From Etsy’s Merchandising Desk: June Affairs

marymary

Story by marymary

Published on May 07, 2010 in Seller Handbook

Photo by ERiaDesigns

As we bid bid farewell to spring and think ahead towards a fruitful summer, we’d like to share our merchandising plans for June. It is our goal to create a healthy balance between promotions for traditional holidays, seasonal changes, cultural events, and lifestyle trends.

Rounding Out May
  • Keep up with May’s seasonal themes, holidays, dates to remember and trends in May’s Merchandising Desk Edition.
  • Promotional Opportunities for Sellers:
    1. Etsy’s Voting Series: Keep an eye on the Announcements section of the Forums each Monday morning to find out about calls for nominations. Nominate an item from your own shop and other shops that fit the theme for a chance to be entered into the weekly vote. Items with top votes, along with other nominated items, will appear on Etsy’s home page and possibly an Etsy Finds email.
    2. Promotional Forum Threads:
      • Are you a new seller or know of an undiscovered shop? (Specifically Etsy shops that have opened in the last three months or have had under 15 sales.) Let us know in this Forum thread for upcoming promotional opportunities.
      • Create and nominate a Treasury for Etsy’s home page fitting May’s curation themes in this Forum thread.
Stay Engaged in June
Our leading merchandising topics this month will center around Father’s Day, summer weddings, summer fashion, seasonal decor, and a nod to Etsy’s 5th birthday. You’ll find the extended list of topics we’re excited to highlight throughout the month of June below. We’re looking for your creative voice on each of the upcoming seasonal themes.

  • Graduation and Teacher Gifts: As graduations and school years come to a close, now is the time to make sure you are offering expedited and local shipping options for last minute shoppers.
  • Father’s Day: Gift items for the many types of dads out there: personalization, customization, business and office accessories, gadgets and tech gear, the cases to carry them in, outdoor equipment, sports gear, men’s fashion, keepsakes, and luxury gifts. Keep in mind the home chef, the auto enthusiast, the handyman, the trendsetter, the classic, and those dads who seem to have it all.
  • Etsy’s 5th Birthday: Help us celebrate in style by looking for promotional opportunities surfacing the week of June 18, 2010.
  • Fashion: The height of summer fashion, swim and beach wear, punches of vibrant color and neutral palettes, lightweight knits and fabrics, detailed embellishments and bold accessories. References to Americana, Grecian motifs, nautical, folk, tribal, classic prep, and equestrian styles are making appearances in this summer’s fashion trends.
  • The Summer Solstice: garden parties, outdoor picnics, barbecues, family get togethers, poolside, beach and lake weekend getaways, summer camping, biking, hiking, camping, backpacking, outdoor sports, gear and other activities. Spotlights on fresh, natural, and organic options for the skin and bath while in the heat of summer (or winter depending on the hemisphere).
  • Home Decor: The outdoor room, patio furniture, the chaise. Lighter weight fabrics, colors, patterns, and textures. Think open air, breezy, bright window dressings, accessories, and creative organizational solutions. Candles, tea lights, vases, jars, and vintage renewal as decor.
  • The Art of Collecting: Collections come into play in the form of decor. Think summer flea markets, vintage gems, grouping and staging your items as a set or collection, and uncovering rare pieces to complete the ultimate compilation.
  • The Garden and Artisanal Dining: Celebrating the idea of garden to table, local food, taking the time to tend the garden’s plantings, prepare meals, shop locally, and invite friends over for an evening outdoors. Think recipes, tabletop items, whole foods, bottles of wine, seeds and gardens, markets, bikes, baskets, and totes along with the emergence of dining alfresco and hostess gifts.
  • Weddings and Celebrations: Think outdoors, light colors, seasonal fare and decor, nature inspired, glowing lights, summer breezes, and destination weddings (beach, tropics, backyard, countryside). Include references to seasonality in all the details of milestone events, including formal attire, accessories, decor, invitations, favors and gift ideas.
  • Summer Travel: The international vacation, cultural events, souvenirs, travel gear and luggage. Toys and entertainment for the little ones.
  • The pearl is June’s birthstone, and June’s astrological signs are Gemini and Cancer (May 21 – June 21: Gemini, June 22 – July 22: Cancer).
  • Seller Holiday Prepping: June is the time to start thinking about and getting your shop ready for the holiday season. Etsy’s holiday season picks up from October through December. Start stocking up on your holiday offerings now in preparation for the seasonal rush ahead.
    • Media Tip: Press outlets begin finalizing their holiday issues and series in the summer. Have your items listed and available for holiday now for those buyers and PR reps looking to pull items for holiday gift guides.
  • June Trend Forecast: 
    • Twilight Eclipse Movie Premiere: Themes surrounding vampires, werewolves, dark and forbidden love stories, legends, and supernatural subject matter.
    • The World in Sports: World Cup in South Africa and the Wimbledon Tennis Championship means soccer (a.k.a. football), tennis, international themes, and team colors will be trending globally.
    • Geekery and Gaming: Options for those who love to stay indoors during the summer months. Gadgets, cozies, cases, computer accessories, technical gear.
    • Alfresco Living and Home: Industrial vintage and reproduction furniture, decor, and interiors. Think farmhouse, countryside, the French flea market, galvanized metal. Market baskets and totes, bikes and bike imagery, picnics and flea market finds, components of creating “the outdoor room” with the idea of blending the indoors with the outdoors.
    • Personalization: Custom names, initials, monograms, quotes, phrases, fingerprints, and numbers.
    • Natural History References: Nature, taxidermy, raw minerals and stones, feathers, foliage, claws, charts, diagrams, bones, antlers, and species.
    • Color Trends: Combinations of metallic with neutrals, reds whites and blues, citruses (lime, lemon, grapefruit, blood orange, tangerine), robin’s egg blues, sepia tones, and tea stains. Patterns in seersucker, gingham, and houndstooth.
If you’d like to stay engaged and involved with the approaching merchandising themes, use them in your own artistic voice as you add to your shop. This can be translated in your listings, photos, shop announcements, descriptions, tags, titles, sales promotions and more. We’re excited to see your creative interpretations!

If you make items that would fit well with the themes outlined, try stocking up and listing them in advance to take advantage of potential shipping deadlines and site features. Do you already have items in your shop that meld well? That’s great! Now it’s time to revisit those items to make sure your tags, titles, and descriptions reflect keywords that shoppers might be looking for this time of year. This is also a great opportunity to revamp your item photography with a new look if you think they need some work. Check out some great how-to’s for item photography to get started.

If your items fall under the main thematic categories we’ll be highlighting this month, consider purchasing a spot in a Category Showcase. For those of you who enjoy making Treasuries, we’ll be looking to highlight lists that interpret these themes in a creative and cohesive way.

Upcoming Dates to Remember

  • June is known as candy month, rose month, and dairy month
  • June 8: Best Friends Day
  • June 11: Queen’s Birthday
  • June 11 – July 1: World Cup in South Africa
  • June 13: Sewing Machine Day
  • June 14: Feast of Corpus Christi
  • June 18: Etsy’s 5th Birthday
  • June 18 – 20: Aspen Food and Wine Festival
  • June 20 Father’s Day
  • June 21: Summer Solstice
  • June 22 – July 4: Wimbledon Tennis Championship
  • June 24: St. Jean Baptist Day
  • Jun 25: Dragon Boat Festival
  • June 29: Camera Day
  • June 30: Twilight Eclipse release

We’d like to hear from you!
Do you have a date to remember that you don’t see on the list? Let us know in the comments section below. We are currently working towards incorporating a more detailed calendar of international holidays into Etsy’s thematic merchandising plans, so we’re eager to hear which dates you would like to see included. We appreciate your support and look forward to your feedback and suggestions in the comments section below.

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