Shop help...PLEASE!!!

[Former_Member]

I need some serious assistance. I opened my shop in 2011 and had been doing okay. Now something has changed and I cannot, for the LIFE of me figure it out.

I have had 4,000 views, 2,100 favorites and one sale in 2013.

People say that photographs are SOO important, I agree. But I have been told that I am doing well in that department. what else can I change?

I have looked at other jewelry shops to see how they are different, tagged and retagged items. changed my title and announcements. and have tried to keep my items around the "magic #100).

I add new items, repost old and am active on boards/facebook/twitter and pinterest.

Any tips on what I am doing wrong would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Former_Member]

This is a tricky one. Your photos are consistent and clean, your jewelery has beautiful descriptions and wrap bracelets are very trendy. Your prices are towards the higher end when I compared a few other shops but I do see it justified with the quality of materials and craftsmanship. For a buyer though it could just be comparing $$ vs $.

There is a slight disconnect between your banner and your shop. Your beads are so colorful and vibrant while the grey wallpaper is too dark and I'd love to see some of the pinks & turquoises incorporated. (*This is not a plug, I promise!)

This year has been a slower start for a lot of people. I think the rise of taxes/benefits is causing a lot of people to cut back on spending. But I have noticed people getting creative, maybe there is a blog you can pair up with for a giveaway/raffle. Good luck, I hope things pick up soon!

[Former_Member]

I would start researching marketing off-site. Do you have and use a Facebook page? Blog? Instagram? Twitter? Pinterest? Those are all huge tools for marketing and drive a LOT of traffic for a lot of people. Priceless tools--and they're all free. I looked for a link to your Facebook but couldn't find one apart from the "like" button under your banner, but I'm not sure I'd like to see the page before liking it. Maybe start adding links to other sites throughout your shop--in the shop announcement and policies at the very least. And then regularly be posting quality content for potential customers. If you don't have a blog, get one. If you don't have an Instagram, get one. If you don't have a Twitter, start tweeting!

Remember that jewelry is a VERY saturated market on Etsy (and elsewhere) so you have to work extra hard to stand out or you're just going to get lost in the crowd.

I took a look at your listings, though, and I'm not confident in your SEO. The rule of thumb is usually that the first three words are the most likely to be picked up by search engines and thus need to be the most relevant.

This one, for example: https://www.etsy.com/listing/126906561/copper-wire-wrapped-green-glass-earings?ref=shop_home_active

"Copper wire wrapped green glass earings - wire wrapped dangle earrings - green glass beaded earrings"

How likely do you think it is that someone looking for that kind of earrings is going to type in "copper wire wrapped"? I'd edit that to be "Green Glass Earrings - Copper Wire Wrapped Beaded Jewelry." A lot of the words in your titles are incredibly redundant. Putting "earrings" in your title three times isn't going to make it more relevant. "Wire wrapped" and "green glass" doesn't need to be in there more than once, either. It's just redundant and not only is it not useful, but it might be off-putting to potential buyers.

I also noticed that at the end of your listing you put "Thanks for looking!" I would cut that entirely. "Thanks for looking" implies that they're just looking. Your goal is to steer your customer toward the SALE, not just checking out your items. You don't want them window shopping, you want them making the purchase. "Thanks for looking" makes me feel like it's time to move on rather than close the deal. It's a nice thought, but I don't think it's helping.

Hope that helps a bit. Good luck and keep working on your shop! Etsy shops are kind of like babies--they need constant attention to grow but it's worth it!

[Former_Member]

Just joined this team, and doing a bit of eavesdropping. Really impressed by the QUALITY of this advice - very helpful: I have a 5 point To Do list as a result! Thanks.

[Former_Member]

Liz, if you have any questions, feel free to message me. I'm by no means a pro, but I'd love to help.

[Former_Member]

I tend to come across quite blunt and rude when I try to help shops ( i hate typing out books so i tend to keep it quick), I wrote a blog article including all the points I normally mention shop sellers to take a look at. If you wish to read it - convo me as I normally get yelled at for posting URLS. :(

[decembermoondesign]

Laura,
You already know that your shop is one of my favorites :)

The only thing I would change, is to remove the Valentines tags on this listing, and add a few color related bracelet tags.

Like;
pink bracelet
pink wire wrapped

March has been a slow month for many of us :)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/122596989/memory-wire-beaded-bracelet-valentine?ref=shop_home_feat

[Former_Member]

TVP i guess.

[philosophias]

I sell some of the same things you do and I will try my hardest to give advice, although I am not sure of the exact formula for success or what it costs in time/money to make your items. When people shop on Etsy, they are looking for any combination of:
A good price
A good quality
Their style
A seller they can relate to
Positive feedback/lots of sales to give them buying confidence

They also may not search through all the items of its kind before they make a decision. If something pops up on the first page of searches, they may go I LOVE THAT! And not look much further. So your dilemma is to get found in searches. Try to play with titles and tags until you find something that works. I had a hard time with this myself so I cannot help you much here. It is sometimes something you have to play with yourself until it miraculously works.

I have found that with my shop a cohesive style has worked in my benefit. I use mostly earthy colors and all natural stones without anything flashy. That is my particular style. In your shop, I see a lot of beautiful items that do not go together. I see some sparkly faceted glass beads next to some more earthy stones. If someone sees something they sort of like in a search, they will probably go to your shop to find more. But if there is no sense of cohesiveness to your shop, they may click out of your shop in a matter of seconds.

The last thing, and recognize that you don't have to take my advice, is price. In my work, I have found that it takes a little extra time to get the bracelet started paired with extra money for the button for a one wrap. But once I have a bracelet going for a multi-wrap, I don't have that extra cost of the button or extra time to get it set up and started for each additional wrap. It looks like your prices are pretty straightforward - $20 for a 1 wrap, $40 for a 2 wrap, and $60 for a three wrap. But you may want to consider lowering prices for multi-wraps. Make sure you log the time it takes to make each one and have a system for pricing that takes into account cost of supplies and time and you should be able to price accordingly. Customers, unless they fall in love with your designs (which some undoubtedly do) may be asking themselves why they should pay $60 for a 3 wrap when they can buy a similar 5 wrap for $50 elsewhere, unless you have a really good story backing you or excellent feedback or a lot of sales to boost confidence. This may not be the best course of action, but I have been raising prices ever since I started selling as buyer confidence rises.

Hope I helped. Wish you luck!

[PiecesofMeCardsnMore]

Not to be a killjoy, but your gift box upgrade listing is not allowed on Etsy.

From the Etsy Do's and Don'ts:
A listing must not be conditional upon the purchase of another listing in your shop (for example: saying "this item may only be purchased along with another item in my shop" is not allowed). This includes listings for item upgrades, shipping upgrades and gift wrapping upgrades.

[Former_Member]

Thank you All for your help! Changing titles and prices, adding colors, removing Valentines (oops, thought I had them all!!) Links to other free sites and even the box listing (another oops!) Are all great advice! Thanks again! Laura

[Former_Member]

Make a short 2 to 3 minute video of what you do then post it to youtube .You can post your shop link also on youtube in the description box. Make it open to the public but you might want to make it so they can't leave comments. You can do that.

The economy has really slowed down selling everywhere. Even though your items are quality and you hand make them, and labor is time consuming, people will still say "i can get a glass beaded bracelet like that a lot cheaper at Walmart." Your price point is very important in getting sales. Jewelry is everywhere and you have tons of competition, including Ebay. Since one can't see what past sales are in any items that have sold on Etsy to give the seller an idea, go into ebay and you can see what they sell for. You click "advanced" at the top right of the home page, then at the top under "enter keywords....." you type in what you want there, then under 'search including" in bold black print click the tiny box that says "completed listings" next to it.....then scroll down to the bottom where it says "results per page" and click 200 in the drop down menu then click "Search" in the bright blue box. The prices in GREEN are what sold. Ebay is also a great guide in knowing how to find a good price point.

Don't ever be on the high end of pricing or your sales will suffer. Even on Etsy most people are looking for a bargain and quality, but bargain comes first in many cases, not all. Thats just how it is.

Maybe temporarily, drop your prices way down for now to where you can still make some profit, then when it picks up, raise them slowly.

I was a Power Seller on Ebay for 12 yrs, and photos, detailed descriptions, and a low price gets you everywhere. Most people will click "lowest price" in the drop down menu and go from there. Make sure when they do, you are within the first 3 to 5 pages on Etsy search for the type of jewelry you sell, or close to it. If you end up on a page way down the line, you have lost your buyers.

Whatever you think works. Good luck to you.

[AttentionGetting]

Some of your products have that boho chic feel. Try adding 'Coachella" to your tags. It is a popular music festival in California in April where fashion plays a big role and everyone dresses very boho and indie. I have already seen several Coachella inspired inspiration boards popping up on the main fashion blogs. It is also a searched term here on Etsy. It's another avenue to explore.

[Former_Member]

Kathy, thanks for the advice. My prices have been steadily inclining, predominately since I live on a resort island. But maybe I have priced myself out.. I just lowered my highest priced items...and may do more. Thanks again!

GB. I have never heard of Coachella, but am game! Thanks!!