Crafting Your Etsy Success: A Guide to Choosing Your First Etsy Product
Beginning your Etsy selling journey can be as exciting as it is overwhelming. That’s why I’m giving you the cheat sheet for choosing the right products to sell in your shop. Let’s skip right over the overwhelm and into the fun part of starting your new business! Here’s how to pick the perfect products for your budding Etsy business:
1. Passion Meets Profit
The very first question you need to ask yourself is “What are my hobbies, skills, and interests?” Do you love using your Cricut to craft? Do you have a designer’s eye for creating digital products? Did you crochete hats, scarves, and blankets for everyone on your Christmas list last year?!
The sweet spot for Etsy success lies at the intersection of your passion and market demand. Start by listing your hobbies, skills, and interests. List those things that you genuinely enjoy crafting, because the joy you feel while crafting will be visible to those who receive them.
2. Research, Research, Research
Take a quick look through the Etsy marketplace to find trends and potential gaps in the market. Is there one items that seems to be selling like hot cakes while others seem to sit unsold for ages? Do you have an idea for an item that does not show up in your Etsy search but you think would serve an audience in the market?
You can even look at review posted for items similar to the items you are thinking of selling. What are those reviewers saying about the product? Can it be improved or can you put your own creative twist on the item in some way?
Think through product ideas that might fit the needs (and wants) of your potential customers.
3. Solve a Problem or Fill a Void
Great products often solve a problem or fill an unmet need. Think about everyday hassles of frustrations that your creation could help ease. Whether it’s personalized pet accessories or an exceptionally designed welcome mat, your creations should fill a want or a need that will make your potential customer’s life easier or more enjoyable.
4. Know Your Target Audience
Understanding your target audience is like having a compass guiding your product decisions. Who are you creating for? Moms in need of custom chore charts? Pet lovers looking for the perfect collar for Fido? Determine your ideal customer’s demographics, likes, and interests to tailor your products to best fit their needs
5. Embrace Your Unique Style
Etsy thrives on having one-of-a-kind items that can’t be found anywhere else. Add personality to your shop by infusing each of your products with your own unique style. Do you have a minimalist approach to decorating, or a love of all things cute and fuzzy? Brainstorm a list of product ideas that will fit the needs of your customers while showcasing your style and abilities. The more cohesive your product list, the easier it will be for your fans to recognize your items at a glance. Creating a recognizable style for your brand will help you build a loyal customer base that is ready to purchase from you again and again! (And that’s exactly what you want!)
6. Quality Over Quantity
It can be tempting to cram as many items as possible into your shop, but if I can emphasize just ONE thing to you, it would be to prioritize quality over quantity.
When selling an items on Etsy, it’s important to pay attention to the details, and create items that are high quality. This will bring repeat customers and will earn you rave reviews that lead to more sales. If you have the option between having a few incredible items and 100 sub-par, thrown together listings, always choose quality over quantity. Low quality items will only lead to negative reviews and less sales.
8. Price Wisely
This is where people get the most hung up. How are you supposed to PRICE your items? Pricing your products can be a frustrating when first starting out, but it’s one of the most crucial parts to starting and growing a successful Etsy shop. You need to factor in material costs, creation time, Etsy fees, and many other components. Some people try to undercut the competition thinking it will drive sales, but it ends up doing the opposite and leads potential customers to feel uneasy about buying the cheapest option. Don’t sell yourself and your creativity short!
If you are looking for help figuring out pricing for your Etsy item, we have everything you need in our “Etsy Pricing Calculator”. We made figuring out the perfect price for your items as easy as possible. Just plug in your item price, and our pricing tool will calculate the rest for you!
9. Stay Adaptable
The Etsy platform along with the wants and needs of your customers are always changing. It’s important that you are ready to not only accept the ever changing market. You need to actually embrace the coming changes. Keeping up on changing trends, listening to customer feedback, and constantly working to improve your product are all part of becoming a success on Etsy. You need to be adaptable to change to keep your shop fresh and exciting! You’ll keep buyers coming back for more and new customers watching to see what you will come up with next!
So, now that you have an idea of where to start, take time to brainstorm some ideas of products you could make to fill your shop! If you need help with the brainstorming process, head over to our “Braindump Like You Mean It!” post, where I walk you through the process of getting all those ideas out of your head and onto paper! You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive helpful tips for starting and scaling your Etsy shop here!
As always, don’t let yourself become overwhelmed by any of these ideas. Start where it’s easy and take little steps from there. We’re getting past overwhelm and into action!
You can do this, Maker!
