Etsy is an e-commerce platform focused on handmade, vintage items, and craft supplies. It connects independent sellers with buyers who value unique and personalized products. The platform is known for its curated and community-driven shopping experience.
To ensure you’re addressing the right problem, ask:
- Are we focusing on buyers, sellers, or both?
- Are we optimizing for a specific metric (e.g., sales, retention, customer satisfaction)?
- Are there particular categories or regions where Etsy underperforms?
- Should improvements target discovery, transaction experience, or post-purchase interactions?
The Goal
The goal is to improve Etsy to enhance user engagement and increase sales. Success can be measured by higher conversion rates, repeat purchases, increased seller revenue, or better user retention.
User Segments
User segments might include:
- Buyers: Users purchasing unique, handmade, or vintage items.
- Sellers: Independent creators and small businesses using Etsy to sell their products.
- Casual Visitors: Users who are exploring the platform but are not yet transacting.
Focus Segment: Sellers — Empowering sellers with better tools and features can indirectly improve the buyer experience and boost overall platform performance.
Focus Segment: Buyers — Improving the buyer experience can directly lead to higher sales, better retention, and a stronger platform reputation.
Pain Points for Sellers
For sellers:
- Difficulty in standing out due to high competition.
- Limited analytics to understand shop performance.
- Complex inventory and order management.
- High fees eating into profits.
- Limited tools for customer engagement and loyalty.
Prioritized Pain Points:
- Difficulty standing out.
- Limited analytics.
- Tools for customer engagement.
For buyers:
- Difficulty discovering unique or relevant products.
- Concerns about product quality or authenticity.
- Limited personalization or recommendations.
- Frustrations with checkout and shipping experiences.
- Lack of post-purchase support or engagement.
Prioritized Pain Points:
- Difficulty discovering unique or relevant products.
- Limited personalization.
- Frustrations with checkout and shipping.
Solutions and features
Standing Out:
- Introduce advanced listing customization (e.g., video previews, interactive galleries).
- Offer targeted advertising options tailored to seller budgets.
- Create curated collections featuring new or trending sellers.
Analytics:
- Provide detailed insights (e.g., conversion rates, top traffic sources).
- Include predictive analytics to recommend pricing and inventory adjustments.
Customer Engagement:
- Enable loyalty programs or discounts for repeat buyers.
- Add direct messaging tools for personalized communication.
- Introduce post-purchase upsell opportunities (e.g., “You might also like”).
Product Discovery:
- Enhance search functionality with filters for style, occasion, or themes.
- Introduce AI-driven product recommendations based on browsing history.
- Highlight curated collections for trending and seasonal items.
Personalization:
- Create a “For You” page featuring tailored suggestions.
- Allow buyers to save and follow favorite sellers for updates.
Checkout and Shipping:
- Provide transparent shipping timelines and costs upfront.
- Enable bundled shipping options for multiple items.
- Offer a seamless, one-click checkout process.
Evaluation and Prioritization
Evaluation Criteria for Sellers:
- Impact on Seller Revenue: Does it help sellers generate more sales?
- Ease of Implementation: How complex is it to develop?
- Alignment with Etsy’s Mission: Does it enhance the handmade, community-driven experience?
Prioritization:
- Advanced listing customization (high impact, moderate complexity).
- Detailed analytics tools (moderate impact, low complexity).
- Loyalty programs for repeat buyers (moderate impact, high complexity).
Evaluation Criteria for Buyers:
- Impact on Buyer Satisfaction: Does it improve the overall shopping experience?
- Ease of Implementation: How complex is it to develop?
- Alignment with Etsy’s Mission: Does it enhance the unique and community-driven shopping experience?
Prioritization:
- Enhanced search functionality and filters (high impact, moderate complexity).
- AI-driven recommendations (high impact, high complexity).
- Transparent shipping timelines (moderate impact, low complexity).
Metrics to Measure Performance
Listing Customization:
- Increase in listing views.
- Higher conversion rates for customized listings.
Analytics Tools:
- The adoption rate of analytics features.
- Increase in sales after implementing recommended changes.
Loyalty Programs:
- Percentage of repeat buyers.
- Average order value (AOV) for repeat customers.
Product Discovery:
- Increase in search-to-purchase conversion rates.
- Higher engagement with curated collections.
Personalization:
- Click-through rates on the “For You” page.
- Growth in repeat purchases from favorite sellers.
Checkout and Shipping:
- Reduction in cart abandonment rates.
- Improved ratings for shipping satisfaction.
Summary
To improve Etsy, we enhance the buyer and seller experiences by addressing their pain points.
Etsy aims to improve buyer satisfaction by enhancing search functionality, personalization, and shipping transparency. Prioritizing these areas will boost sales and satisfaction.
To empower sellers, we introduce advanced listing customization, detailed analytics, and loyalty programs. These tools will enhance seller performance and revenue.
By addressing these pain points, we deliver a seamless shopping experience for buyers while maintaining its unique, community-driven ethos.
