Choosing and Using Pattern

[RareJuleVintage]

Hi everyone!

I have been selling on Etsy for a decade and considering getting Pattern!
What do you think are the pros and cons?
How is it in terms of support?
Is it possible to include an Instagram feed (not just a link!)?

So far, my research has unearthed a bunch of negative to meh responses as to this product. What say you who are heavy users? Many thanks.

Julia
RareJule Vintage

[romaarellano]

Hi Julia, until I'm able to dedicate time and money to transferring everything over to a shopify site, the Pattern option is the easiest for me. I can quickly co-list on Etsy and Pattern, and for items that are Pattern only, I understanding the editor interface. I'm just too busy to pick up a new site, but that's on my list for the near future, as Pattern is limited. But my sales are picking up and I love having a domain that I can promote, and for that Pattern fits the bill.

[stufforama]

I personally signed up for Pattern as I also sell items that don't qualify Etsy's TOS. My initial thought is that I could link my Etsy to Pattern so if I sold from one and not the other, the inventory would synchronize. I was hoping that because of Etsy's presence, that I would also get Google priority in the search engines. That being said, it is very limiting. There is an entire thread of "wish lists" that Pattern doesn't offer. https://community.etsy.com/t5/Pattern-Users-Support-Group/Pattern-Wish-List/gpm-p/128109589#M354 

That plus the fact that since the launch, Etsy has not put any effort into updating or maintaining Pattern. It's the red-headed stepchild of Etsy. I get the feeling that they will either do a major revamp, or drop it entirely. It appears the latter before the former. For the same price of Etsy Plus and Pattern, I could get a much more dynamic website from Shopify, or even Square. My only caveat is that Etsy already has the reputation and priority Google search presence.

In terms of support, it is very difficult to get a timely response to issues or problems. They tend to direct you towards email with then hits you back with an automated response that usually has nothing to do with the original question.

As far as the Instagram feed, you can only link your instagram to the header/footer. You can set up a gallery page, but you would have to manually enter each photo.

[funkydreamsmosaics]

As @stufforama pointed out, the syncing of inventory is a breeze, and having all your orders in one location is nice.

But I feel like I keep running into the limitations of Pattern and am bothered that Etsy barely acknowledges it anymore.  There are rumors that one of their recent acquisitions had a similar setup, so they might put some of that tech into Pattern, but that's purely speculation at this point.

There was a time when there seemed to be no one in Support that had a clue about Pattern.  That seems to have improved a bit.  But the support still appears to be slow.

I got onto Pattern with the idea that it was a launching board, a way for me to have my website without too much extra work.  And if that's what you're going for, I still don't think it is a bad place to start.  Maybe it will be enough for you to stay with it.  But think about what you want to get out of your website, and then, with that in mind, compare all of your options.