Etsy "tests"

[TheSandbar]

What are your thoughts on all of the "tests" Etsy has been doing on our shops?



Are you a fan? If so, what parts of the changes do you like and why?

Not a fan of the "tests"? If not, why not?

Are you noticing any declines/increases in business during the "tests"?

[TheSandbar]

Personally, I understand Etsy is looking for the latest and greatest ideas for improving the Etsy experience for both buyers and sellers. However, I am not a fan of many of the changes they keep "testing" on my shop.

Likes:
1) A while ago Etsy tested a new feature that allowed buyers/sellers to view more than 24 items at a time in shop's and searches. I loved this! Especially when looking in larger shops, searching for those special items wasn't so many clicks away.

Dislikes:
1) Removal of shop banner/announcement. Many shops have put time & money into designing their banners/announcements. It ads a welcoming hint of personification to each shop...like a welcome mat. (I feel bad for those shops who rely on the sales of their digital banner artwork)

2) Removal of the ability to "rearrange" your shop. My shop has many differing listings, I like to present my listings in a cohesive manner.

3) Displaying our home page as sections.

Overall I am not a huge fan of the tests being done.

[Hairfetti]

My homepage on pc view is currently undergoing tests ..I hate not being able to rearrange my shop, plus I like the cozy feel of actually viewing many items at a time- right now ppl see only a sampling of my offerings in each category.

And my shop header iisn't accessible on the test page which means my announcement about offering dance companies discounts, or other notices is totally unseen :(

I DO like that they have 2 detailed, 5 star reviews easily seen on my shop

[Fleeceofnature]

Everything is happening so quickly! Everyday there seems to be something new! I don't like the dashboard....seems a lot of steps before you can see your shop activity!

[Former_Member]

I have been away for so long I did not quite notice except for that all of my statistical data has been broken up to two pages. I did prefer it at a glance on one page, but I can either take it or leave it. I will have to get more acclimated in the weeks to come.

[CarmelasCoastalCraft]

I don't like all the changes. It's hard enough creating, taking photos and editing, listing etc and to have to deal with constant change I nerve wracking for me. If it works, don't fix it. They should make changes that save us time...
I am not crazy about the dashboard either Barbara. I really liked it when they listed more items per page...great for shops with lots of items. I wish they would make it 50 items per page for people with 200 or more items in the shop

[TheSandbar]

I really like that idea Carmela! A while back they "tested" something similar...I think it was 48 items a page. I LOVED it!! And all the forums I saw regarding it...there were only positive comments. I haven't seen them make any similar adjustments since though :/

[3GCraftsandCreations]

I actually had a hard time navigating my way around after the changes. Still trying to get use to it.

[TheSandbar]

Good luck Tammy! I've been randomly selected to be part of the tests a minimum of 5 times a week....each time the "test" is slightly different. I end up getting so frustrated I just wait until my shop is back to it's original state, before I make any significant changes or new listings.

[Hairfetti]

I Do think that on a mobile phone, the shop is a normal (non-test) view, so at least that helps!

My friend from another team says her sales go WAY up during test periods, but my views have been almost half of what they usually are. (Boo! )

[Former_Member]

I don't like new changes ETSY made to the shop appearance.

New design makes people to do too many unnecessary clicks! It's annoying.

I feel totally frustrated and dissapointed. Today I discovered another selling site, which is more friendly to sellers - it has banners and more nice features to express individuality of my shop.

[Former_Member]

My shop is included in ETSY-test. I don't want it to be included. I sent mesages to Etsy asking to disconnect my shop from this testing. They refused. ;-(

[Former_Member]

I don't like the changes, specifically: the loss of my banner, and the ability to rearrange my shop. Also, I think it is unfair of etsy not to give us an "opt-out" option, for those of us who don't want to be guinea pigs in their tests! I too, requested to be removed from the tests, and have gotten ZERO responses from etsy, even though I've now sent 5 emails to them, including their surveys. They really don't care what we think. I also think that we should be able to CHOOSE the reviews that are highlighted. What happens if the one highlighted is not a good one? That could really hurt some shops...especially since it wouldn't show the shop's response. Very poor planning on etsy's part.