Etsy have announced the updated Etsy conversations interface which will allow sellers to communicate with shoppers via a new chat window and set customised auto-reply messages to stay on top of customer enquiries. The conversations redesign for buyers and auto-reply message feature for sellers will start to become available to some users today and will be available to all users over the next few days.
Etsy say from today the marketplace conversations will be getting updated to help sellers meet the shopper expectations.
Buyers will see the new conversations interface anywhere they can contact a seller. A chat window will open, and buyers will see any reply sellers send immediately in the window.
Managing buyer expectations
Sellers run their businesses differently, and they might not always be available to respond right away. In order to manage buyer expectations of when they might hear back from a seller, buyers will see their typical response time. Etsy will calculate a merchant’s response time by measuring the time from when they receive the first new message in a thread to when they respond to that message. If a seller receives a spam message or a message that does not require a reply, Etsy do not calculate a response time.
Merchants will also be able to set a custom auto-reply message from the conversations page in their Shop Manager to let shoppers know when they are not immediately available. Sellers can set an auto-reply message by clicking “Auto-reply” from the upper right-hand corner of the conversations page. If a shopper sends them a new message when they have an auto-reply message set, they will receive that message as an automatic reply. This feature isn’t available in the Sell on Etsy app.
Sellers should keep in mind that buyers expect quick responses, and are more likely to make a purchase when they have an immediate interaction with a seller. According to Etsy’s data, shoppers are 40% more likely to make a purchase from a conversation when they get a response to their first message within two hours.
Etsy will also be updating the snippets tool in the next few weeks. Sellers will soon be able to create templates that will pre-populate in their Conversations with buyers, making it easier for them to quickly respond to common questions, which could potentially mean more sales for them. Etsy promises to update sellers as soon as these new features are available.
