 |
|
|
Story by
bethela
Published on November 2, 2007 in How-To |
Photo by deniselombardozzi |
Beth aka bethela outlines some things to consider when thinking about buying a spot in the Showcases, Etsy's internal cooperative advertising program.
Beth works for Etsy on the Business Operations Team. She's also writing a series The Art of Pricing for the Storque. We'd also like to refer you to ExBoyfriend's how-to series called a DIY-friendly Guide to Advertising Online and Matt's 13.5 Questions about Showcase post.
Main Showcase
So the price for the Main Showcase is $15. When we decided to raise the price, we mentioned that the reason for the increase is because of the tremendous demand — but we didn't talk about why demand is higher.
- Increased traffic to Etsy: Etsy has put a lot of effort into our public relations and outside advertising efforts. In addition to word of mouth and our sellers marketing their own shops, this effort has been highly successful, bringing a tremendous amount of traffic to Etsy. As our traffic continues to grow, the Showcase spots increase dramatically in value. Every spot has an increased opportunity to drive more traffic and more exposure to not only the item highlighted but also the seller's store. For more on Etsy's growth, see Statistics posts on the Storque.
- Location on site: Just like in real estate, location is everything on the internet. Our homepage gets the most traffic and the Main Showcase is highlighted on this page.
- Success stories: We have many examples of great successes using the Showcase. Some sellers have seen an immediate increase in sales, selling many items from an individual Showcase. The value however, is beyond the immediate sales. Most report that the increased exposure that the Showcase provides drives future traffic and sales. We are developing additional tools for sellers to measure the performance of their store and evaluate success for themselves.
- Value: Compared to other ways to promote and advertise items or a store, the main Showcase is a great value. Yes, even at $15! It is up to an individual seller to decide whether purchasing a Showcase spot is good for their sales strategy and the types of products they are selling.
Category Showcase
Due to the success of the Main Showcase for our sellers, we looked for additional ways for sellers to highlight their work, strut their stuff so to speak. In addition to responding to a call from the community to create these opportunities, we believe it will also be an additional way our buyers can find great items.
Category Showcases are valuable for many of the same reasons as the Main Showcase. A key component for the Category Showcase is the ability to target a buyer that you already know something about. For instance, if I click on the Jewelry Category, you know I am already interested in jewelry. If you are a seller of jewelry, what better way to target a customer than one who has already expressed an interest in jewelry?
Obviously, we don't have success stories or traffic data to illustrate directly the value of a Category Showcase. That said, we have done a tremendous amount of research to better understand how people shop on our site and what is helpful in guiding people to find what they are looking for. The outcome of our research led to the creation of the Category Showcase. I know I am looking forward to watching how it does.
Advertising and Promotion
In general, advertising has been helpful to many of our sellers. However, listing in the Showcase may not be for everyone. Just like in pricing your items, promoting your items or your store takes some consideration. Advertising or promotion is an important component of your marketing and sales mix. Here are a few considerations:
- Your products' presentation – Is your product compelling from a thumbnail perspective? Great pictures (here's a link to some photography tips and how-tos) and good descriptions help tremendously.
- Type of products – Some products may benefit more from advertising than others.
- Depth of your store – Will advertising help drive sales to the rest of your store?
- Inventory – How much do you have to sell? How much would you like to sell?
- Past successes — Has advertising worked for you in the past?
The changes in the Showcase reflect our efforts to give a larger, wider variety of sellers the opportunity to promote on Etsy. We want our sellers to do well and utilize the tools on our site in ways that work well for each individual seller. Our sellers' successes are our successes.
As always, lets keep the dialogue open. Please convo bethela or ask your questions below.
 |
Tags | ads, advertising, business, HOW-TO, promotions, Seller Handbook, selling, Showcase, site features, Tech Updates | |
28 comments Login to add your own!
juln
That's great that many sellers have had success with the Showcase.
On the other hand, I've heard plenty of people say they have not had success.
In order to evaluate this better, potential advertisers need more information on traffic and click throughs for the Main Showcase.
I understand that "we don't have success stories or traffic data to illustrate directly the value of a Category Showcase." The same could not be true for the Main Showcase, so it will be nice to hear some numbers.
moxiedesigns
"We have many examples of great successes using the Showcase. Some sellers have seen an immediate increase in sales, selling many items from an individual Showcase. The value however, is beyond the immediate sales. Most report that the increased exposure that the Showcase provides drives future traffic and sales."
this is great, but anecdotal at best. i would love some good, crunchy numbers. pretty please.
smittenkittenorig
Thanks for this article. It does help in adding context to your prior announcement. But yes, I agree with Moxie, crunchy numbers would be even better. ;) But it's also good to know you're working on that ability for the future.
Spiderbite
It would be nice to know the stats on the showcase before the price increase. Also, I know it is on the main page, but it might be nice, since it's one of the few features you have to pay for, to have it higher up on the "buy" page. I'm not saying it has to be at the top, but right now it is on the very bottom, which seems wrong if it's being paid for.
sadielouwho
I'm sorry but just having Etsy *say* that they know the showcase works for some sellers is not the same as cold hard facts. I would NEVER think of raising the price of something I couldn't prove was a valuable product.
southpacificbody
I'm wondering what percentage of shops that have purchased a spot has benefited directly from the showcase. In other words, how many buyers clicked on the showcase link, and then purchased something? I'm asking because I bought a showcase spot for my busiest day of the week, and I didn't notice an increase at all. If the showcase truly works, I would invest in it, no problem.
Can anyone provide some actual numbers a little more accurate than "many"? Does "many" mean 70%? 10%? 2%?
tinaseamonster
thanks for this... while i would like to see the numbers too... i also think this is trial and error with individual shops... what works for one shop might not work for another. there are so many factors involved...
i mean. i don't think it is about "does the showcase work?" but CAN you make the showcase work for you.
pawandclawdesigns
so does anyone know..
will the category showcase show up on the top of EVERY category page, or just the first one?
LittleputBooks
In general I have found that the showcase (home page) is really good if there is nothing else (contests, storque banners) and such along with it. While $15 seems reasonable it seems less reasonable if there are many other things detracting from it. Is there a way to know what will be on the front page with the showcase before we purchase?
Thanks! :D
quirkybags
Thank you for taking the time to further explain the new pricing system. In a future article, I would like to see real numbers (i.e. detailed statistical analysis) in addition to anecdotal information.
vivametal
Wow, more than *double* the price?! I understand the explanation in theory but in my experience, showcase spots have almost never yielded sales. This is upsetting news.
charamichele
I would love some statistics on the showcase too. It would be interesting to know how many clicks shops get on average when they are in the showcase & how many of those clicks result in sales...
Also, I have to agree with LittleputBooks that the main showcase is nice, but $15 seems less reasonable if there are a lot of other things distracting from the showcase on the main page. It would be great to know ahead of time when you purchase a showcase what else is going to be on the main page if possible... Thanks etsy! :)
ravenwolf
I think would should be provided with some stats on this so we could try to define the overall percentage of just how well showcases do.
tartx
Perhaps if the showcase was a small banner functioning like the recently listed items (except perhaps only one line and smaller) it would be quite worth it. The way it looks now it does not really grab you to click on in my opinion. The little pictures that consistently change definitely grab my attention more.
tartx
P.S. I did not mean the actual showcase just the little showcase banner that already is on the front page . .would be nice if it was more enticing.
thepebblecollection
I've had excellent results with every Showcase I have ever done. When I was starting out and sales were sporadic, there were always 4 or 5 on Showcase days. Now that I sell on a daily basis, I still invest in the Showcase. I'm able to tell that it works because I always sell some of the items that are featured there.
I think the most important part of this article is the mention of product presentation, shop appearance, pricing, etc. If your shop and items don't stand out in regular searches and browsing, they won't stand out in the Showcase either.
Etsy gives us all the same tools and opportunities to succeed. If you don't put your best foot forward, then you can't expect good results.
bonspielcreation
petekguven
I think the showcase banner should be more active therefore more enticing like the "recently listed items" to make you wonder what's going on and click on. Now it stands too recessive when compared with the other items on the home page.
GenasBeadedBaubles
When do showcase spots become avaialble? I've tried several times to buy one but they're always sold out on the main and jewelry showcases. Is there a trick I should know about???I'm new here, so pardon mhy ignorance...
JJMFinance
For those interested in statistics related to the showcase. . . you might be interested in my Showcase Showdown spreadsheet.
JulieWebb
JackieSpicer
Thanks, but why is there always nothing left except for category showcases? Is there some special time that new dates for main showcase comes out? And how early do you have to be for Mary Engelbreit?
Jackie
gibscot
I would love to try the showcase, but every time I try to buy a (jewelry especially) spot, it seems they are all sold out. Are there specific times/days when new spots are added? Please let me know.
Thanks,
Liz
KnitKnacksOriginals
Yes, I have had the same problem as gibscot. I would love to be able to buy a spot on the main showcase, but they are always sold out. I work, and do not have access to a computer at 12:00pm. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank very much,
Amanda
ebbandflo
Almost a year later, are there any further stats to support the "success" of the showcases, main and category to encourage advertisers? I still see mainly bad news about the showcase results from other sellers.
Are there any plans to link it to external sites as it was when first rolled out?
MonasMane
I am always strapped for cash, so the fact that the main showcase isn't crazy expensive is a good thing for me.
Previous Page
Thanks for the explanation.