Etsy/Amazon News June 15

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Etsy/Amazon News June 15

Etsy Test Tweaks Reviews and Estimated Delivery

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/2017/06/14/etsy-test-tweaks-reviews-and-estimated-delivery/

Watch Your Bills: Etsy Now Renews Listings Automatically

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/2017/06/14/watch-your-bills-etsy-now-renews-listings-automatically/

Etsy Tests Guest Checkout for Digital Downloads

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/2017/06/14/etsy-tests-guest-checkout-for-digital-downloads/

Etsy Tests Experiments

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/abblog/blog.pl?/pl/2017/6/1497411621.html

Amazon Panics Sellers

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/abblog/blog.pl?/pl/2017/6/1497298766.html

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Amazon sent an email to sellers warning them it's against its policy to use multiple selling accounts, and warning them that if "certain circumstances" warranted them doing so, to make sure they listed the accounts in their Seller Central account explaining why. 

Some sellers thought it was a spoof email while some worried it specifically directed at them even though they weren't violating the policy - but it appears it was sent to many sellers:

Dear Seller,

As we continue to ensure our marketplace is safe and trustworthy for both buyers and sellers, we would like your help. Amazon prohibits the use or maintenance of more than one seller account. 

We understand that in certain circumstances you may need to use multiple accounts or associate one or more accounts to your seller account. 

In an effort to better understand the business requirements that you may have for multiple or related accounts, we request you to list these accounts in Seller Central along with the reason for relating them to your seller account.

Simply click or copy and paste the link below into your web browser to access your account within Seller Central and provide any and all email addresses and reasons for their use - it's that easy.

For more information, see the following Help page.

Regards,

Amazon Services

The policy is a big no-no - and if you are found operating multiple selling accounts without permission, you could be permanently suspended. According to the policy: "Operating and maintaining multiple Seller Central accounts is prohibited. If you have a legitimate business need for a second account, you can apply for an exception to this policy."

It's not clear why Amazon sent the email to sellers in compliance, but it certainly caused some fear, uncertainty, and doubt among recipients of the letter.

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Etsy kicked off several tests on Tuesday to spur sales. One "experiment," as it calls such testing, is a change to its Search feature.

"During the experiment, some members may notice that we've moved existing filters from the left hand side of search results pages to the top of the pages. In addition to making filtering options more visible, this change will give us space for an additional column of listings on search results pages."

It noted that it was also in the process of improving category-specific filtering options and said it would notify sellers as new listing attributes and filters become available.

Many sellers are getting frustrated at some of the changes taking place on Etsy - and marketplaces rarely get specific about results of testing, leaving it to sellers to take it on faith that changes they ultimately roll out are truly beneficial to all sellers.

Etsy also announced additional experiments today. In one test, Etsy is adding a verification designation to reviews in a bid to boost sales by making shoppers more confident in their purchasing decisions. It's also testing a change to how it displays transit times to buyers.

Let us know if you're seeing signs of these tests and if you think they'll boost sales.

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Etsy is making automatic renewal the default for new listings – sellers who prefer to renew their listings manually must now switch to manual renewal as they create each new listing. Etsy charges a listing fee each time an item is renewed, so keep an eye on your invoices.

The announcement follows:

As you create new listings, you can choose how you’d like them to renew: manually, or automatically. Starting (June 14th), all new listings will default to automatic renewal. We began introducing this change two weeks ago, and it is now in effect for all sellers. Using automatic renewal can save you time and ensure your items’ visibility is undisrupted.

Please note that we are not making any changes to your existing listings. No action is required on your part to check on your current listings. You can change your renewal preferences at any time. If you prefer to renew your listings manually, you can switch to manual renewal as you create new listings. You can also edit your listings’ renewal options under More actions > Manage renewal options.

https://www.etsy.com/teams/7716/announcements/discuss/18397799

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Etsy is running new tests in an effort to get more sales. In one test, Etsy is adding a verification designation to reviews in a bid to boost sales by making shoppers more confident in their purchasing decisions. It’s also testing a change to how it displays transit times to buyers.

Announcement follows:

Starting (Tuesday), we’ll be running a few experiments to test out new ways that highlight important details about your shop in order to help buyers make quick, informed purchasing decisions.

As part of these experiments, we’ll be adding verified purchase messaging to reviews to let buyers know that reviews are made by Etsy buyers who purchased those particular items. While these “Verified Purchase” badges won’t change the way reviews work on Etsy, some buyers will now see reviews on both listing pages and a seller’s shop homepage during this experiment.

We’ll also be running an experiment where we’ll surface estimated transit times to buyers at checkout. We believe that surfacing when buyers can expect to receive their orders will make buyers more likely to purchase, which we hope means more sales from your shops. These changes will only appear at checkout for listings that use calculated shipping, so your buyers won’t see these changes for listings that use fixed shipping costs.

We’ll be closely monitoring these changes to see the effects they have on buyer behavior. If any of these changes become permanent, we’ll be sure to announce them.

https://www.etsy.com/teams/7716/announcements/discuss/18397799