog. I shall add that the Shop Title is also important because it's one of the ways Google finds your shop, so make it to the point and include words that you think people might search for to find things like yours. Great tips!!

crochetgal said...

Please feel free to link to your blog ParticleOfStone. I would appreciate it if you give me credit for the article though.

Jill said...

Thanks so much! I went in and made a few changes to my shop. :)

DalkullanJewelry said...

Thanks for the great info!

Christie Pham said...

Thanks for the tips.. I'm off to remove "gift" as one of my tags. :-)

Kate said...

Great post, please feel free to critique me anytime :)

Benjamin Krudwig said...

I will be using these tips asap! one of the best bits I have read, clear, concise, and easy to read.
Thank you so much for blogging this!

Two Kids' Studio said...

very informative! thank you for sharing. :)

- evelyn