Crafts and quirky marketplace Etsy is testing new ways of highlighting sales and discounts in your Etsy shop with the aim of increasing merchant sales. The test started in March and isn’t universal and they say it only affects “a percentage of buyers on Etsy.”
According to the Etsy test information page:
We’re testing different ways to highlight a shop’s sale when buyers are shopping on Etsy to help give information most relevant to their needs. For example, letting buyers know when a shop’s sale is ending to understand how to better communicate sales and how different approaches may affect a buyer’s purchase.
– Etsy
eBay is already doing something similar. Promotions Manager (formerly known as Markdown Manager) has recently enjoyed greater prominence in search. And both endeavours reflect the ongoing interest of the marketplaces in lower prices. But is this a good thing?
Of course, everyone loves a bargain and it makes sense for sales and discounts to be highlighted and searchable. Some of the big online promotional events, specifically Black Friday, are based around price cuts and are hugely successful for the marketplaces and retailers alike. But merchants should also be circumspect about discounting, even at the best of times.
Both Etsy and eBay have multiple virtues to extol and celebrate and cheapness is only one aspect of what’s on offer. And it would be especially worrying if price became the most important sales and promotional aspect on Etsy if you have an Etsy shop. Not least because choice, selection and uniqueness is that marketplace’s USP.
