The overall appearance of your shop is key to creating a professional looking and successful storefront on Etsy! Today’s shop makeover will give you tips and tricks to making your banner, avatar, shop announcement, profile, titles, descriptions, and your message to the buyer more professional and as successful as they can be! See here for all posts in this series.
New Banner and Avatar
Your banner and your avatar are your shop identity, and will be the main image and brand shoppers associate with your shop. Look at it as the sign on the top of your storefront which will capture your buyers attention. Some people go for neon lights while others take a more subtle approach. You should choose a design that will complement the items sold in your shop.
Take advantage of the entire 700px wide by 100px high space provided. You may want to include your shop name, photos of your work, or your shop slogan in your image. Here’s a great tutorial we put together all about how to make your own banner using Photoshop. If you don’t have Photoshop, you can download Gimp for free, which uses several similar features as Photoshop. There are also several free websites that allow you to make your own banner including puresilva, highpowergraphics, and bannersketch. If you are not confident with your 2D design skills, you can make a small investment and check out some of the many talented Etsy sellers who offer custom designed banners in their shops.
Another important thing to remember is that your avatar is the main image that will represent your shop when talking in the forums, commenting on the Storque, and participating in online workshops on Etsy. Many people choose to include an image of themselves or an item from their shop; when using a good image of your products, you are creating another way to advertise your shop and entice shoppers inside to see more! The image is only 75px by 75px, so it is best to crop a small area of a larger photo rather than trying to resize a larger image.
Shop Announcement
Your shop announcement is a great place to introduce yourself, welcome buyers and thank them for checking out your shop. You should also use it to announce a special sale or charity your shop supports or a craft fair you will be attending, and remember to keep it friendly and brief. Long announcements push all your items further down to the bottom of the page, and make shoppers have to scroll down to see your work. When a shopper clicks on your page it is very important that they can immediately see those three featured items at the top of your shop to grab their attention and keep them shopping! If you have lots to say, you can use your shop profile to post extra details, policies, and shop information.
Profile
Your profile is the place where you should include all the fine print (like your shop’s buying, shipping, and return policies), as well as a bio about yourself and your creative process. Many people who buy handmade items enjoy the personal connection between the maker and the product. Let people know what inpires you, and what you enjoy about creating your work.
You should use your profile space to inform shoppers of your shop policies. It is important to make sure a buyer is informed of all the facts about your shipping methods, return and exchange policies, accepted forms of payment, and what you do in the case of a non-paying buyer. A great example of a thorough Shop Policy can be found in Stamp’s profile. I can’t think of anything she has left out!
Another importanct policy to consider is how you handle your custom orders. What’s the turn around time? Do you have your buyer pay the full cost up front, half up front, or have them pay you when the item is completed? Definitely something to think about!
Titles
Important things to consider when creating your listing titles are as follows:
Can your shopper identify what the item is from the title alone? You may want to try to word your title so the first three words alert the buyer to the type of item you are selling. This way when shoppers are viewing your item in gallery mode, they can easily tell what type of item the photo is representing. If you are selling clothing, it is important to include the size in your title. If you are selling artwork, you may also consider including the dimensions of the piece.
Simple, straightforward titles look the most professional. It is important to keep your titles consistent throughout your item listings. Are the first words of each title capital or lowercase? Are your sizes written at the end or beginning of the title? Keeping these things consistent makes browsing easier and creates a flowing, branded, and professional looking shop.
Descriptions
Many people don’t realize that, in addition to the facts, a brief story about your handmade object can create a dramatic impression on your viewer. Let the shopper know how you picture the item being used, or tell them a story of what inspired you to create the piece. Many people who appreciate handmade items also enjoy the story behind how it was made, who created it and where the idea came from.
Of course, it’s also important to inform the buyer of all the facts. Color, size, dimensions, textures, materials used, washing and care instructions, fabrication process, and allergy alerts are essential. You may also want to consider if your item is for a certain age group or suggest it as the perfect gift for a special occasion.
Message to Buyer
This is your opportunity to make one last impression on your buyer. Be sure to thank your buyer for supporting your shop. You may also give them a coupon code good toward their next purchase. If you create a way to keep the buyer thinking about your shop after their purchase, they will be more likely to become a repeat customer. A friend of mine offers a special coupon to any buyer who send him a photo of themself with the item they purchased.
Be part of our Shop Makeover series: document your “before” and “after” with screen shots and post them on flickr or your blogs or whatever works best for you. Then share the links in the comments below. As we go through the different steps of the makeover, we’ll hold Workshops in the Online Labs where we’ll highlight great ideas that come from you and discuss further questions and share examples of what people are doing. At the end of the month, we’ll all pick the most radical makeovers!
We’ll be staggering the posts throughout the month of January, hopefully giving people enough time to participate. There’s so much work to do! We kicked off the Shop Makeover series with the post about tagging, and this here is the second one, and here’s the Intro too. Also, please post in the comments if you have any other creative secrets to hold onto the buyer’s attention!
35 comments
Sign in to add your ownOririDracoDesign says:
Lovely article! Question: Is the banner 700 x 100 or 760 x 100? The Shop Appearance section says 760, but could that be out of date?
4 years ago
claudiasburningink says:
I enjoyed this. I like my current banner, but am hoping to draw out something more custom and a new avatar too. Great suggestions
4 years ago
HighDesertRose says:
Thanks so much for the valuable information and for taking the time to contribute to all of our successes!
4 years ago
jabon says:
This really has been great information! I have looked at other sites and wondered how some of them had such wonderful looking banners. I didn't want to sink $$$ into having one custom made QUITE yet since I am just getting started, but wanted something that looked a bit more snazzy. I change my avatar frequently because in addition to letting the etsy world know that I make soap, I wanted them to see there's a real live person behind it too. Since I'm not a real gorgeous looking model type, I tend to prefer showing pics of soap instead :) Wonderful suggestions and I appreciate the specifics in the article. Thanks so much.
4 years ago
magicjelly says:
Rather than being a "small investment", a professionally designed identity is an extremely important investment & an asset to any business. There are times when it's great to DIY, but sometimes it pays to trust the expertise of a professional if your own skills are lacking. There's a lot more to good design than owning a copy of Photoshop.
4 years ago
dolangeiman says:
Hello magicjelly. I couldn't agree more. The piece we own of yours is actually sitting above my desk as I type this..haha. Anywho. Great article. It was very helpful in my Etsy shop redesign this evening. I updated our profile, changed our shop announcements, updated the banner (though new design will follow with our website redesign this spring), updated the titles of all items, and modified our Message to Seller. Comments/suggestions/reactions would be much appreciated....Ali Walsh, dolangeiman.etsy.com
4 years ago
juln says:
I just wanted to note, an avatar is actually 75x75, sometimes displayd as 50x50.... the article states 45px by 45px. Cool that you suggest Gimp, I love it! You might want to link to the site for the Windows version. All I can find on www.gimp.org is the Linux version, and most Linux distros include it anyway - on ubuntu or debian, for instance, you can install Gimp by just typing "apt-get install gimp". The site for gimp for Windows is http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/ Okay, back to reading the article now!
4 years ago
FormAndFunction says:
If you're interested in a custom designed banner or avatar, many Etsy sellers offer custom design services. Just search the words "Custom", "Banner" and "Design".
4 years ago
missevilkitty2 says:
if you talk to the designer they might help you with a discount for some items .. I know i do with mine . Any how great advice !
4 years ago
stakersensations says:
my old and new page can be found at stakersensations.blogspot.com search for etsy...in the labels
4 years ago
ingero says:
I just wanted to emphasis in this article how important branding is, and by branding I mean the whole deal, including a logo -- this will be something you can have in a high resolution that can be suitable for ALL of your needs: packaging, business cards, banners and avatars, web ads, etc. I do web and graphic design for a living, and though it is important to keep in mind that you will get what you pay for -- there is a lot of talent out there for an affordable price, considering graphic design is NOT something just anybody can do -- it takes time, skill, patience and vision to complete a job successfully, and as far as I am concerned (as well as many of my own customers) that is priceless. Aside from myself ( http://ingero.etsy.com ), I would recommend the following designers: http://26design.etsy.com http://nbcreative.etsy.com Good luck and may you have many sales!
4 years ago
MonasMane says:
when I look at a shop I find that I always look at the banners and avatars first, it gives a feel for the shop owner. I design banners with matching avatars. Come by sometime and check it out. MonasMane.etsy.com
3 years ago
SweetMoods says:
This was a dream I had for a long time, and I´m bringing it to live. As artisan I don´t have a very good relation with technology, but to me this article make it easier to get started. I looked at the net and I finally find a friendly program that helped me to create my avatar and banner. My store and blog have the same look, and I also had the idea to add something related to the time of year, so that whenever someone returns to the store there´s something related to the season spirit (Christmas, Valentine, Hallooween, etc.)
3 years ago
maebeline says:
hi :O) contact me if you need help with your banner
3 years ago
AnalogKid says:
great help
3 years ago
keriskrafts says:
Wow! Thanks for all this great information,I'm gonna try and make my self a new banner
3 years ago
DesignKnitFun says:
thank you - my banner is an accident with trying to learn photoshop and planning a shop makeover over the next few weeks while adding new items.
3 years ago
galinav says:
Thank You so much for that very useful information. I just now try to work with my banner so I am sure your great ideas and suggestions will help me a lot. THANK YOU!
3 years ago
zimka says:
Yep...this is soooo coool! It only took a year of trial and error for me to start figuring out some of this stuff on my own :) hehe... Not funny! Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)
3 years ago
mossyrockpottery says:
Uh, isn't "Policies" the place to post info on your shipping and return policies? Profile is about you and your work.
3 years ago
FormosaDesigns says:
The actually banner length is 760 pixels! Not 700.
3 years ago
Tina669 says:
great help
2 years ago
KereonLovely says:
very informative. thanks
2 years ago
nuevodesigns says:
thanks for the tips. if any one needs help with designing their banner i am a web designer as well.
2 years ago
woodwings says:
Can you see my light bulb?! This article was elemental in turning it on :) Thank you.
2 years ago
TheHourglassStudio says:
Great information, everything I have been reading has helped me improve my shop. I just keep pushing the info in . Thanks!
2 years ago
loriyab says:
Wow! Glad I found this. Great info.
2 years ago
scarletrobin says:
found some good tips here--especially in Stamp's profile (but I agree with mossyrockpottery that most of that should be in the policies section).
2 years ago
CrazyBlueSpot says:
wow. I never knew that etsians offered custom banners. I have to get out more. lol I think that your most important shop policies should be in your shop announcement, just in case someone does not go to your policy section and read ALL. Plus its great for people who buy on impulse. haha
2 years ago
scaltro says:
Very helpful. Thanks. :) There is so much good info here, I could peruse all day!
1 year ago
TRENDYGIRLDESIGN says:
Great article I actually make banners and Avatars to sell on my Etsy Shop but I agree with the fact that it has to be catchy and all about your product!
1 year ago
Access0ruse says:
Thank you for this article and all the shop makeover series. I have learned a lot!
1 year ago
angelsandcrafts says:
I am new to etsy and appreciate the great advice.
1 year ago
ArtesanaPottery says:
This was extremely helpful. I went on bannermaker to make my banner, piece of cake! Thank you so much for the help.
1 year ago
TakeYourPicture says:
Hi everyone, if you are looking for banners and avatars if you are looking a professional work if you are looking a unique design that distinguish you from the others sellers, if you want remain higly satisfied of your purchase don't exitate to visit my digital shop on etsy. http://www.etsy.com/shop/TakeYourPicture These are some of my customer feedback after purchase a set of my banners and avatars: -I am so happy with my purchase! They are even more beautiful than they look in the picture on www.takeyourpicture.etsy.com. Thank you!!!! -Thanks! These are fantastic! I will definately return!! -These are Great!! It's really fun to have options!! FAST Delivery too! -Very accomodating seller! Thank you! will be back! -L O V E the banners, especially the great deals I got for them! They are so lovely, and I appreciate how quickly my order was sent! and more. I 'm a professional graphic and I will happy to help all you to have a unique and original banner for your shop. Thank's and good luck!!!:) Lucia Take Your Picture
1 year ago