Site Help Announcing Etsy Weddings & Wedding Registry

Jeni from BarkingSandsVintage says

'One tip to boost your results are displaying clear beautiful product photos, available in high resolution.'

--Does high resolution mean something different from our usual photos in terms of size or dpi? I'm guessing no, but wanted to double check.

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No - if you're already posting large, high-res photos, you should be fine.

Posted at 12:35 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

Thomas from SensualScentsations says
Great! Is there a baby registry in the works?

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Hi Thomas,

While we can't promise anything specific, we're tracking how well wedding registries do, and are definitely interested in expanding this feature further.

Posted at 12:39 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

Sarah DeMoss from DeMossDesigns says
How do you delete a registry? I created one just to see how it would work. I can't find how to enter your name nor can I figure out how to delete it.

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Your registry isn't visible to anyone until you explicitly share it (and you can unshare it afterwards), but we currently don't have a way to delete your registry just yet.

You enter your name and shipping information once you share your registry, but we're exploring making it possible to do this earlier in the process.

Posted at 12:43 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

Ample Goddess Jewelry from lv2cr8 says
I am trying to add something from a shop into a registry, but it doesn't seem like I can or at least I cannot find the button that says add this item to your registry. Can someone point me to where it is please.

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Ample Goddess Jewelry from lv2cr8 says
Perhaps we can only put the items show in the registry. I tried to create one and then put in fuchsia anklet which is one of my own in the search box, but when I get to my listing there isn't the same option to put the item in. Are only certain listings available to put in the registry? If so, how is it decided?

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Shop owners can't add their own items to their registry, but otherwise all items can be added to a registry.

Posted at 12:45 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

HappyHound from HappyHound says
Thank you for the new feature :) Are the items shown the only items for those registering to select from- it looks that way. I tried to use the drop down to see if I could find personalized stationery, but the drop down won't "hold" and it disappears-every time, so I could only see the one page of selected items.

Thank you :)

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All items can be added to a registry. Can you tell me more about this drop down issue? If you hover over the category drop downs, does the menu not stay up? Or it goes away when you try to select a category?

What browser are you using?

Thanks.

Posted at 12:48 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

Katie from UpHome says

Can we continue to add items after the registry is published?
_______________

Yes!

Posted at 1:01 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

Mr. Sal Phan, Bichon Frise from Mclovebuddy says

it looks great. are the registry categories results based on relevance? also, will there be plans to update the layout of the imagery if that's possible, maybe have a thumbnail view option or have larger images with a row or column of thumbnails below or next to it and repeated for all the larger images.

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Yes, similar to the weddings category, the registry gift ideas are based on relevancy. Relevancy factors are based on multiple, relevant search results and aggregate shopping and browsing behavior.

If you're interested, you can learn more about optimizing your listings for relevancy here:
www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/how-to-get-found-in-search/

Thank you for your feedback about the images. While there are no immediate plans to change the layout, we will be doing some user testing.

Posted at 1:07 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

Andrea S from HappyCloudCreations says
This is awesome! You should think of doing a baby registry also!

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Baby registry is on our to-do list!

Posted at 1:45 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

saburkitty from saburkitty says
awww I can't sign up yet because I don't know the exact date yet :'(

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Sign up! You can change the date at any time.

Posted at 1:48 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

dieseline from Dieseline says:
The items in the lists have an "add to registry button". Will all listings have these buttons?

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After you create a registry, you'll see the "add to registry" button on all listing pages.

Posted at 1:50 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

Thank you for all the comments. I wanted to address a few questions that I've seen around relevancy in the weddings category:

By switching the sort order within the weddings category from recency to relevancy our goal is to improve the browsing experience for shoppers. In the Seller Handbook Bog post today, we mentioned that we’ve taken what we’ve learned from Search. Below is a summary of those findings:

When shoppers were given results sorted by relevancy, they were 4.4% more likely to click on a listing from a search results page. We also saw shoppers viewed 5.5% more listings per search visit when they were given results sorted by relevancy, vs. sorted by recency. We also found a similar increase in the number of items a shopper favorited: listing views and favorites were significantly higher when results were sorted by relevancy.

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of relevancy, visit this blog post:
www.etsy.com/blog/news/2011/keeping-it-relevant-default-search-is-n...

We also want to give people more options for shopping once they’ve reached the end of the shopping category results in weddings. If shoppers are inspired by what they see, searching on Etsy will deliver results from across the entire marketplace, like it does today. And to encourage and make it clear to shoppers that there are more beautiful and unique items on Etsy we will be introducing a footer at the bottom of the wedding category results to help them find more items. Exposing buyers to the full diversity of our marketplace is really important to us (as it is for you), and we're going to be working hard to find a solution as soon as possible.

Relevancy factors are based on multiple, relevant search results and aggregate shopping and browsing behavior. However, if you’re listing a new item or renewing an item, that is taken into account from our system (like search).

If you aren’t seeing your item, check that you are optimizing your listings for search sorted by relevancy to ensure your item is eligible to show in Etsy Weddings:
www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/how-to-get-found-in-search/

Posted at 2:34 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

sarantos from SARANTOS says on Apr 28, 2012

So when this says that the items are not able to be added to a registry if they are sold out does this mean that if it sells, then the item is totally removed from all the buyers who previously had added it to their lists?

I relist most things ASAP but not sure if the item gets booted off the list completely or will magically reappear when it gets relisted.

Thanks

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We don't remove unavailable items from the registrant's view of the registry, but they are hidden for guests. For registrants, we encourage them to contact the seller or explore more items from the shop if the item sells out.

Posted at 7:12 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

sarantos from SARANTOS says
Hi Vernon,

Does it get replaced automatically when relisted?

Thanks!

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If an item sells out and is then renewed, the item will no longer be displayed as unavailable and guests will be able to purchase the item again.

Posted at 7:40 pm Apr 28, 2012 EDT

Hey,

I wanted to pop in and say that we're paying attention to all of the feedback we're receiving and will be continuing to work on the new Weddings page and Registry to make them as excellent as possible.

I know there are a lot of questions here that I don't have the chance to answer right now, but I wanted to touch on a good question that's been raised about how to be featured on the new Weddings page.
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Jenna-Lou says on page 121:

Does it matter if our images have text on them?? I know etsy used to and maybe still does frown upon that for the front page.

I mostly want better instructions for getting featured.

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Items shown in Etsy Weddings are based on relevancy factors: multiple, relevant search results and aggregate shopping and browsing behavior. If you aren’t seeing your item, check that you are optimizing your listings for search sorted by relevancy* to ensure your item is eligible to show in Etsy Weddings.

To be featured in the ‘Trends’ and ‘Stories & Advice’ sections of Etsy Weddings members of Etsy's staff or guest curators handpick items and shops. As with all curated experiences, we try to feature as many shops, styles and regions as possible in our hunt for unique items. Items featured will change frequently to represent trends in the Etsy marketplace and beyond.

We look for ingenuity, well-made items, interesting descriptions and top-notich item photos. If you haven’t already, take a look at our photography video** or learn more about working with models***. This is especially relevant to those of you selling weddings accessories and apparel. Customers want to imagine how your items will look on them, on their big day, so we encourage you to give them some examples.


* www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/how-to-get-found-in-search/
** www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/etsy-success-product-photography-for-begi...
*** www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/how-to-take-photos-using-models/

Posted at 6:48 pm Apr 30, 2012 EDT

Hi there,

Thank you again for taking the time to share your feedback. Your comments are invaluable to us and we’ve spent time reading through each one. While I cannot comment on specific items or shops, I will do my best to answer some of the top questions and provide more clarification on the new wedding category and wedding registry.

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Before I start, I’d like to clarify the difference between the wedding shopping category and the wedding registry since we’ve noticed there's been some confusion between the two different features:

Etsy Weddings, which has replaced the previous wedding shopping category, includes items and stories intended for brides, grooms, wedding parties, family, friends, etc for their wedding celebrations. etsy.com/weddings

The Wedding Registry is a new feature that allows people to create a wedding registry and add any item from Etsy. Once someone signs up for a wedding registry, they have the option to use the registry gift ideas as a way to start exploring Etsy. etsy.com/registry

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We understand that the new changes we introduced on Saturday are very significant. And we recognize that by making these changes, not only are we asking you to learn something new, but for some of you, it also means you may need to change the way you’ve managed your items on Etsy. For example, renewing your items won’t have the same effect with relevancy as it did with recency. While recency is still a factor in relevancy, it's not the only one.

Please know that when we do make changes to the Etsy marketplace, we’re fully dedicated to continuing to make those changes even better. Our team is hard at work testing, collecting feedback, and working to improve the product for both buyers and sellers.

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I’ve received questions from sellers that share the theme of ‘It ain’t broke, so why fix it?’. That’s a great question and below I’ll share some of the reasons why we felt the need to make changes to the wedding category and why we’ll continue to tweak the product to make improvements.

Relevancy is better
The old wedding category was not completely fair (how other categories on Etsy still exist today). By renewing items, shops could dominate the top of the listings. This is unfair to other sellers because there isn’t a level playing field to compete in the marketplace. This is a poor experience for buyers because the items shown may not be representative of the breadth of items that are offered on Etsy and may not necessarily be relevant. To improve the experience for both sellers and buyers, we introduced relevancy as the sort order to make it more fair and a better experience across the board.

Categories can convert better
Some of you have noted that searching on Etsy contributes more visits to your listings than browsing the wedding category. We had a similar observation and from the research we’ve done, we also noticed that more purchases result from searching than they do from browsing a category. We want to improve that statistic by offering a better browsing experience to buyers.

Subcategories are growing
We’ve doubled the number of subcategories in weddings, giving buyers more entryways to explore Etsy. We’ve also introduced a whole new way for buyers to browse Etsy through the registry gift ideas. Every potential subcategory is not included today, but we’ll continue to add new ones in the future.

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We know the new weddings browsing experience, wedding registry, and registry gift ideas can be improved. The changes we’ve made are just a start to ensuring the wedding category on Etsy is more fair and a better experience for both buyers and sellers.

Here are some ways we’re working to improve the weddings category and registry gift ideas:
1. Give shoppers more wedding items and registry gift ideas to explore.
--Currently, when you get to the bottom of a subcategory page, it says ‘there are no more items to display.’ We will be introducing a new way to ensure we’re showing the most relevant items and more items. We also want to be clear to shoppers that they have not in fact, seen everything that Etsy has to offer. An improvement is in development, and we’re working to release it as quickly as possible. We really appreciate the feedback about this.
2. Improve the speed at which items load on the page.
3. Improve diversity of items and shops in the wedding category and registry gift ideas.
--The benefit of showing items based on relevancy is that our system will learn and improve over time. You may have already noticed an improvement in the diversity of items we display and we’re focused on making this even better.
4. Improve relevancy over time so that irrelevant items do not appear.
5. Introduce more subcategories to the wedding category and registry gift ideas.

Here are some of the ways we’re working to improve the wedding registry:
1. Provide the option to delete a registry
2. Explore other types of registries (baby, birthday, general, etc)
3. Easier ways to edit your registry information and share

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As we continue to improve the new weddings category and wedding registry, we’ll also be providing more tips on how to get found. Currently, the best place to get tips on how to get found in the wedding category are the same for getting found in search. Why? When looking for items to show in the weddings category, the system (like a shopper) performs multiple searches on Etsy, combines the results, then looks for items that are relevant, and displays items in order of the most relevant. If you tag your items and titles accurately then you’re set up well to get found by our system. We're also expecting the changes we make on our end to improve the wedding category and wedding registry gift ideas will help your item get found.

Resources
Answers to frequently asked questions about the wedding registry can be found here:
www.etsy.com/help/article/2501#/wedding/registry/1

How to optimize your listings sorted by relevancy:
www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/how-to-get-found-in-search/

If you don’t find your answer in the FAQs or forums please reach out to our Support team:
www.etsy.com/help/contact

Thank you again for your feedback.
Laura

Posted at 7:07 pm Apr 30, 2012 EDT

Hello,

I've seen some great questions in this thread and below I've provided answers. It takes time for our team to read and process all the feedback in the forum so we thank you for your patience as we respond, share feedback with our team, test, and make improvements.

Do I need to categorize my item as ‘Weddings’ during the listing process for it to be eligible to show in the new weddings category?
--When looking for items to show in the new weddings category, our system performs multiple searches on Etsy, combines the results, then looks for items that are relevant, and displays items in order of relevancy. How an item is categorized during the listing process does not impact whether the item is eligible to show in the new weddings browsing category. Instead, our system looks at an item’s title and tags amongst other factors.

If I categorize my item as ‘Weddings’ during the listing process, what effect will that have on where my item appears?
--If your item is categorized as 'Weddings': If a shopper performs a search on Etsy, when relevant, there will be an option in the left-hand navigation to refine by ‘Weddings’ which will show only the items that have been categorized as ‘Weddings’ during the listing process. This week we'll also be introducing a wedding category search at the bottom of the wedding category shopping pages that will link to items refined by 'Weddings.'

--If your item is not categorized as 'Weddings': If you decide to not categorize your item as Weddings, and choose say Jewelry, then your item will appear in the Jewelry category, and also be eligible to show in the new Weddings category -- if relevant. However, when people search on Etsy, if your item is not categorized as 'Weddings', then your item won't show if people choose to refine by 'Weddings' while searching. And when shoppers are on the weddings category page, any links to wedding-related searches will not include your item.

--How to categorize your item is a choice that each shop can make, however, no matter the category you select, we encourage you to choose one that is most relevant for your item.

During the listing process, does using the occasion attribute affect inclusion in the new weddings category?
--Not currently. We're collecting attribute information for items during the listing process and plan to use them in the future to help buyers find your item. If you currently use tags for recipient, occasion, or style you should continue to add those tags.

Didn’t we switch to relevancy on category pages a while ago?
--No. The default sort order for search results has been relevancy since August 9, 2011. However before Saturday, April 28th, the sort order for all category pages on Etsy was recency. On Saturday, for the first time we switched the sort order for the wedding category from recency to relevancy.

Why does the look of the new weddings category differ from other categories?
--Etsy has not updated the look of its category pages in a while. We’re exploring other ways to improve the buyer experience and one of those ways is through a new UI (User Interface). Our goal is to eventually have a consistent look and feel across Etsy. We’ll continue to do user testing, gather feedback, and make tweaks to ensure it is a success.

Should I cancel my ads?
--I’ve noticed some people have confused Search Ads and Showcase Ads so I first want to ensure everyone understands the difference between the two. Search Ads are displayed on Etsy search pages. Showcase Ads are displayed at the top of corresponding category pages. When we introduced the new weddings category, we removed the ability to advertise at the top of the category. Although we’re not offering advertising at this time for the wedding category, we’re exploring future opportunities. Meanwhile, if you’d like to participate in Search Ads, you can find more information here: www.etsy.com/help/article/1034

Can you add a link to search at the bottom of the wedding subcategory pages?
--Yes. This week, not only will we be introducing a search bar at the bottom of the wedding subcategory pages so people can search for anything they would like, we will also be removing the language ‘No more items to display’. We want to make it clear to buyers that there is more to explore on Etsy. In addition to the search bar, there will also be the option to click on suggested search terms and will be brought to a search page that’s refined by ‘Weddings’. Our system determines these refinements by looking at whether items were categorized as ‘Weddings’ during the item listing process. Here is an example of a search results page for ‘cake toppers’ refined by ‘Weddings’:  http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade/weddings?q=cake+topper&view_type=gallery

Is there a way to tell how much traffic/sales I get from category pages?
--Currently, in Shop Stats, you can see how many views you’re getting as a direct result of category pages, but not orders. We’re exploring ways to give more visibility into how your shop is performing.  

If you have a question about your shop, please contact our Support Team:
www.etsy.com/help/contact

Posted at 5:36 pm May 2, 2012 EDT

Hi! We still working to make the buying experience of our Weddings page and the new registry as excellent as it can be. While our engineers are hard at work, I hope to be able to answer some of the question here. Thanks for all the feedback!

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Anita Spero on page 223
How long is one on the Registry?

You item will remain in a registry until it is removed by the creator of the registry. If your item sells it will remain in the registry with a message that the item is sold out and a link to condo the seller for more information. If an item is bought from the registry it will remain in the registry with a message that the request has been fulfilled.

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Tina Prins on page 223
1) Where can we all be seen 'wedding related" besides the registry for people who do not want a registry?
2) If we are not seem...do we still pay 20 cents?

All items tagged and titled with wedding as a keyword will still appear in wedding search results. If an item is classified in the Weddings category it will appear in all results that are filtered by Wedding.

Your 20 cent listing fee ensures that your item is listed in your shop for 4 months. Though we do host many shopping features for buyers in which your listing can appear that can help promote your item, your 20 cent fee is purely a charge for hosting your listing.

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LibertineVintage on page 226
If I want an item to be seen in the wedding registry, does it have to be listed as a wedding item in the "occasion" area of each listing?

It does not! We do gather that information but at this time it does not factor into how or where an item displays on the site. Any item, regardless of categorization can be added to a registry. If you want an item to appear in a search filtered by the Weddings category, you'll want to categorize it in the Weddings category.

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I'll be back with more soon! As always if you have specific questions that you feel we haven't had a chance to respond to, go ahead and reach out to our Support team for help:
www.etsy.com/help/contact

Posted at 1:28 pm May 4, 2012 EDT

Hi again,

Reading through the comments here the dedication with which you run your businesses is clear. I understand the frustration with this change, please know that we would not take any change, let alone a significant change to our Weddings page, without the same seriousness and deliberation.

While I don't have specific numbers at this time, you can find Laura go over some of the benefits of this change here:
www.etsy.com/teams/7718/site-help/discuss/10211103/page/126/?post_i...

The instinct here to understand how to modify your shop and listings to accommodate to this change is great to see. For those of you who are looking for specific tips and critique, I'd definitely recommend checking out the critique teams on Etsy, which serve as a space for you to post with specific questions for help from experienced sellers. You can browse them here:
www.etsy.com/teams/search/?search_query=critiques&search_submit=&se...

Also, you can find tips on how to improve your ranking in a search by relevancy here:
www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/make-your-shop-more-relevant/

And good advice on how to critique your own shop here:
www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/etsy-success-critique-your-shop/

And to provide some answers to a few more of the questions that have been posted...

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Michele Woodford on page 236
I see a lot of other good sellers who do not appear in the wedding listing on the new site. Do they have to meet certain requirements in order to be listed there?


Well, naturally they must meet the requirement stipulated within our Terms of Use and DOs & DON'Ts. Beyond that we look primarily for items that display ingenuity and top-notch photography. Customers want to imagine how your items will look on them, on their big day, so wealso encourage you to work with live models to really show them the beauty of your work and how it could work for them.

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GiftsAndTalents on page 287
I was wondering if you will be adding more sub categories, like wedding guestbooks?


If you're looking for a guest book, you can find the guest ooh subcategory under paper goods here:
www.etsy.com/weddings/paper-goods

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Belinda on page 288
How can you access wedding items without going through the registry?

At any time from anywhere on the site a buyer can access wedding items through the search bar at the top of every page. From listing pages these items can then be added to registries, for wedding guests to buy.

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Also, you may have noticed we've introduced a search bar at the bottom of the wedding subcategory pages. We've also removed the language ‘No more items to display’ so it's clear to shoppers that there's more to explore on Etsy. In addition to the search bar, we've added the option to click on suggested search terms that bring shoppers to a search page, refined by ‘Weddings’. Our system determines these refinements by looking at whether items were categorized as ‘Weddings’ during the item listing process. Here is an example of a search results page for ‘cake toppers’ refined by ‘Weddings’: www.etsy.com/search/handmade/weddings?q=cake+topper&view_type=gallery

The input here has been really valuable, we always appreciate hearing how changes made to Etsy work for you and your business. Thanks!

Posted at 6:47 pm May 4, 2012 EDT

Thanks to everyone for participating in this discussion, from April all the way through to now. It seems fitting to bring this thread to a close following the article it sounds like many of you have already seen in our Etsy News blog. In it, we share both the success of the new Weddings section and some of the lessons learned along the way. If you haven't seen it, we hope you'll take the time to check it out. Thanks again to everyone for your feedback!

www.etsy.com/blog/news/2012/path-to-discovery-weddings-and-beyond/

Posted at 1:44 pm Aug 24, 2012 EDT