Shop Sections...what do you think?

[Former_Member]

Hi,

I make gadget sweaters (covers) from felted wool sweaters in three kinds: iPod/phone/camera size, e-reader size (for the major brands & dimensions), and iPad/Netbook size.

I used to have three separate shop sections for the different kinds/'sizes. Then, in an effort to streamline my shop and make the section titles more consistent, and because I had reached my limit of 10 sections...I combined the gadget sweaters into one shop section.

I think the benefits of the combined section is cross-exposure (so that someone shopping for an iPod sweater also sees the e-reader and iPad ones) and the aforementioned simplification.

I think the drawbacks are that now there are almost 90 items in that section and that might annoy shoppers who only want to see one kind of gadget sweater. Also, it gives me fewer landing pages for search engines.

If you have a moment, please take a peek at my shop and let me know what you think about my dilemma. Thanks!

Warmly,
Sara

[Former_Member]

I like them all together as you can just browse through them but I'm very new to all this. I love your hats so colourful.

[aclhandweaver]

Hi Sarah, I see what you mean. I wonder about categories sometimes too. I see you only used 7 of the 10 though. You also have coffee cozies in 1 and coasters in Home and maybe they could be combined. Each of your categories seems very specific with lots of repetition also in photos, though different colors. maybe mix it up a little with different angles or different items. Maybe some gadget things are more directed towards him or her and can go in that category to entice people looking there? I use seasons/style for my main categories with variety and then have categories of more specific objects. I'm not sure whether it works either, but is the best I could come up with (any feedback is welcome). Sometimes I wonder whether color or object categories might be easier for the customer as well. Good luck and if you find something that works, let me know!

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the responses so far! I should mention that I have other categories I want to add, so will need some of the 10 slots for those.

[SantasSockCentral]

You could leave it as it is (all in one section) and put a link at the end of the listing, 'my other camera/phone size-covers' can be found here and add a link. You get this link if you search your shop section for 'iphone' (or whatever else).
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WormeWoole/search?search_query=i+phone+case&search_submit=&search_type=user...

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the ideas -- every item already has one or more backlinks :-)

[Former_Member]

Amy, I love your textiles, and like your idea of grouping them by style. I had thought of trying that too.

[aclhandweaver]

Sara (no h!),

I don't know whether it works by style or better by something more ordinary, but I try to think how people shop for my product and how commercial retailers have trained people, like using red instead/ or with cranberry or wine color... I actually just went back over my categories and tweeked them a bit towards some styles I've seen more frequently around Etsy and other sites.. Now I have to wait and see if views change. It's been very slow lately, anyways.

[Former_Member]

I would prefer if they were separated by type of gadget. That way I can look for the visual (what print I like, etc) rather than first looking for the word (i-pad, nook, etc.)

Just my opinion :)

[Zuparoo]

First I have to say your shop is amazing! Your products, descriptions, suggested purchase reasons, backlinks, photos, banner......Something for me to aspire to :)

For your sections, since there are so many items in the gadget section, as a shopper I'd rather have them subdivided. (wouldn't it be great if subsections were an option?) Even if you had to combine a couple other sections, I think it would be a good trade-off.

[ShopGreyweather]

On the other hand, if people are looking for a particular type of gadget cover they can always search your shop by title. I do this a lot when I am shopping, and did so before I even opened my shop. I like the idea of showing that you do several types by combining them into the same section, but it may be off-puting for some who are not quite so etsy friendly.