From Etsy’s Merchandising Desk: December 2011

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods
marymary

Story by marymary

Published on Dec 12, 2011 in Seller Handbook

December brings the holiday rush and a fresh look ahead to the new year. Our aim with Etsy merchandising is to create a healthy balance between promotions for traditional holidays, seasonal changes, cultural events, and lifestyle trends. If you’d like to stay engaged with the impending merchandising themes, use them in your own artistic voice as you add to your shop. They can be translated in your listings, photos, shop announcements, descriptions, tags, titles, sales promotions and more.

Promotional Opportunities for Sellers:

  1. Shop Local: As the holidays approach, we’ll be promoting shopping locally for those looking to make last-minute purchases. Make sure you’ve updated your profile with your location so your shop and items can easily be found in local search results.
  2. Shopping Pages: We are delighted to introduce four new ways to shop and explore Etsy: Fashion, Home and Garden, Kids, and Holidays. These new pages are a blend of curated content and category-based searches, changing frequently to represent trends in the Etsy marketplace and beyond. Following appropriate guidelines for tagging, use matching keywords on your relevant item listings to appear within search results linking from these new pages.
  3. Treasury tip: Create and label treasuries fitting seasonal themes for a chance to have your collection featured on Etsy’s homepage or linked from promotional emails and new shopping pages. We’ll be looking to highlight specifically themed gift guides throughout the holiday season. If you’d like to create a gift guide encompassing a full theme throughout your treasury, be sure to use the term “gift guide” as one of your treasury tags, along with the overarching theme of your guide (using the “gift guide” term with several smaller themes is not the ideal use here).
Boys Holiday Set- Applique Tie Tshirt & Elbow Patch Cardigan

LottieDaBaby

Boys Holiday Set- Applique Tie Tshirt & Elbow Patch Cardigan

Stay Engaged in December

Our central merchandising themes will focus on holiday gifting, winter, and looking ahead to the new year. While emphasis will be placed upon the seasonality of the Northern Hemisphere, it’s important to remember that the Southern Hemisphere is in summer months. Maintaining seasonally appropriate options year-round is good practice for boosting international and overall sales.

  • Holidays: The holidays consist of two central themes — decor and gifting. Shoppers are already planning and searching for holiday-themed gifts: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Major gifting categories include price, recipient, and type of gift. Think in terms of the following groupings: under $25, under $50, under $75, statement gifts, women, men, teens, children, babies, coworkers, friends, the person who has it all, pets, personalization, eco-friendly, cards, calendars, gadgets, jewelry, fashion, one of a kind, gag gifts, decor, DIY options, and parties & entertaining. Make sure you can be found in local search filters and spell out any offerings you’ll be having for expedited shipping options.
  • Boxing Day: A recognized holiday and time for after-Christmas sales and promotions. We’ll be highlighting your Boxing Day promotions and free shipping, so prepare ahead of time by tagging accordingly.
  • Entertaining: The season of the holiday party. Think invitations, hostessing, hostess gifts, table settings, accessories, food, cocktails, recipes, seasonal decor, lighting and favors.
  • Winter Fashion: Shift into heavy materials, colors, and layers in the categories of clothing, accessories, and jewelry. More specifically, key basics, layering elements, winter accessories and outerwear components, thick fabrics and rich leathers, jewel tones, vintage boots and heavyweight all-weather bags. Tagging Tip: Try adding the term “fashion” to appropriate items to reach a broader shopping audience.
  • Winter: Home decor, entertaining, food and recipes, seasonal activities, fashion, woodland motifs and nature’s symbols.
  • Weddings: Winter weddings are currently underway; take advantage of seasonally-themed gift ideas, guest attire, as well as any final details that last-minute buyers may still need to purchase. Don’t forget to stay a step ahead for brides currently planning and shopping for 2012 spring and summer weddings.
  • The New Year: New Year’s Eve parties and fashion, resolutions, fresh starts, getting organized, calendars, goal setting and holiday detox.
  • Valentine’s Day: With Valentine’s Day just two months away, now is the time to create and list your full line of Valentine’s offerings. We’ll be preparing to begin promotions in early January and outside press outlets are already planning their Valentine’s spreads. Stay ahead of the game and get prepared early.
  • Birthdays: December’s birthstone is turquoise and astrological signs are Sagittarius and Capricorn (November 23 – December 21: Sagittarius; December 22 – January 20: Capricorn).
Vintage Music Paper Wreath

Vintage Blue Smiles

Vintage Music Paper Wreath

December’s Trends:

  • Holidays: Personalized stockings, ornaments, outfits and card sets.
  • Wizardry, magic, owls, and mysticism with the DVD release of the final chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
  • 2012 Calendars: Wall, desk, pocket, multifunctional and creative new styles.
  • Personalization: Gift ideas with monograms, initials, text, numbers, zodiac, constellations, portraits, custom labels, stamps, fingerprints and family trees.
  • Gadget Accessories: Creative gadget cases, docking stations and accessories, especially geared around the iPhone 4S and iPad.
  • Moustaches & Beards: They’re still here and going strong.
  • Weddings: Handmade and vintage variations on the wedding dress, engagement rings, creative invitations, save the dates, and signage are on the rise.
  • Fashion: Winter accessories, vintage boots and patterned leggings. Sheer layers, lace sleeves, brocade, trenches, tailored jackets and blazers. Bright solids paired with black, platform pumps, cocktail rings, tribal and native references.
  • Culinary Trends: DIY culinary kits are on the rise. Classic cocktails, home brewing, beer and wine accessories, herb infusions and kits, garden to table.
  • Designer Vintage: Authentic fashion, collectibles, bikes, and auto accessories.
  • Letters, Numbers, and Symbols: Large vintage signage letters, letterpress blocks, monogram housewares, and typewriter keys.
  • Natural History: Woodland forest themes and animals, namely birds, owls, squirrels, hedgehogs, chipmunks, bunnies, butterflies, feathers, nests, eggs, acorns, leaves, trees, branches, woodgrain, and natural colors.
  • Lockets, secret hiding places, skeleton keys, arrows, diamonds, paper cuts, silhouettes, fortune cookies, wishbones, constellations, fortune telling.
  • Large scale vintage and handmade paper maps, botanical and anatomy charts.
  • Upcycled lights, lamps, exposed bulbs, and chandeliers.
  • Vintage cameras, especially Polaroids with film.
  • Bike caddies, baskets, and creative accessories.
  • Cottage chic decor and accessories
  • Video game-inspired references
  • Writable chalkboard surfaces
  • Wall and laptop decals
  • All things steampunk
  • Mermaids
  • Peacocks

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 during this time of year. This is also a great opportunity to revamp your item photography with a new look. Check out some great how-to’s for item photography to get started. For those of your who enjoy making Treasury lists, we’ll be looking to highlight lists that interpret these themes in a creative and cohesive way throughout the site. Please tag your treasuries accordingly.

2012 Calendar - Anek Kitchen Art Print - 11x15"

anek

2012 Calendar - Anek Kitchen Art Print - 11x15"

Upcoming Dates to Remember

  • December 1: World AIDS Awareness Day
  • December 1: Start of Summer, Southern Hemisphere
  • December 5/6: Sinterklaas (aka St. Nicholas)
  • December 5: Ashura
  • December 7: Letter Writing Day (UK)
  • December 8/9: Fête des Lumière in Lyon
  • December 10: Human Rights Day
  • December 12: Poinsettia Day
  • December 17: Day of Reconciliation, South Africa
  • December 20-28: Hanukkah
  • December 22: Winter Solstice: Shortest day of the year
  • December 25: Christmas Day
  • December 26: Boxing Day
  • December 26 – January 1: Kwanzaa
  • December 31: New Year’s Eve
  • December 31: Hogmanay (Scotland)

Have a date to remember that you don’t see on the list? Let us know in the comments section below.

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