We’ve been exploring new ways for shoppers to discover items on Etsy, and today we launched Trending Items (etsy.com/trending), which you can get to from the homepage. This page is a fun, quick way to see what items are exciting shoppers on Etsy — something that people often ask us! This is especially useful for new shoppers, giving them a “tip of the iceberg” view of the marketplace, and inspiring them to explore more through Search and Browse. Have questions? Check out the overview of how Trending Items works below.
How does it work?
This page is populated automatically, with up to 400 items that have been appealing to shoppers recently. A combination of shopper cues are taken into account, such as views, favorites and purchases — so items that do well in these areas are eligible to show. While these items are not curated, we ensure that a variety of listing categories are represented, so that the results show a good mix of items.
While the page only displays up to 400 items, many more sellers can benefit than those shown on this page. Shoppers have the option to click on “See Similar Items” under any item, which will take them to a results page that displays the original item, and many others that are related. The “similar items” are chosen automatically, and if there are similar listings from the same shop, those are highlighted first, followed by items from other shops.
Since an item having more than one purchase is one of the shopper cues we currently look at, strictly one-of-a-kind handmade and vintage items may not be common on this page. Once an item is sold out, it is no longer eligible to show in Trending Items — we want to show items that are available for purchase to provide the best experience for shoppers. We’ll continue to add new ways to share items based on community trends and shopper cues.
If a shop receives views from Trending Items, the views will be attributed in Shop Stats as "Trending Items".
How often does it change?
At launch, the page refreshes daily. Once we gather more data around how visitors interact with this page, this frequency may change. It is possible that some items will show two or more days in a row, as it’s not uncommon for an item to be trending for more than one day. We will keep an eye on the freshness to ensure the results don’t seem stale day-to-day.
How can I optimize my items to show up in Trending Items?
Making your items as appealing as possible to shoppers is the best approach, which is something you’re probably already working on! First, make sure shoppers are able to find your items, by optimizing for relevancy. Then, work on improving your product photography, to encourage shoppers to click on — or favorite! — your item. Finally, think of ways to get more visits by sharing your items outside of Etsy, whether it’s through social media, blogs and more. These are all steps that should help your shop overall, not just for Trending Items. If you’d like more information, here are some helpful materials:
- Etsy Success: Make Your Shop More Relevant: www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/make-your-shop-more-relevant/
- How to Get Found in Browse:
www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/how-to-get-found-in-browse/
- Etsy Success: Product Photography for Beginners:
www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/etsy-success-product-photography-for-begi...
Thanks for reading, and we’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Heather
