Christmas is right around the corner and I've been gathering some informational tidbits on ways to capitalize on the influx on customers that will be streaming to etsy for unique gift ideas! This is also my first Christmas on etsy, but I hope you'll find this information helpful. Feel free to add any tips you may have below! :
1) Gather supplies- Order enough materials to make your products. If you wait until too close to Christmas, you may experience shipping delays, or even increased prices as some suppliers tend to hike prices a bit during the busy season
2) Have shipping supplies handy- Lots of boxes/envelopes as the case might be. Gift paper, tissue paper, ribbons, tape, bubblewrap, packaging peanuts etc.
3)Significantly increase all advertising ventures- If you pay for advertising on facebook, twitter etc, consider investing more. Your ads could be lost in a sea of other adverts. At this time other people will also step-up their advertising campaigns which could potentially make your ads harder to find. Plus doing so will draw viewers to your shops
4)Work on SEO's and your photographs. (I will be happy to share my idea for creating my own lightbox with any one who's interested) Review etsy posts on Search Engine Optimization, keywords and tag creation. Its very important that your items are easily found by the customers who are searching for your items. And it doesn't matter if you're an SEO genius if your photographs are unappealing customers are NOT going to click on them. Visual presentation is everything!
5) Send customized emails to your previous customers letting them know that you have new items in stock and offering them a coupon code. Try a friendly greeting, maybe even ask them how they were liking their previous purchase. Don't let it sound "spammy"
6)Be sure to include a little thank you note- Let your customers feel valued.
7) Include samples/ complimentary items (where possible)- Depending on what you're selling this may not be possible (Free gift wrapping may be an option here)
8)Offer complimentary product upgrades- If you are selling a "small" item, would it be possible to offer one in every 10 or 20 customers a "large"?
9) Complimentary Shipping Upgrade- Sometimes I realize that for $1 more I can give a customer Expedited shipping with a tracking number. That dollar could be the difference between getting their item in 7-10 days versus 4-6 weeks! I know this may not be the case with most of you, and shipping may be different based out of the US. But I'm sure you get where I'm going with this. These are the little things that will make customers come back to your shop and leave awesome reviews.
10) Seriously consider international shipping. I see a lot of you guys saying you're not getting many sales, but speaking from my own experience, I wouldn't have had more than 8 or so orders if I only shipped to Canada! It can be a bit daunting but the results are so worth it! I used to visit my post office with randomly sized items and ask for shipping quotes to various places. Now I just use a link from paypal to calculate shipping costs and print my shipping labels most of the time. (It's even cheaper than etsy sometimes!)
Finally and most importantly, have fun! Happy Selling!
