31 Easy Ways to Increase Your Etsy Sales (2024)

Are you an Etsy shop owner looking for ways to increase your Etsy sales in 2024? The holidays are coming, and I'm ready for that extra cash flow. What about you?!

Some links used in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a commission when you sign up for a paid account.

Easy ways to Increase Your Etsy Sales

I've been selling on Etsy for more than a decade (off and on), and have taught 1000s of people how to create their own digital shops on Etsy. While I no longer teach that (I get bored easily LOL), my friend Samantha will show you how to set up your Etsy shop and perfect your Etsy listings. I do love writing blog posts about it and I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it.

1. Perfect your niche.

If you're still selling in a “catch all” Etsy shop, chances are it isn't performing very well. While there are exceptions to this rule, niche shops far outperform general shops.

If you need to change your shop name to reflect your niche, you can do that, too.

Hone in on your niche, and your audience, to increase your Etsy sales.

screenshot of alura showing the best selling etsy shops and their earnings, with the top seller being at over $68million dollars.

The top shops on Etsy – both digital and physical – have a very loyal audience. Building a loyal audience is much easier to do when you're selling products that all fit into one “bucket” (that's what I like to call niches!).

2. Optimize Product Descriptions

Product descriptions should highlight the unique features, benefits, and uses of your items. Use keywords naturally to improve search visibility. If you are new to Etsy or still learning, read my post about Etsy SEO. (SEO stands for search engine optimization.)

3. Create High-Quality Images

Use Canva to create high-quality images for your Etsy listings. You'll be able to stand out amongst the other shops on the front page of Etsy, and you can deliver a clear view of what your customer is getting when they purchase from you.

My focus is digital shops, but if you have a physical shop, I cannot overstate the importance of taking amazing photos. You can accomplish this with your cell phone, so don't think you need to go out and buy a fancy camera.

My son sells crochet items locally and on dpop, and also sells his crochet patterns on Etsy. He takes photos of his physical items, removes the backgrounds in Canva, and adds them to the crochet pattern listings. This helps his listings stand out to his target audience!

Psst.. did you know that Etsy shop owners get a free 3-month trial of Adobe? If you aren't a Canva fan, or need something more advanced, try it out!

4. Create product videos.

This is some next-level stuff, but with Canva, you can make videos for your digital products!

5. Improve titles and tags.

Use descriptive titles and relevant tags that accurately represent your products. This optimization helps get your listings on the front page of Etsy.

6. Make sure your shop is Etsy compliant by creating a Privacy Policy.

If you don't have a Privacy Policy for your Etsy shop, now is the time to STOP what you're doing and make one. I probably should've put this as tip #1, but I got excited about SEO. 😉 You can write your own if you're a lawyer, or use Alura's free Etsy Privacy Policy Generator. (If you use code SADIE30 you will save 30% off your Alura purchase!)

screenshot of creating a privacy policy in Alura, one of the easy ways to increase your etsy sales

7. Get more reviews.

5-star reviews help other customers trust your online store. This means you get more sales! 🙂

If you feature your positive reviews in your images, there's even more proof that people LOVE your stuff.

8. Learn from reviews.

If you get less than 5 stars on a product review, don't freak out! It happens. Sometimes these are learning experiences.

Did you say your digital download was 15 files but you forgot one and only included 14?

Did you say your pattern was “beginner friendly” but you didn't have any beginners test it out?

Use feedback and less-than-stellar reviews as an opportunity to improve your listings.

9. Offer exceptional customer service.

How do you get more reviews? By offering amazing customer service. Download the Etsy app on your phone so you can answer questions from shoppers as soon as they come in.

While you don't have to be on all the time, you probably already have your phone in your hand most of the time… so downloading the app and answering a few messages a week won't be too much extra work. 😉

10. Answer FAQs.

As the questions roll in from customers and potential customers, you're going to get a lot of repeat questions. These questions turn into your FAQs, which you can add to your shop – answering their questions before they ask them.

11. Tell people who you are and what you stand for.

If you don't have a thoroughly filled out “about” page, shop announcement, and policies section, now is the time to do it.

When I see a shop with a compelling brand story, I'm much more likely to buy from them. And when you have clear shop policies, it can prevent issues due to misunderstandings.

12. Use your favorite platforms to promote.

I am not a huge fan of social media myself, so I only use my Facebook group when it comes to promoting my business. However, if you're already on Instagram or TikTok all day, you should be using it to tell people about your brand and products!

Wherever you naturally hang out all day, and wherever your target audience naturally hangs out all day, is where you should be talking about your shop. Don't DM people and don't be spammy, just talk about how excited you are when you're working on a new project!

13. Utilize sales.

I always have everything on sale in my shops. I used to hate when shops did this, but it seems Etsy rewards shops that are on sale, because once I started having everything on sale, my sales increased.

This doesn't mean you make less money. Price your listings accordingly: if you're always going to have a 30% off sale, you need to make sure your profit margins are on point so you don't actually lose that 30%.

You can also run limited time offers and coupons, which will encourage your shoppers to buy more right now rather than waiting.

14. Collaborate with other Etsy shop owners and influencers.

If you're selling on Etsy, you're probably in some Etsy groups, pods, etc with other Etsians. Get together with other Etsy shop owners that are in adjacent niches (for example: clothing niche can team up with jewelry niche) and promote each other.

You can do newsletter shout outs, coupon swaps, social media tags, blog posts, guest posts… the possibilities truly are endless when you work together and collaborate instead of competing.

15. Cross-promote your products.

When you're building your shop, you have shop sections. These sections are full of similar products that all fit into the same small “bucket,” right? That means you have an amazing opportunity to cross-promote these products across the entire section! Cross-promotions increase your average order value and keep shopper's eyeballs on your shop for longer periods of time.

Cross-promoting is all about putting similar products in front of your shoppers. Kind of like when we are in the beauty aisle looking at makeup but there's also hair ties – because many folks who are shopping for makeup will also want hair ties.

shirt that says "will trade racists for refugees" in Etsy

So if this t-shirt is a good fit for this shop's ideal customer, a similar t-shirt (or a matching bag, or hoodie) may interest them as well.

16. Bundle products together.

On a similar note to cross-promoting, you can bundle like products and sell them at a slight discount. For example, Micah's crochet pattern shop has several different designs. He's working on a pumpkin bag right now, but he already has a pumpkin hat. And next, he can do a pumpkin top!

Once they're all listed individually, he will make a pumpkin bundle and sell them all together. This increases the order value but also saves your customer some money.

Real life example: With Micah's stoner crochet pattern bundle, he offers 3 patterns in one for $10. They are usually $5 each, so this saves the buyer $5.

And if someone was only going to buy the top but is now buying the beanie, it increases his order value by $5. That's a win-win!

bundle of products on Etsy - stoner crochet pattern bundle

If you're running a physical shop, it can be more difficult to be generous with discounts and bundles. Keep in mind the work you're putting in and don't underprice! Digital shops are much easier (and more passive) because you make it once and sell it over and over again. It's almost completely automated at that point, which is amazing.

17. Try tiered pricing.

Etsy encourages you to test out tiered pricing on your inventory, to implement suggestive selling and add-ons. This can work really well with holiday items especially. You can read more about how to do tiered pricing in the Sellers Handbook.

Examples of popular bundles and sets from the Etsy Merchandising team include:

Home and Living: Napkins; glassware; matching throw pillows; complementary art prints
Jewelry: Earrings and a matching necklace or bracelet; stackable set of bangles or rings; layering necklaces.
Clothing: His and hers shirts; kid’s clothing items and an accessory (like a headband, hat, or gloves).
Craft Supplies: Starter sets for specific skills, techniques, or projects; seasonal or thematic bundles; kits by the recipient (i.e. children, boyfriend or girlfriend, teacher).
Wedding: Wedding party kits (i.e. bridesmaid, groomsmen); bachelorette party kits; wedding favor bundles.
Vintage: Seasonal or thematic bundles (i.e. a whimsical Christmas sweater and tie, a collection of vintage games); home decor pairings (i.e. a bundle of vintage picture frames).

18. Participate in Etsy promotions.

Etsy does their best to help you succeed. I know the Etsy groups are full of complaints, but it's an awesome marketplace with a gazillion eyeballs just waiting to see what you have to offer!

When Etsy hosts sales events, take part! They recommend discounting at least 20% off – but again, remember when I said earlier to make sure your profit margins are set up right? That's where this type of thing comes in: if your shop is always set up to be able to afford 30% off, you can participate in every sale Etsy has without losing any money.

Etsy looks at on-sale inventory when choosing which listings to promote in their marketing during their events. Getting featured in an Etsy email can be life-changing for a shop owner!

19. Offer customization.

If you have products you could offer customization on, try it out and see how it goes! This works with both physical products and digital products.

Though most of us with digital products usually prefer a more hands-off approach, offering customization for a higher price can increase your average order value and you can usually customize a digital product in just a few minutes.

If you do your customizations in batches each week, you can do them in record time and make way more cash.

Oh, and if you're like “customizations on digital products, how in the world would I do that?” – you can join Pam's Canva group to learn all about how to use Canva to customize digital products. Use your resources! You've got this!

20. Build an email list – and use it!

Most people who start an email list either aren't utilizing it at all or aren't utilizing it properly. I'm in a free group called Email Marketing + SEO Made Easy, where Emilee posts tips and tricks every single week that help with email marketing. Join it if you want to learn how to make money with your email list.

And by “make money,” I mean increase your sales, build your audience, and make money in other ways (if you want) like with affiliate marketing, blogging, and more! Email lists are absolute gold when properly utilized.

21. Balance seasonal and evergreen.

Seasonal and holiday products can easily 10x your shop sales! But, there can be a lull in between the big holidays. To combat this, balance your seasonal and evergreen content.

I like to hit the big holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, etc) and then sometimes even the lesser-known holidays, because the competition isn't as fierce. Then, in between all of those listings, I have evergreen content: products that are used year-round.

One type of content that is evergreen but also does really well in January is digital planners.

22. Turn every customer into a repeat customer.

Sometimes they would love to sift through the rest of your shop listings, but they got distracted. So they hurry up and check out with one item, and then forget about your shop.

What a bummer.

Use these tips to get repeat customers on Etsy. It's like increasing your order value, but even better – because repeat customers can leave multiple reviews for your shop! And, they're more likely to turn into cheerleaders, which means they'll tell others about your shop, too. Both of these will improve your Etsy sales!

23. Perfect your pricing.

Pricing strategy is 100% individual, and you don't have to follow anyone's advice on this at all. However, there are trends that certain niches follow, and sometimes changing your prices (increasing or decreasing) will improve your sales on Etsy.

I'm a firm believer in charging what I call my “happy price” – I even teach my VIPs how to build their businesses doing this. My happy price might not be your happy price, and that's okay.

Your price needs to be a number you're happy with, and your customers are happy with. Sometimes there's a little give and take here, so play around with increasing or decreasing prices every now and then to see if it helps improve your sales.

screenshot of Aluras Etsy fee calculator

Use Alura's free Etsy fee calculator to figure out exactly how much money you'll get in your pocket after they take their cut. 🙂

24. Team up with influencers.

This is a much-debated topic, but teaming up with influencers can take you from 100 sales to 1,000 (or more!) if done in the right way.

Microinfluencers tend to do this for free in exchange for a high-value product, or for a low rate (under $100). But keep in mind that many influencers pad their numbers, so do a deep dive into their social media interaction before you team up with anyone.

Micah creates patterns, sends them (for free) to pattern testers, and the pattern testers send photos back in return. He's working on a collab right now where he made two beanies and an IG influencer is going to do a photo shoot in them. Sometimes these team efforts work out really well, and other times they don't.

Getting a personal recommendation from other Etsy shop owners or in Facebook groups is the best path here. There are so many scammers that call themselves influencers, you've gotta be careful.

25. Use your resources.

I've linked to many resources throughout this post. I highly recommend bookmarking this page and coming back to utilize each resource as you have the time and energy! There are so many here.

And, here's another:

Yes, more help from Etsy! They offer free virtual events to help increase your sales.

26. Use Etsy's search.

When coming up with new product ideas, use Etsy's search bar to find out what people are searching for. This is a free, easy way to improve your shop sales!

27. Send a coupon Code.

Every time I deliver a product (physical or digital), I include a coupon code for a future purchase. This encourages repeat business, and rewards shoppers for being loyal customers.

28. Use ChatGPT.

Have you started utilizing ChatGPT (or another AI tool) for your listing descriptions yet? If not, you're probably spending way too much time on them.

Here is a sample prompt I used:

Please help me create a search engine optimized Etsy listing description for my digital holiday/Christmas planner. Use keywords aka search terms that will be relevant, without keyword stuffing. Keep it engaging but not overly hyped.

And here is the output:

Title: Digital Christmas Planner | Ultimate Holiday Organizer | Printable PDF | Instant Download

–BEGIN LISTING–

🌟 Welcome to Your Stress-Free Holiday Season! 🌟

Are you tired of juggling multiple to-do lists, gift ideas, and holiday menus? Say hello to our Digital Holiday Planner, your one-stop solution for a joyful and organized festive season.

Why Choose Our Digital Holiday Planner?

Comprehensive & Customizable: From Thanksgiving to New Year's, we've got you covered. Tailor each page to suit your unique holiday needs.
Eco-Friendly: Go green this holiday season with our digital format. Save paper, save trees, save the planet!
Instant Download: Why wait? Get started on your holiday planning the moment you complete your purchase.

Features:

📝 Event Planning Sheets: Keep track of every detail, from venue to menu.
🎁 Gift Tracker: Never forget a gift or go over budget again.
🍽️ Meal Planner: Plan your holiday feasts with ease.
📅 Countdown Calendars: Mark important dates and countdown to the big day.

What's Included?

1 PDF File (A4 & US Letter Sizes)
Easy-to-follow Instructions
Lifetime Updates

How It Works:

1️⃣ Purchase: Click the “Add to Cart” button and complete your purchase.
2️⃣ Download: Instantly download your Digital Holiday Planner.
3️⃣ Print or Digital Use: Use it digitally or print it out, the choice is yours!
4️⃣ Enjoy: Experience a stress-free, organized holiday season!

Note: This is a digital product. No physical item will be shipped.

Thank you for choosing our Digital Holiday Planner. We wish you a joyful and organized holiday season!

–END LISTING–

Keywords:

Digital Holiday Planner, Festive Organizer, Printable PDF, Instant Download, Event Planning, Gift Tracker, Meal Planner, Countdown Calendar

Now, obviously you have to make sure this listing is accurate. The best way to do that is by adding information into the prompt like: this digital planner has 16 pages, then describe the pages.

You also want to check the tags using Alura or another tool, as ChatGPT is prone to making things up LOL. But, look at that beautiful listing template, created in less than 10 seconds – and with minimal brainpower needed from me!

Not sure how to use ChatGPT? Need help with prompts? Join the free group The Women of AI – we've got you! 😉

29. Use paid tools.

I almost didn't include this tip – and purposely skipped talking about Etsy ads – because you really don't neeeed to use these tools to make more money with your Etsy shop. However, tools like Alura save time – and time is money. (If you use code SADIE30 you will save 30% off your Alura purchase!)

I was sick of spending so much time searching for the right keywords to use in my tags, titles, and descriptions.

30. List more products.

If you are running a digital product shop and have less than 100 listings, it's time to get to work! While I've made sales in a shop with just a few listings, consistent sales and scaling your business requires more work.

There's a reason many of the top digital shops have 1000s of listings: it works.

You don't have to upload a thousand listings right away, but setting a goal to list new products on a regular basis will help drastically boost sales. Use this free tutorial if you need help creating more digital products to sell on Etsy.

Looking for more resources? I'm in a low-ticket membership called Digital Product Mastery that helps with ideation and increasing sales.

31. Start a blog.

Last but certainly not least (in fact, it's my top tip!): start a blog to increase your Etsy sales! The possibilities with a blog are limitless, and the best part? You actually own your content and website. Now, this one isn't really easy, per se, but it's a long-term strategy that can skyrocket your income.

If Etsy decides to shut your shop down – yes, it happens even to shops that follow the rules – that entire income stream dries up.

Hopefully you'll have an email list in place, so you can say “hey guys, join me over on my blog… I have my own shop now!” instead of “oh shit, how am I going to pay my bills?!”

I would love to help you get started on your blogging journey: check out my Blogging Foundations course (it's free!).

Read my other posts about Etsy and SEO

And join this group on Facebook: Build Your Digital Product Empire

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