Etsy CEO Confirms - Expect A SLOW Traffic Summer
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- Josh Silverman has confirmed that Q2 on Etsy is expected to be slow. Here are a few ways that Etsy sellers can prepare for low traffic.
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▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00 - Intro
00:58 - Why 2024 will be especially slow
02:30 - How to USE the summer slump
03:28 - How to maintain traffic in your own Etsy shop
04:58 - Resources to help you through the summer
#Etsy #EtsyNews #HandmadeAlphas
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📅 Free 2024 Etsy Marketing Calendars PDF: bit.ly/2024EtsyCalendar
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rank Higher on Etsy with this 5-Star Strategy: www.AlphaSugar.com
🎓 COACHING: Enrollment for my complete Etsy Training Program, the Handmade Alpha Academy, begins June 14th. Learn more about the program and get notified when doors open: www.joinHAA.com
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My sales have increased - surprisingly. Thanks to Etsy's abandoned cart system. Although it's 10% discount, customer sales have increased. Plus, I have revamped & updated photos and listing descriptions. Thanks to me for watching your videos & implementing ideas from your videos
This is so good to hear. 99% of the stories I here from sellers are bad and I think it's because sellers need to vent their frustrations - but it definitely causes fatigue and a heavy heart on most days. Hearing the occasional happy story helps so much. What do you sell? Is is an item that is summer/spring oriented?
@@StarlaMoore I sell faith based products, and a portion goes to my nonprofit to heal trauma and PTSD through the arts. An 82-year-old veteran helps me make the products. Some of the products, the profits go 100% to him. People want to buy products that are also helping a cause.
A real selling venue has No Influence on our business. That's the Dif. We're at the helm.
Etsy is super slow for me this year. Compared to this time last year, traffic and sales are down 30%, with the conversion rate staying around 3%. Fun fact - I start my shop in July 2022 with just 2 products and had 5 figure months already in the following "slow season" (Q1/Q2 2023). Now with 66 (!!) products, I can hardly match the success of the previous year. It's really strange at the moment. I'm still in "observer mode" and just wondering.
But I have noticed one thing: I have products from the wedding stationery segment. visits/sales always go down when special holidays are coming up. That is, Mother's Day/Father's Day, Valentine's Day, etc. I feel like during these times, Etsy is pulling the general advertising budget and putting it specifically into these events (which I don't cover). From an investor's perspective, it feels like there's not enough money this year, so Etsy management must be running a very tight budget. Is it concerning or just a "slower" year?
Unfortunately only time and data will tell. I'm holding out for the 2024 Q4 investors report because it will be our clearest indication of how concerned we should be. If people aren't shopping during the gifting season, we'll know that there is a larger issue, likely tied to Etsy's overall consumer credibility. Since obviously they've already destroyed their credibility with sellers. If they scare away buyers too, we may begin seeing alternatives like GoImagine rise. I'll actually be creating some GoImagine content in the next few weeks. I've been meeting with their CEO and his mission is wonderful. I'd love to see sellers have more options.
Ty for letting us know about this slump for years. I don’t let it stress me anymore. I actually look forward to slowing down for a minute. 😘
I almost spit my drink out of my mouth laughing when you said you were dancing to no music. Love it. Thanks for continuing to be a voice of sense and reason!
I thought about cutting the music so everyone could watch me dance in silence. 😂
This reminder about the Summer Slump came just when I needed it! ❤
I was a top 1% Etsy seller almost ten years ago and quit my day job, highered employees, and was doing really well. Then our family moved to Europe in 2019 for my hobby's job and I had to close my shop because of multiple factors due to the move, shipping issues and inventory storage. I figured I'd jump right back into Etsy in 2023 when we got back to the U.S. but since I've opened my shop back up it's been slow. Maybe just 100 sales per month. Etsy has changed so much since 2019. Fees have doubled, they basically force you to offer free shipping, shipping costs are higher now, too. And there are so many Chinese sellers. It just isn't what it used to be. 🤷♀️
🤣 Loved your outro! Great vid, thank you, Starla! Summer is a great time to clean up listings, strengthen the SEO and update photos--WHILE adding new listings so when traffic returns everything is fresh! Just keep dancing (with or without music...)!!
Exactly!!! Dancing will always put you in a better mood. I dance around my house all day just to see how the animals respond.... which they usually do by leaving the room. 🤣
Repeat customers has kept sales at the same rate as last year. Prices were raised last Summer to offset Etsy fees and customers didn't bat an eye. I think a lot of it comes down to having something that's original and also if it's copied, yours still stands out because the quality is better.
Joiner's Handcrafted
Woodcarving
I just saw a report from CNBC, and half of Etsy's customers only shop once a year. With that low of a turn out of shoppers, Etsy is not as great as we all think it is.
EXCELLENT advice! 🔥🔥🔥 Thanks so much for this. 🌻
Etsy has been dead already this year sadly. And they changed the views/visits to where it doesn’t even show what people click on.
Wait... whaaaat? Where did you see this? I haven't heard anything about it.
That's not true actually
Yeah, I can't find anything at all. Could it maybe be a bug that is specifically affecting your account,
@morgannwilliams967 ?
@@StarlaMoore I can see what items are viewed
I just have to say that you're awesome! I am having the worst week so thank you for making me laugh. I love your dance at the end :)
I did the dance once as a joke and now I have to forever dance at the end of every video so my viewers don't yell at me. 😂
Love your shirt Starla! Sun/Moon/Stars are my jam.
Channeling my inner 90s kid. I remember my mom always had celestial bed sheets with moons and stars.
This is a slow time for the stock market too. Investors have the whole "sell in May and go away" adage. So it's not just Etsy. Thanks for the great tips on staying productive.🙏
Oh yeah, I'm noticing the same. Summer is always a bad time for business (unless you're in the vacation industry, lol). Sadly, new sellers just don't have the experience yet to know this. It takes a few years.
I always choose this for a time to pre up my store for sales later in the fall. Time to get things done. No sales but new products can be made. because fall holidays will be busy. great advice. Super busy and enjoying my summer too.
My business on Etsy is up 500% this year. I focused on new products and new designs. Everyone seems to want to sell whatever everyone else is selling. That’s a really bad idea.
Hi, are you on digital products?
@@leyanejoycalma9693 No. Physical products surprisingly.
Congrats! Yes, thinking outside the box and coming up with new innovative products can be great because it makes you stand out from the other shops. It sounds like you found a niche with a great customer base!
@@StarlaMoore Yes. I’m so grateful. Focus on helping others, good customer service, and high quality products.
I definitely dig your teaching style!
I appreciate that!
I was on 300-400 views a day, maybe 10 - 15 sales a day. Last week it just stopped and dropped to 40 views a day max and maybe 1 or 2 sales.
Yup same for me
I suspect that you're seeing the start of the slope. I tend to see sales plummet RIGHT when kids are out of school for the summer. My child's last day was today so I'm expecting a pretty dramatic traffic decrease over the next few weeks for most industries.
@@StarlaMoorethat makes sense. This is my first real year on Etsy Pod and it’s pretty scary since I didn’t know if it was something I did or not doing and how to fix this. Thank you for your video and explanation as this helps realize it’s not just me
As the years go by, it's something you'll notice more and more. I remember I PANICKED my first year (waaaay back in 2012) because I thought Etsy had just died. 😂 The summer slump is definitely worse than it's ever been but social media marketing and external traffic helps a ton!
Excellent assessment !!
Thanks for watching
Love your videos Starla- this thing still work? It sounds so time consuming and cost effective!
Is still worth it to even start up an etsy shop ? Debating on this right now as there seems to be so much churn with shops being suspended.
For me, sales were down after January (expected) but they were consistent with 20 orders each in February and March. They picked up in April and May looks to be at least as good, if not better. I posted in the eRank FB group about how I went 6 days without a sale just a week ago but traffic is basically back to normal for me.
This will be my first full summer since starting my shop 13 months ago. Last year, May thru July, was a "getting started" period so I can't really use those numbers as a comparison for this year. Last August was a breakout month for me and things have gone well since then. We'll see where things stand at the end of this August.
I'm actually hoping to have some extra time to make a bunch of my jack o' lanterns that I can have ready to sell at a local pop-up market at the end of September. We'll see how that goes though. If I average 20 sales a month, I should be good to go. 30 a month will be an indication that things have gone really well for me, slow summer notwithstanding, and I'll have to skip the market.
I don’t even bother paying for ads till the middle of August. It really doesn’t make a difference and just a waste of money. My months are September till mid-January. Those usually cover me for the year. My customers are big on cozy vibes.
Oh yeah! Not even the BIG businesses spend money on ads during the summer! Save up that budget for cozy season!
lol you are too funny at the end . but yes very goood info TY
I have no rcvd any order since 2 month
I started last January as a POD seller. Didn't have much traction until around September. Hit 100 sales in November. Wasn't sure what to expect after Q4, but have been pleasanty surprised. Set a monthly record for revenue & profit every month this year. May was actually on track to do the same, fewer sales than April but a much higher order value so far. However just a few days ago things definitely seemed to have started shifting. I think I'm looking over the edge of the summer cliff dropoff lol. That's fine though, I'm grateful my second year has gone as well as it has so far 🙏 Almost at 400 sales now. Average order value just over $107 for this year. I got lazy with putting out new listings the last couple months. At 120 right now, I want to double down on Halloween stuff as that's where I started getting traction last year.
Sorry for writing a damn novel LOL
Thanks for your input. I started a month ago. What would you do differently if you had to start over? I'm all ears and want to soak up wisdom. Thanks in advance
@@valentingarcia709 for me personally it was a product switch that helped. Started with mainly shirts and a couple of canvas art prints. I was noticing that when running ads on shirts I just could barely get any visibility. I felt I had some really nice designs too. I noticed the canvas art was getting more ad views, even though research numbers would indicate that that is very saturated as well. I ditched shirts completely in September and focused solely on canvas prints and finally got around to listing a bunch more. Far fewer headaches with print issues and much higher profits per sale.
Also I had a couple designs that would get tons of favorites but no sales. I finally just got a friend to buy one and leave a review. That one then started to sell and got great organic reviews after.
Spent a bunch of money on ads last year, operated in the red overall until probably October. I barely spend on them anymore but I feel like they helped with getting shop traction even if they weren't very profitable, so I don't really regret that.
@@valentingarcia709I wrote a long reply and swear it said it submitted but I don't see it 😢
Thanks for sharing! Question for you, Starla: Major retailers decrease ads budget during the summer months. Do you recommend that Etsy Sellers also decrease their ads budgets during slow months? Makes sense to lower it and raise it again in fall, but I'm not sure if that would hurt Etsy ranking too much.
I definitely would. If traffic is lower, overspending on ads isn't going to "create" traffic. So it's not a great time to spend. No worries about ranking though because the ads algorithm is completely separate from your organic rank. Ads have their own algorithm that, unfortunately, Etsy doesn't share much about.
@@StarlaMoore Appreciate you! Very helpful!
I dont think its dead. It just depends on what your selling. They are though picking higher sellers with less problems and higher reviews to give the sells too. They are surpressing sellers they prefer not to cover etsy protection issues they prefer seller with better reviews. They are trying to save money.
Well this isn't happy news. My sales have shrunk to virtually nothing (I've had but a single order in 2024). I'm teetering on the brink of shutting it down.
No mine just started to pick up after this crap year 😭
I actually made my first 2 Etsy sales this week! lol hopefully that’s not it until the Holidays
My sales have increased, but its winter here in Australia so the summer slump was earlier for me.
Ah, that makes sense!
my daily sales have went from at least 3-10 sales to 0 💀 legit haven't had 1 order come through in the last 2 days
Same but I'm always slow this time of year and I don't start picking up until August and then from August all the way through April I'm pretty steady but honestly I turned off all of my ads in all four of my shops and I still get sales so not sure if the ads are even worth it at this point
Our sales have been slow as well, but this is what I expect around this time of year. Definitely not a great time to spend a ton of money on ads.
Is the handmade alpha appropriate for selling off etsy also? I’ve done a bunch of etsy research and am a long time seller but am interested in the neuro marketing part, and also some of the guidance for social and email funnels etc. I sell on etsy and Shopify, mostly pod, I’m transitioning out of mostly handmade.
Soooo.... foundationally, as of right now, we do not advertise HAA as being anything other than an Etsy course because around 25% of the program (Etsy SEO, shop set-up, etc) will only be applicable to Etsy sellers. And I'd hate to see anyone pay for a program only for 75% to be applicable. BUT most sellers do use the content they learn from HAA on other platforms, as well as their standalone websites. With HAA being more heavily focused on the marketing, funnel building, and consumer psychology side of business, these concepts are not constricted to a single platform. They are universally applicable. So as an Etsy seller with plans to vend elsewhere, you'd be getting a decent amount of content that can be applied anywhere. Students have applied the consumer psychology side of HAA to brick and mortar stores, a "dog deli" in Hawaii, a massage therapy office, and even my own VA used HAA to build a book publishing business.
Also, in 2025, I plan to do a bit of restructuring. HAA will still have the "Etsy" aspect, but we also plan to make the content more universal so that it is positioned as being applicable no matter where you sell.
And all students will receive these updates.
I'm also working with Jon Lincoln, CEO of GoImagine, to create a bonus section for US-based handmade sellers who are interested in pioneering his platform - which is essentially a new Etsy alternative. So HAA students will also have the ability to communicate with him if they are interested in selling on GoImagine.
A long response to a short question but I hope this covers everything!
Feel free to email me at starla@handmadealphaacademy.com if you have any additional questions! UA-cam's comment notifications suck and will only show me your "first" comment but not subsequent comments within this thread.
@@StarlaMoore thanks Starla, appreciate your channel as an OG for etsy
Isn't it funny that Etsy's sale figures dropped around the same time their acceptance of Alibaba resellers, dropshippers, and other non-handmade sellers while charging sellers more and almost randomly banning sellers have become more generally known across the Internet...? Hmm.... Sure, there are seasonal variations, but c'mon, read the writing on the wall....
So... a few notes here, because this isn't really a factual statement. It's an observation but it's missing a lot of key information. Etsy doesn't accept Alibaba resellers. They never have.. They've just "outgrown their britches" and have lost their ability to regulate their platform due to the millions of new sellers who have joined over the last few years. Firing 250 employees right before the holidays certainly didn't help. But Etsy IS removing these drop shippers. I know this because I have several 100 of their sob stories in my inbox at any given time, begging me to help them get their shops restored. It only takes a few minutes of research, in most cases, to find their exact items on popular drop shipping platforms - and yes, occasionally we see sellers who have had the photos of their genuine handmade items stolen.... but this isn't a majority of cases that we see. Etsy's head of customer support confirmed that they use an automated system for deactivations and right now, while it IS helping to clean the platform, it's also "cleaning" sellers who are legit and who do not deserve to be deactivated.
What you've said about Etsy charging new sellers is absolutely correct though! I can't tell you how many emails and comments I've received from sellers who have paid the new $15 set-up fee only to immediately be deactivated. Some even assume it's a mistake, try again (and pay again) only to be suspended...again. Which is why GMS is down BUT Etsy's overall profits are up. That is a HUGE red flag. Etsy will fire employees, increase fees, and do whatever they can to ensure that THEIR bottom dollar doesn't drop, and it is coming at the expense of their sellers and community trust. We have a great video covering the Q! investors report if you haven't seen it yet! ua-cam.com/video/fSmycsdEosw/v-deo.html
Usually now is my slow season and July is usually pretty good. I hope this year July is still good for me. The only months I seem to do well is January, February and July. I sell supplies. But with Etsy lately, who knows.
Ah, supplies make sense. Especially if other businesses are buying them for their own projects and businesses. Your buyers may be gearing up for their own holidays.
What About the Wedding Business?
My best season used to be the summer months, but now it feels like my wedding accessories might only be appreciated by me...
I just did a quick search for "wedding" in eRank and it looks like searches have dropped dramatically for wedding related items as of last June. BUT search volumes have maintained between 20,000-30,000 average monthly searches since then. Last month, weddings had an average of 25,770 searches - which isn't bad. It's just a dramatic decline from last June when searches were peaking at 133,940. But who knows. Maybe we will see a nice spike this June as well.
The only major dip since last year was in December, which is understandable.
Hi,can i really make a full income from etsy pod shirts store? And also digital download store on etsy?
There are sellers that have an Etsy shop or shops as their full time job. However, it takes a lot of time and effort, and there is no guarantee. It depends on the niche you select, the market, and many other things.
We did it Joe
No politics please. 🙃 They only lead to arguments that I have to spend my time moderating.
August was always a super busy month. I don't know about thisw year. September is usually a slower month for me.
It sounds like you have something that is popular at the end of summer! What do you sell?
@@StarlaMoore jewelry actually, but unfortunately this was my worst year since 2008. So, I don't have my hopes up, since nothing seems to work this year.... Since 2024 started my shops took a dive -45%
My revenue is up 10% from last year, so far quite good year. I hope this lasts😊
Ooooh! This is awesome to hear!!! What do you sell? Is it something seasonally specific?
How can increase my sell?
Be sure that you are using social media to drive your own traffic to your Etsy shop. Have you tried out my free 30-day Instagram Challenge? You can find it here: bit.ly/EtsyAlphaFreebies
It's a great way to get started and/or get organized with social media. It gives you ideas about what to post and when. Some Alphas just use the 30 day layout over and over again for their social media postings.
It’s hard to stay motivated when nothing is selling. I just ran across a video by CNBC titled What Happened To Etsy? Pretty interesting and worrisome…….🙁
Yes, motivation is definitely hard during slow times. Instead of concentrating on the slow sales, think of it as a great time to prep for this year's holiday season and get ahead on things. Do research, create new products, review your SEO, update your product photos, get yourself organized. If you're in the US, maybe use the time to try out Go Imagine to see how it works for you. Remember almost all of us are in the same boat as you! If you haven't already, join the Handmade Alpha Facebook Community. It's a great group of supportive peers!
Is there any chance you could share a contact information to get consultation?
A consultation from me? That isn't really something I offer. With over 80,000 subscribers, there's no way I'd be able to keep up. You're free to email me with quick questions at: starla@handmadealphaacademy.com
I just can't always promise that I'll have a good answer to your question, but I'm happy to try!
Hey Starla, any news on the unfair shop suspensions? I’m still waiting for support to talk to me about why they suspended my shop permanently 14 days ago. Received an automated message 3 minutes after I file an appeal saying suspension is permanent and they can’t tell me why. I did nothing wrong other than log in my shop after international travel 🤷🏻♀️ I’d really like support to communicate and tell me what to do to get my shop back.
No news as of right now. Etsy has stated a policy clarification/refinement coming soon but Etsy's head of CS dodged my questions about inaccurate suspensions and rejected appeals. Our most recent update was this video: ua-cam.com/video/fSmycsdEosw/v-deo.html
Thank you for your great work Starla. Hopefully Etsy will get onto these issues some day…
Food prices are up. Grocery chains are reporting greatly increased profits. People need food. ‘Don’t need things:-(
In my opinion, Etsy should stop focusing predominantly on the US customers and the US market. In Europe, hardly anyone knows about Etsy outside the UK, France, and Germany. You need to find new customers to increase sales and not stubbornly focus on the same ones. Advertising outside the US will help.
Etsy isn’t worth it anymore it seems
Eh, I think it entirely depends. Etsy is like a rental space for your business. Whether you're selling on Etsy or your own website, there will always be a lot of legwork when it comes to driving your own traffic during slow seasons. The summer slump takes place across all ecommerce, not just Etsy. So while Etsy definitely has it's fair share of problems (obviously we are directly fighting against things like wrongful suspensions), the "traffic" issue isn't just an "Etsy" issue. People don't have money right now. And the money they do have is being saved. There will always be a little traffic. Birthdays have no seasonality, nor do weddings, anniversaries, or even the occasional impulse buy. But these slow traffic patterns are a part of ecommerce and have been ever since I started selling on Etsy in 2012. Things are just harder than ever because there are SOOO many sellers - which again, isn't just an Etsy issue. Everyone wants a "side hustle" now and the supply is outweighing demand. This is where building a loyal and interested social media following is super important because it allows you to form connections with those who are MOST interested.
Can you make video of alternative channel than Etsy? Etsy is not a trustable platform to sell
I'll be creating content about GoImagine soon!
I make no money on Etsy. When I do it’s eaten in fees.👎🏻🙄☹️
Remember - there's a human-side as well! Items can't just be "listed". A real living, breathing human has to want that item badly enough that they are willing to retrieve their wallet and pay for the item. I know nothing about what you sell but I always encourage sellers to evaluate their products, then evaluate their "niche". Does the item have demand? If so, how saturated is the niche? If the niche is very saturated, what are you doing to overcome saturation? There are 3 forms of traffic on Etsy. "Internal", which is your SEO - something that won't help much in a saturated industry. "External", which is traffic you drive yourself from social media - this is your BEST traffic option when you're in a saturated niche, but it does take a lot of work. And "Direct", which would be something like email marketing - a more advanced step but a great option for those who have mastered their "external" traffic and are ready for the "next step".
Not sure what you sell, but Mercari has no selling or listing fees. I sell a bit cheaper over there and do pretty well. Seems like when Etsy sales are down, Mercari sales are up. Mercari is very pro seller too. They won’t let buyers get away with things like Etsy does. They have 72 hours from delivery to voice any complaints. Then they have to prove what they claim is wrong and actually return the item. After the 72 hours is up Mercari says the transaction is done. No ifs, ands, or buts.
@@jennykay780 hey thank you. I have a few things listed there and Tedoo. I think you are right and I may need to focus more outside of Etsy.
I'm a big Mercari shopper but I've never sold there. I mostly buy limited edition used books. What is the community like for actual makers? I've only ever used Mercari for "used" items but I'd love to learn more about crafty based selling! I'm a big fan of their review system!
This has nothing to do with the video but there's a song that sounds just like you at the begining of the song..the song name is called "This Moon is now Yours" by Stealthy. But my sales have dropped compared to last month, maybe people bought bc it was a few weeks before mothers day. I have been listing at least 1 new listing a day but it's slow, I'm still getting sales daily but it just decreased
They suspended me😂😂
Yeah, they are very trigger happy right now. Was your appeal denied?
Why will Etsy suck this Summer?
Because it's Etsy.
Dead brand walking.
The whole economy is down...not only Etsy.
Which I say in the video. :)
Yes I know, speaking for Germany...