As 2023 draws to a close, we’re taking time to reflect on some of the many milestones the Etsy community has achieved together throughout the year. This year, we built tools to help your business grow, advocated for creative entrepreneurs with policymakers around the globe, and came together virtually for our largest-ever seller gathering, Etsy Up.
Let’s take a look at some of this year’s highlights:
- Attracting buyers to the marketplace
- Coming together for Etsy Up
- Tools to help your business grow
- Support and advocacy for microbusinesses
- Top 2023 trends and a sneak peek at the year ahead
Attracting buyers to the marketplace
This year we pulled out all the stops to get your shops and listings in front of more buyers, investing in marketing to share the Etsy brand with millions of people around the world through ads on television, podcasts, billboards, and more. (You can watch all of the ads from this year’s Christmas television campaign on YouTube here!)
We also brought more buyers to the marketplace by introducing Etsy-wide promotions, driving tens of millions of dollars in sales to your shops with the help of coupons funded by Etsy. Plus, our star-studded collaborations with tastemakers like Martha Stewart and John Legend featured prominently across Etsy’s marketing channels and attracted press attention from print, online, and broadcast journalists, boosting Etsy’s reach and helping to bring customers to the site.
Coming together for Etsy Up
In May, we held our largest-ever seller gathering, Etsy Up! With over 1.5 million views to date, the virtual event helped sellers learn from Etsy shop owners and industry experts. Missed the event? You can watch the recordings here, and stay tuned for Etsy Up 2024!
Tools to help your business grow
Here are some of the tools and resources we developed this year to help grow your business and take it to the next level:
The Etsy Share & Save programme
Share & Save helps you save on Etsy fees and get rewarded for the sales you drive to your Etsy shop. When you share unique trackable links to your shop or listings and make an eligible sale, we’ll take 4% of the order total off your Etsy bill. Over half a million sellers have joined the Etsy Share & Save programme so far!
New Deals tab in the Etsy app
Buyers can now discover all of their great deals in one place – the Deals tab in the Etsy app! We personalise the page for shoppers, showing them sales and targeted offers for items they’ve recently viewed or Favourited.
Etsy Registry
Etsy Registry (including wedding, baby, and gift!) helps even more buyers discover something special from your shops. Buyers can easily create registries and share them with their loved ones, attracting more shoppers and creating big opportunities for your businesses!
Make an Offer
Make an Offer is an optional pricing tool that can help you move inventory quickly by letting buyers make offers. Turning on Make an Offer gives you more flexibility on how you price your items while making it easier for you to move inventory quickly and encourage shoppers to buy in bulk.
The Ultimate Guide to Pricing
Finding the elusive pricing sweet spot isn't easy. With our new Ultimate Guide to Pricing, we’re sharing tips to ensure you’re covering expenses and planning for the future with a pricing approach that helps your business grow.
Improving the listing process
We’ve updated the listing process to make adding new listings or editing existing ones easier. Now it’s easier than ever to show off all the great details that make your items so special. Plus with the new ‘Performance’ tab, you can see performance data and reviews for your listing, all in one place – making it easier to decide what types of edits to make.
Increasing delivery options
We know how important more delivery options are when you’re running an online business. That’s why we’ve been working with major carriers to give you more choices for purchasing postage on Etsy.
- Sellers in the US can now purchase UPS® postage labels for their domestic orders on Etsy, with tracking included.
- Sellers in the UK can now purchase Evri postage labels to dispatch domestic and international orders, with tracking included.
Enforcement improvements
Keeping Etsy safe and special is a crucial part of what makes Etsy, Etsy. This year we’ve significantly increased enforcement with a particular focus on our Handmade Policy to help unique items, and the people who sell them, truly shine.
Etsy’s Picks
Etsy’s Picks are items that have been chosen by one of our merchandisers (a.k.a. our style experts) from shops that have shown quality, reliability, and style. For example, we believe that items display quality when they come from a shop which may be well-rated by buyers. The badge helps buyers easily identify special and unique items, so they can shop confidently knowing your item represents the best of Etsy. This year our team has more than tripled the amount in the Etsy’s Pick collection, resulting in even more opportunities to highlight qualifying listings to buyers on the site and in our marketing!
Etsy Payments expansion
With Etsy Payments, sellers can offer millions of buyers their preferred payment methods and orders are eligible for Etsy Purchase Protection. This year, Etsy Payments has expanded to seven new markets: Thailand, Ukraine, India (export sales only), Japan, Peru, Argentina, and Chile. For eligible sellers that haven't made the switch, they could see a boost in sales, can manage their shop finances in one place, get access to payment account support, and are eligible for Etsy funded offers.*
Support and advocacy for microbusinesses
Beyond bringing sales to our sellers, Etsy is committed to empowering small businesses through advocacy and impact initiatives.
This year, we gave a voice to small businesses with policymakers on pressing issues as we advocated for a sensible, streamlined tax reporting solution for small sellers as well as paid leave and child care benefits for the self employees and micro businesses.
From the launch of our newest cohort of Uplift Makers to providing emergency resources and preparedness guides so that sellers are better prepared if a disaster strikes their areas, we are working to support members of our community who need it most, when they need it most.
We also make it easy for you to run a sustainably-minded business through our partnership with EcoEnclose that allows you to purchase packaging made from 100% recycled materials or certified responsibly sourced paper at a discount – and we know that many buyers are more likely to make a purchase if their item is delivered in more sustainable packaging at no additional cost to them.**
Top 2023 trends and a sneak peek at the year ahead
Here were some of the year’s top home decor, style, and gifting trends.
Western decor: Shoppers were wild for western style home items like rustic landscape paintings and bold black-and-white photography. Searches for western wall art on Etsy increased 69% Year-over-year (YoY)
Mermaidcore: Shoppers sought out seaworthy fashions, from sequined dresses to shimmering necklaces. Searches for mermaid jewellery on Etsy increased 50% YoY
Friendship tokens: Thoughtful trinkets reminiscent of summer camp crafting were popular purchases this year. Searches for friendship bracelets on Etsy increased 40% YoY
Discover what shoppers could be looking for next year in our new Early 2024 Marketplace Insights report.
What was your biggest milestone as a seller this year? Share your favourite memory over in the Forums!
*Sellers who switched to Etsy Payments saw a 7% lift in sales, based on a sample of over 1,500 sellers from Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa, and Turkey who migrated from PayPal to Etsy Payments between April 2020 and August 2020. Sale increases are not guaranteed.
**54% of US Etsy buyers, surveyed in June 2023, said they’d be more likely to purchase from an Etsy seller if they delivered their order in more sustainable packaging, at no additional cost.
Words by Katy Svehaug
Katy Svehaug is a Senior Content Strategist at Etsy.
