A few weeks back, it was revealed that on Etsy free shipping would become a visible option in search on the craft and vintage marketplace. That change is now rolling out to shoppers and being promoted by Etsy something that may persuade conversion and boost sales. It will be available to all by the start of next week.
You can read the full details here on the latest status of Etsy Free Shipping.
But here’s the gist: “Shoppers are starting to see the new badge and search filter. Listings that ship for free are included whether you offer free shipping using a sale or a shipping profile. Shoppers will also see details about your free shipping offer on each eligible listing, including details about any minimums. All shoppers will be able to see free shipping offers by October 16.
A quick heads up: Free shipping offers and percentage-off discounts can now be combined. For example, a shopper could save 10% off your item through a sale, and get free shipping using a coupon code. But shoppers can’t combine the same kinds of discounts. For instance, they can’t save 10% with a coupon and get another 20% off through your sale. Review your promotions to make sure they’re working together for your business goals.”
A change such as this is possibly welcome and it could be a spur to convert shoppers but it’s not likely to be transformational to the Etsy business. But what is heartening this to see experimentation and change coming through at Etsy after there change of CEO and disappointing recent results. Small changes in themselves may not make much difference but a selection of changes together, and a reinvigorated team, combined with a clear sense of purpose and the desire to reform, could be more impactful.
You can find out more Etsy free shipping and how it works, especially with other discounts here.
2 Responses
Free shipping is not going to fix the problem with Etsy, that is Etsy as it is supposed to be. What made Etsy special was carefully curated vintage, unique finds, craft/hobby supplies, and of course skilled artisans offering up their handmade goods.
Free shipping is going to cause sellers to flee and new comers will likely anxiously anticipate new “Etsy’s” to arise and become what Etsy should have remained…. a handmade market. As Etsy continues to cheapen their market and disregard those who have made it what it is they will find that they have lost what made them unique in the first place and will begin to attempt to compete with big box commerce sites such as eBay and Amazon.
The number one problem with Etsy now is SEO optimization which they ignore by encouraging sellers to use spammy titles that are not in line with popular web browsers and they do not use very valuable SEO concepts such as product descriptions are image alt tags at all. Etsy traffic come first and foremost through existing clients who shop on Etsy and there seems to be no attempt whatsoever to expand that audience through marketing or Google. Ultimately, I believe, Etsy hopes to make most of their earnings via listing fees and advertising. By disregarding important SEO optimization elements I have no choice but to think this is the case.
If Etsy is not careful, they are going to alienate their artisans and become a watered down version of eBay to put it mildly.
We use Etsy and love it. Our sales are up this year through there. We utilise Google Shopping through them and that has a big impact for us. We offer free shipping so I will keen to look at this in more detail. I find Etsy so easy to use, we get a lot of international business, customers are more polite and willing to pay that little bit extra with us.