Help and Support for getting off a Plateau

[sawyeraboyle]

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has any advice for upping sales/ views. If some one could critique my shop I would be eternally grateful. I have just started and really want to make my shop the best it can be.

Thank you,

Sawyer

[Former_Member]

Your shop graphics look pretty cool, and go nicely with your shop name. I'd say to focus more on your overall aesthetic, especially your pictures. Individually, they look pretty good, but they don't seem very cohesive. For example, some of your items are in snow, but others are outside in what seems to me to be picnic-y weather. Either is fine, but I'd stick to one. Just as my opinion, I quite like the feel of this (but maybe a bit brighter):

https://www.etsy.com/listing/219114624/custom-dotted-dinner-plate-part-of-the?ref=shop_home_active_8

I'm not too sure how I feel about eating outside in the snow, but that's just my opinion.

Also, your second and third pictures don't occupy the full width available.

Your item descriptions should be more informative. Perhaps include some measurements? You could do a bit of research to see what kind of information people want. Bear in mind you're selling online, so customers will want to see more.

Since you're selling glass, you may want to touch on your packaging, so people know their item *should* arrive safely. Continuing from that, you may want to write in your policies what will happen if something does break.

Now, SEO:
Try longer, phrase-based tags rather than single-word ones, as these are more effective. There are quite a number of threads and teams on SEO - do read up and work on them. Cindylou's team has lots of useful information.

In general, I'd say you're doing quite well. 5 sales in less than a month - very impressive!

[GreatLakesAllure]

I really like your kitchen wares, but I doubt many people will be searching for pointillism. So I don't think it's necessary in the title. I really think it is a nice addition to the ceramics and glassware, but if I was looking for nice hand painted bowls, I wouldn't know to search for pointillism bowls. I also wouldn't know to search for "Part of the Band Pattern Set". This info can be in your descriptions, but won't help you in Search (SEO). I have read over and over that you have to think like a buyer. How would someone find you while searching? I would title this particular bowl as "Hand Painted Bowl, Colorful Ceramics, Artisan Bowl, Multi-Color Bowl, Hand Painted Dinnerware, Kitchen Decor" and then make sure that you have these same phrases in your tags (however you end up wording your title, no 1 word tags either). I would also have the first picture be of just the bowl and not the mug and spoon too, because someone might think they are getting all three (not everyone reads or looks beyond the first picture).

I also agree with Alicia and I would pick one or two ways to photograph your items for consistency and I think the snow blows out (over exposes) the pictures and doesn't do your items justice. I know it's tough to get good pictures at this time of year in the northern hemisphere, but if it is sunny - go near a window without direct sunlight and try to photograph them there. Purchasing a light box can be a good investment also. There are ways to make them too. Keep adding items, that will help you get "found" and promote on as many social media sites as you can. Good luck! I think once you are found a bit more, you will do very well on Etsy!

[sawyeraboyle]

Thank you SO much!!! I really appreciate this advice and am definitely going to make these changes. Such great advice.

[fishcouple]

I like the feel of this if you want to keep consistency of your background.

Sorry, I don't know how to copy the listing like the others do so just the link here, no photo.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/218187558/tri-colour-hand-painted-pointillism?ref=shop_home_active_13

[fishcouple]

Oh, I just realized that it will automatically show the picture.. :)

[PrairiePrimitives]

Janelle, you might be surprised! Did you know that the suggestions Etsy gives when you start typing a search term into the search box are popular recent searches? Try it with pointillism ...

[sawyeraboyle]

Again thank y'all. It's hard to get the light correct to replicate the big bowl look. (yay scotland) Is it better to use artificial light in these situations?

[ZimWoodworking]

I think your products look great, but for some of them you need to get better backgrounds. In many cases they look washed out. The colors you use are vibrant, so they should pop in the photos. The close-ups you have look great -- it's just that some of the further away shots don't do the items justice. I would play around with different backgrounds. I know it is neat to have them photographed in a cool setting, but I don't know that that it going to sway a customer. Try setting them on different colored backgrounds - white, gray, charcoal, black. I am not a photographer, but I know that sometimes the most unusual background color is what makes something stand out!

I personally use artificial light most of the time, but again, I am not a great photographer.

Here's another idea that I just realized, and need to implement myself! Scale. In other words, some of your shots should be done so that the customer has an idea of how big/small your item is. For example, I am guilty of it, but haven't gotten around to adding new shots: All of our cutting boards are different sizes, but if you look at the pictures, then they all look the same size! So the items should be photographed next to something that is a recognizable size for scale.

Another idea that I still need to do myself is pictures of your item being used. For example, jewelry people show theirs on a person or mannequin. I didn't look through all of your pictures, but do they include your item doing its job in each listing :>? I am going to add some shots of my cutting boards with food on them -- bread being cut, cheese being cut. Again, all of these things make your items more real.

And last, work on your titles. Be careful about putting words that won't get you any traffic unless someone knows you personally. As was pointed out by Tana above, the easiest way is to pretend you are searching for your own item. As you start typing in the search box what begins to show up will be some of the most popular searches. Also, look in your stats. It will show you what people who HAVE visited your shop used for their search terms, then be sure to have those words in your titles.

I am far, far, far from an expert! In fact, this past year is when we really started to put some effort into our shop. It is a learning process! You'll get there!

[sawyeraboyle]

Thank you so much, a good friend of mine is going to help me with photography this weekend and I will for sure take all of your input!

I'm trying to revamp all the listings, I'll let y'all know when I finish them up and hopefully have some good news about orders, views and favourites.

I can't thank you all enough

[michellemach]

One quick thing I'd think about fixing: make your first photo match your description. If the listing is for one glass, make sure only one glass is shown in the first photo. (It's fine to show other options in secondary photos.) Some customers don't read very carefully and may assume that whatever is pictured in the first photo is what they will receive.