Etsy search results giving flower crowns instead of wreaths...

[TheWonkyFox]

We're in the run up to Christmas, and under Etsy's Christmas wreaths 25% off category is mainly a sea of summery floral crowns. The kind you might wear to a summer festival... or wedding... Nothing to do with Christmas wreaths.
On page 1 of my search results I can only see 3 actual wreaths.
THREE!!?
And all of them are AUTUMN wreaths, not Christmas ones.
What a mess.
I've tried a few times today, on both desktop and app, and still getting predominantly floral crowns. Tonnes of them. (I've never wanted nor looked for a floral crown in my life, so this has nothing to do with personalisation) 

No wonder people are saying sales are down. Etsy, sort it out?! It's the peak period for shopping and you're asleep at the wheel??

Are the results as bad for other people?
Is there a way to report website bugs? This needs fixing, badly...

[audreytherese]

What are you actually searching for? I just put in 'winter wreaths' and that's all I got back in my search results. 

And I have looked for crowns before, the summery floral ones you are describing, so if anything I'd think the personalization would be showing those to me, not you. But I see not a single one. 

Even if I only put in just 'wreaths' at least half the results are winter themed, then maybe 30% fall, and 20% would be other. Still no summery floral crowns. 

[After9Marbles]

wait a minute...your saying that you typed something into the etsy search bar and and it gave you something close and maybe even exactly what you asked for. Maybe just maybe they fixed search? 

[audreytherese]

So, it's funny. Yes, when I put 'winter wreaths' into the general search, I got exactly, and only, that. 

I did go back and clicked on the 'shop early holiday deals' and then selected the 'holiday wreaths' category, and that was a different story. Now it was still all winter themed, still no flowery crowns, but in that search results I got a lot more sweaters. A lot more. Which I could have understood a little more if they had actual wreaths printed on them, but they don't (technically 1 did). They're still winter themed, but no idea why they're coming up under the holiday wreaths. 

So, depending on where I searched, I did get the results I was looking for. Definitely wouldn't say this one experience would be enough to be convinced that search is fixed, but my search results were pretty darn relevant. 

[TheWonkyFox]

Its their 'curated' Early Christmas Deals section I'm talking about... not a search result. They have a section to browse the sale by category, and I believe its all populated with Etsy Pick items. The wreath category is the hot mess I'm looking at. 

[audreytherese]

Sorry, your post title saying 'Etsy search results' had me thinking it was in regard to search results. My bad. 

Though I do agree their curated holiday sections are a mess. Although I'm still only seeing holiday themed items, even if under the wrong category. 

[ThePurplePuppy]

Isn't that exactly what our  "kindly" CEO is aiming for. Not what we want but what they THINK we want.

[PlatypusDream]

I searched for "Christmas wreath".

The top row is populated by Shien wreaths - one is one I saw last year in over 10 Etsy shops using the same photos at a teeny tiny price. I recognize that giant red swirl candy in the middle and white door. This year I can count the same wreath in four different Etsy shops using identical photos.  They're still at it!

Down from it is another recognizable factory wreath on Aliexpress, Walmart and Amazon. In the listing itself I see the same wreath in 3 other shops using identical photos.

Etsy wreath shopping is a fvcking joke.

No floral headdresses, however...?

[TheWonkyFox]

Sorry if I wasn't clear.... Its their 'curated' Early Christmas Deals section I'm talking about... not a search result. They have a section to browse the sale by category, and I believe its all populated with Etsy Pick items. The wreath 25% off category is the hot mess I'm looking at.... Todays offering for me includes Hannukah decorations  & wildflower wedding invitiations.... Oh, and chicken tshirts.

[LanaLuckyFinds]

The Etsy Pick person is probably on vacation and there's nobody to pick winter stuff, so they showcase fall themed items. That would be my only guess.

[SewlyButtons]

I went to the 25% off section and selected "holiday wreaths"...  Didn't see a single floral crown. Wreaths and then some non-wreath but definitely Xmas related items.
I also just did a generic search for Christmas wreath, without navigating thru the 25% off section.... and just got Xmas wreaths.

[TheWonkyFox]

I wonder what % of people are getting random stuff like I am. 
I just checked again today and there's fewer floral crowns, but there's chicken tshirts, wildflower wedding invites, lots of candles and cushions, fairy door, tree ornaments, garlands... its a hot mess. I've got more wreath shaped jewellery bits than actual wreaths on the first page. Soooo random

[ZehOriginalArt]

There may be testing going on which could explain the difference in what people are seeing. Etsy is always testing something. The CEO said he wants a "conversation" rather than relevant search. So perhaps the floral crowns are trying to converse with you?

[GlassyFields]

a conversation ... in response to a search? someone needs to check their coffee

If I want a conversation I'll call a friend ... not type in search criteria

[TheWonkyFox]

I think my response to this convo with Josh should be "Go home, you're drunk"

[BriarMoonBeads]

Imagine going into a shop saying 'hello I need to buy a Christmas wreath' and they reply with 'it's autumn! Get a flower crown and be a harvest bride. also I have candles! Wanna buy a clock? It's purple OH here's a skull ring...'

These 'gift guides' have ADHD worse than I do.

[MouseGarden]

Today I was checking one of my photos with Google and found some of my winter knitted garter stitch scarves on a Etsy market page entitled scarlet garter, with an entire page of lacy garters.  

[CraftyCornishMaids]

I searched for "christmas wreath" and the whole first page , apart from 3, were Christmas wreaths, even the ads

the 3 that weren't, were christmas wreath making kits, so I don't think that's too bad.

[TheWonkyFox]

Ah, I'm not talking about a fresh search like some of you are doing... I'm referring to Etsy's own curated "Early Christmas Deals" section which they have very prominent.... On the app, I think it was on the main home page... On the desktop it's under the banner at the top "early christmas deals" and was on one of the main landing pages too... it has 18 categories relating to their Christmas early / Cyber sale event. Second category is "Wreaths: 25% off"
It's all Etsy pick items... its a sea of random stuff for me.

Last night it was almost all floral crowns. Today, I'm getting a hodge podge of Pumpkins, candles, tshirts, cushions, floral crowns, garlands, fairy doors, xmas tree ornaments and the occasional wreath... Or things that aren't wreaths but have a wreath printed on it ... eg, wedding invitation with a wreath picture on it)... or a dove suncatcher that's holding a leaf, so I guess that's er... represents a bit of a wreath, stolen for a nest?

It's... bad... When this is meant to be 'etsy pick' and therefore curated to some extent. Not at all what you'd want to wade through if you wanted something for a door.
I know Etsy has been experimenting with broadening search results, but this is bizarre imho

[BriarMoonBeads]

Ok here we go:

signed in, location US - misc Christmas, about 30% actually wreaths, other stuff is largely Christmas

location to UK - pretty much a flower crown festival (very dominated by one shop) with some other misc, maybe 10% actual Christmas

location to AU - more Christmas but again random stuff, a good 40% is just shops on sale that seem to be using the word 'floral'... maybe because I actually clicked on a floral crown to check the tags? Then you would think it'd just give me more of a selection of crowns...

Time to go incognito!

AU location - random Christmas, about 40% floral-based, bit of non-Christmas, maybe 6 wreaths

UK location - pretty solidly Christmas, a good portion of wreaths but not as many as you would expect, feels like a rubbish selection.

US location - mostly wreaths, some other Christmas stuff, easily the most respectable result but not great given it's a gift-guide

Looks like the problems I had were mostly down to not being in the US (localization effect) and the fact they're just using 'wreath' as a search term and not 'Christmas wreath' which a sane person would choose. So any shop that converts well in the UK or AU market who's on sale with 'wreath' as a keyword is getting chucked in there.

Can we also conclude florals are a hot trend for Christmas? Or perhaps that so many wreaths have floral as a keyword that the AI has come to see it as relevant to the search?

Whatever the case, how is it that hard to code a bot to fill the page with wreaths from the Christmas category that are 25% off?? if any customer is not interested in browsing it's someone who's deliberately chosen to see the wreath department. I got dragged through the whole store instead.

Perhaps the most pathetic thing is - if I search 'Christmas wreath' and then click the 'on sale' filter I get fantastic results. Sigh.