Selling things online will always be one of the most accessible business ideas for work-from-home mums. It’s an idea that requires minimal investment, is easy for you to manage and can be handled from the comfort of your home.
If you have young children that need looking after – or you prefer the flexibility of working from home and being your own boss – this is a top idea to consider. Instead of making your own online store from scratch, you can take a shortcut by creating an account on an existing marketplace. As you can see from the title, we’re talking about Etsy.
Etsy is a highly popular online marketplace that focuses on handmade or custom products you can’t find elsewhere. Consequently, it offers a pretty big chance of making profits. So, in this post, you’ll learn how to set up an Etsy shop that generates lots of sales.
Come Up With A Product To Sell
In the beginning, it makes sense to offer one product for people to buy on your store. As you generate more customers and become more popular, you can implement extra products.
What’s the secret to a top-selling Etsy product?
Ironically, if you click on that link and see the best-selling products, a lot of them are guides on how to sell things on Etsy! There’s no point selling this as you’re completely new to the platform. Instead, look at some of the other items. The majority of them are personalised gifts. Things you’d buy for a birthday, wedding, anniversary, housewarming, etc.
When it comes to this particular platform, that’s the best approach to take.
So, think about a certain product you could sell that can be customised to suit a buyer’s preferences. Some that spring to mind are:
- Candles
- Ornaments
- Photo frames
- Crochet soft toys
- Bath bombs
- Beauty products
Pick a product that’s relatively easy and low-cost for you to make. Personally, candles are a fantastic option as you can get kits and really customise them to suit someone’s needs. At the end of the day, it all comes down to you: what do you want to sell on Etsy? As long as there’s a market for it, you’ll be able to make money.
Create Your Etsy Account
You can head to Etsy and sign-in using your Google profile or opt to use any other email address. If you’ve bought stuff from this platform before, you’ll already have an account.
It’s really quick to get things up and running, and when you’ve signed in you can click your Profile and select Sell on Etsy. You’ll then be taken to the Shop Manager which helps you set everything up. It’s really helpful as you can select certain topics during the set-up and Etsy will give you resources to help you understand them. Feel free to click as many as you want – or don’t click any at all.
In a few moments, you’ll be prompted to Start Your Shop where you get taken to another page. Here, you go through some steps to set everything up:
- Shop preferences – Language, country & currency
- Name your shop
- Stock your shop
- How you’ll get paid
- Set up billing
- Your shop security
Go through all of these steps, but the most important one is stocking your shop. You need to create a detailed listing for your product to entice people in. In fact, this is such an important step, we’ll dedicate a whole section to it in a moment.
Imagine, for now, that you’ve gone through all the steps to set up your shop. It will now be live and people can search for and buy what you’re selling!
Conjure Up The Perfect Product Listing
Okay, when you list your product, there are so many intricate details that can’t be missed. Never rush this process as it can make or break things for your store. The secret is ensuring your product listings are found by as many people as possible.
With that in mind, here are the key things to pay attention to:
- Choosing the right category – Etsy lets you pick a category for your product and tells you where customers can find it on the site. Pick the right category to ensure your products are listed in the right places or you’ll miss your target customers.
- Adding a catchy title – Your title should include keywords that buyers would type into Etsy to find a product like this. Think about it from the perspective of a buyer; what would you search for if you were looking for similar products?
- Creating a good description – The product description needs to be catchy and should include a few things. Firstly, it needs more keywords so your product is more likely to come up in searches. Secondly, you should clearly outline the main selling points of your product and why someone should buy it.
- Lots of photos/evidence – On sites like Etsy, customers can be worried about getting something that’s not what they expected. This is why it’s super important to take as many photos as possible of your products. If you want, add a video or two for even more clarity. This builds trust with potential buyers and can encourage them to choose you over a rival store.
- Add as many tags as possible – Etsy gives you the chance to add tags to your listings, which basically serve as extra keywords. It will show products to users who search for things using these tags, so it’s another way of being seen. You get up to 13, so pick as many as you can, relating to what you offer.
- Delivery times – You’re also given the option to set delivery times and expectations for customers. Genuinely, this can decide if you sell something or not. Try to offer the fastest delivery times possible. People are more likely to buy a product from you if you can get it to them in a day or two compared to someone that offers delivery in a week. The good thing is, Etsy has a list of delivery services you can click on, including DPD 1-3 business days, Royal Mail 1st Class 1 business day and so on.
There are other elements of a product listing on Etsy, but this changes depending on what you’re selling. Effectively, it’ll be more about the specifics of your product – like sizes, dimensions, materials, etc. Make sure you fill all of that information in as well – the more info you provide, the easier it is for someone to make up their mind and buy from you!
With a great product listing, your items should appear in searches and be easier for people to find. Thus, you have a better chance of generating sales.
Start Getting Reviews
Reviews are extremely important for anyone dipping their toe into the eCommerce world. Apparently, online customers are 63% more likely to trust brands with online reviews compared to those without them.
On Etsy, the importance is amplified. You’re an unknown seller that’s not a big brand and doesn’t have a proper store. Reviews are the main way people trust you. When you start out, you need to try and get as many positive reviews as possible. The best way to do this is by giving out a few free products to friends, family members or at local fairs/events.
Ask them to leave reviews and you will slowly have a good star rating. Now, when your products are seen, your store is accompanied by star ratings that show customers you’re legit and can be trusted. As you make more sales, offer incentives like discounts on future purchases or free gifts to encourage customers to leave more reviews and boost your credibility.
Aim For Repeat Customers
Ideally, you don’t want to depend on getting new customers all the time. The most profitable Etsy stores will have a collection of loyal customers constantly buying things.
How can you get people to return? It’s simple; provide a wonderful experience. This means you sell a genuinely good product that’s high-quality and worth what people pay for it. It also means you go the extra mile with packaging. Don’t wrap your items in random paper and send them out. Put them in nice custom carrier bags with wrapping paper and focus on making them look amazing.
You want customers to get the delivery and be blown away by how professional everything looks. It also helps if the packaging is sustainable and recyclable or reusable, which gives you a nice little boost.
Loyalty rewards also help, which is why it’s smart to send out discount codes with each purchase or possibly incorporate a system where every 4 purchases give them a special discount on the 5th. Stuff like this ensures people don’t buy from you once and never again – they keep returning so you keep making money.
When done correctly, an Etsy store can be hugely profitable for work-from-home mums. You can manage everything from your home office while spending lots of time with the rest of your family. It brings a good work-life balance while also helping you make a decent chunk of money.