How to Make Your Etsy Shop Stand Out in a Crowded Marketplace

Etsy is the largest online marketplace to sell unique and custom made goods! With over 7.5 million stores on Etsy, it is important that your company stands out. Having quality photos and clear product descriptions make a big difference in increasing sales.

Is Etsy Effective?

Etsy is effective because it is one of the easiest, low-risk and quickest ways to sell your brand. Etsy allows customers to buy unique handmade products at affordable prices. Since 2021, Etsy has had a 74% increase in sales causing it to be one of the most popular ecommerce websites.

Because Etsy attracts a large number of sellers, visibility becomes more competitive as the platform grows. This makes differentiation especially important, as customers are often comparing multiple similar products before making a purchase decision.

How to Stand Out on Etsy

• Research your competitors. This involves figuring out what top selling items are and what their shop looks like.

• Make your photo stand out from competitors. What do competitors’ photos look like? Are they professional shots? What kind of professional photos do they use?

• Do product research. What do competitors’ product descriptions look like? What is the tone (professional or relaxed)?

• Create a store name that is easy to remember. This ensures returning customers.

Use this information to create content that stands out from competitors.

Standing out on Etsy often requires consistency across visuals, messaging, and branding. When listings share a similar tone, image style, and presentation, shops tend to appear more professional and easier for buyers to trust, even when competing in crowded categories.

Advantages of Selling on Etsy

• Eliminates the hassle of building your own website

• Easy to set up your own Etsy store

• Easy to maintain your own etsy store

• Etsy is a trusted brand which ensures trust in customers

• Etsy has an established payment system (removing the hassle of setting up your own)

Disadvantages of Selling on Etsy

• Etsy’s fees involve $0.20 per listing and a 6.5% transaction fee per sale.

• Etsy is a large website which may cause brand image issues (people will remember they bought your product on Etsy, they probably won’t remember your storename).

• There is extremely high competition on Etsy

• You will still have to advertise your company outside of Etsy to ensure potential buyers

How to Make Etsy Photos Stand Out

Make sure all of the photos in your Etsy store have a coordinated look. This creates a stylized cohesive look and adds to your brand image.  Arrange listings into categories to create an organized look.

Different photo styles require different techniques in order to stand out.

Lifestyle Photos

• Show your product in use. This helps create the story you are trying to convey.

• Pick props that complement your product

• Use natural light

• Include a model or hand model

• Use high quality images

   

White Background

• Simple and Clean

• Essential to showing off your product in the most accurate way possible

• Can be ‘boring’

• May not stand out

Color Background

• Consider what color background will make your product stand out

• Keep the colors simple. Use a solid color background or simple pattern backdrop to prevent distractions.

• Use the same color scheme across all of your images. This helps create your brand image.

• Consider what tone you want for the photos. Bright colors create an energetic tone. Soft colors create a calm tone.

With Graphics

• Use graphics that compliment your brand image.

• Be creative but simple with graphics. Think outside the box visually but avoid using too many graphics. Too many graphics will be overwhelming to customers and harm sales.

• Have graphics highlight the features of your products (for example, if your store sells soap, use graphics to show the different scents available).

• Use graphics that are in the same color scheme for coherence

In a crowded marketplace, strong visuals help listings stop the scroll. Clear lighting, consistent backgrounds, and thoughtful styling make it easier for shoppers to recognize a brand and remember it after browsing multiple stores.

Advertising your Etsy Store

Due to the large amount of sellers on Etsy, you’ll need to advertise your product outside of Etsy in addition to advertising on Etsy. Consider what will stand out on Etsy, and what will stand out on the other platforms you are advertising on. What stands out on Etsy differs from what will stand out on Instagram or Google. Make sure your listings all have the same tone and color scheme.

Etsy provides a built in advertising platform where you can set your target audience and budget to make sure your ads are visible to your intended audience. Other factors that help advertise your Etsy store are:

• Offering discounts and promotions. Customers love a sale.

• Use social media as an advertising platform for your business. Create posts that direct viewers to your Etsy store. Collaborate with influencers to increase sales.

• Use email marketing. Newsletters that show new products or upcoming discounts create engagement.

Conclusion

Etsy’s low risk and low maintenance platform for handmade products appeals to sellers and buyers. Etsy allows customers to have a trusting relationship with new companies on the website. Although Etsy is increasingly competitive, a cohesive brand image, a memorable store name, high quality photos, and advertising on and outside of Etsy will help your brand stand out.