We recently analyzed all Etsy shops that have sold more than 300K products on the Etsy marketplace to answer these questions:
- What drives success in Etsy sales and product popularity?
- What tactics do top Etsy sellers use to generate traffic and sales?
- Which factors correlate with higher Etsy rankings?
In addition, we thoroughly examined 40 products from each of these Etsy shops, scrutinizing pricing, shipping details, and customer reviews.
With the invaluable assistance of our data partners, we uncovered some intriguing findings.
Today, I am going to share with you what we found from this study.
Here is a Summary of Our Key Findings:
1. Product Quality and Customer Satisfaction:
- We found that 92% of these top Etsy shops have an average review rating of 4.8 or higher.
- Our Data shows that the quality of products was highlighted by 36% of the reviewers.
2. Shipping and Reliability:
- 68% of these top Etsy shops have a history of shipping on time with tracking.
- Shipping on time was highlighted by 43% of the reviewers
- For 53% of top products from these shops, shipping costs fall from $0.78 to $4.99.
3. Communication and Responsiveness:
- We found that 68% of these shops have a history of replying to messages quickly.
4. Product Listing Optimization:
- 69% of product listings from these shops have titles over 100 characters. The titles of top products from these shops average around 110 characters in length.
- For most of the top products of these shops (59%), product descriptions exceed 1000 characters. On average, product descriptions extend to 1686 characters for the top products of these Etsy Shops.
5. Pricing and Discounts:
- Our data shows that most top-selling products are priced below $10.
- We found that 43% of products are being offered at discounted prices. Among these, 47% have discounts ranging from 10% to 20%, while 29% have discounts exceeding 30%.
6. Shop Experience and Longevity:
- A significant portion (71%) of these shops have been established for eight years or more.
- An impressive 79% of shops boast over 20,000 Admirers (favorites).
- Approximately 59% of these shops are recognized by the Star Seller badge, an Etsy way of identifying sellers with a proven record of providing a great customer experience.
- We found a notable portion, comprising 42% of the shops, offering the option for cancellations. Around 36% of the featured products offer the flexibility of returns and exchanges. Among these, 52% provide a 30-day return and exchange window, while 24% offer a 14-day window.
- Additionally, 45% of these shops operate websites and sell on Etsy.
7. Market Category and Diversity:
- Most of these shops (57%) sell products within the Craft Supplies & Tools category, with Home & Living being the second most popular category, accounting for 12% of the shops.
8. Social Media Presence:
- Most of these shops (76%) remain active on popular social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Remarkably, 50% of the actively engaged shops on Instagram and 40% on Facebook boast a substantial following, exceeding 4000 followers.
- Moreover, 23% of the actively engaged shops on Pinterest receive an impressive monthly viewership of over 199.9k from Pinterest alone.
9. Geographic Considerations:
- We also found that most of the shops in this list hail from the United States, constituting approximately 72% of the total. In contrast, shops from the United Kingdom make up a smaller portion, accounting for only about 6%.
10. Business Scale and Reach:
- We found a weaker correlation between the number of listings and sales. On average, each of these top Etsy shops has 4,935 listings. Additionally, 50% of these shops fall within the 2,000 to 10,000 listings range.
Read More: Best Wholesale Suppliers For Etsy Sellers
Most of These Etsy Shops have a review rating of 4.8 or Higher
Etsy officially said that Customer and market experience score as a ranking factor for listings on the platform.
Good reviews increase customer and market experience scores.
This study found that 92% of these shops maintain a review rating of 4.8 or higher, demonstrating that this high rating is a key factor contributing to their success.
Along with ranking higher, a high review rating helps buyers feel confident and increases your shop’s credibility.
We further analyze reviews to find what things in common reviewers are mostly like. We found that 43% of reviewers mentioned shipping on time in the reviews, while the other 36% mentioned the quality of products in the reviews.
Key Takeaway: 92% of these shops have a review rating of 4.8 or higher—43% of reviewers like shipping on time, while 36% like the quality of products.
Read More: How To Find Best Selling Products On Etsy
Most of These Etsy Shops have a history of shipping on time
We investigate the relationship between top Etsy shops with more than 300K product sales and timely shipping.
We found that 68% of these shops have a track record of shipping on time with tracking or labels from Etsy.
Etsy does not declare shipping on time to be a ranking factor. But there are other benefits associated with shipping on time, like
- Etsy Display badge of shipping on time on the homepage of these shops
- Shipping on time helps to earn a star seller badge, which in turn helps a shop get more sales and more views on Etsy.
In this way, Shipping on time indirectly helps a shop rank higher and increases buyer trust.
We also found that 53% of top products from these Etsy shops have a shipping time of 4-11 days.
Key Takeaway: 68% of these shops have a track record of shipping on time with tracking or labels from Etsy.
Read More: Craft (Handmade) Industry Statistics
Most of the top products from these Etsy shops have a shipping cost below $5
Our data shows that shipping costs for 53% of the top-selling products from these shops are less than $5.
This data aligns with Rebecca Saylor’s research. Rebecca, an Etsy seller specializing in handmade pillows, noticed her listings gained numerous favorites and followers but had limited sales. She observed that many top brands in the home decor niche offered low or no-cost shipping.
In response, she decided to provide free shipping to observe its impact. Notably, this change led to a noticeable increase in her sales.
It’s worth noting that Etsy gives priority placement in search of listings with free shipping.
According to Etsy research, buyers are 20% more likely to purchase an item when the item is marked as shipping for free.
Key Takeaway: For 53% of top products from these shops, shipping costs fall from $0.78 to $4.99. Buyers are 20% more likely to purchase products offering free shipping.
Read More: Top Etsy Sellers
Majority of these Etsy shops have a history of replying to messages quickly.
We found that 68% of these top Etsy Shops have a history of replying to messages quickly.
Replying to messages quickly is beneficial for the success of an Etsy Shop in many ways, like
- To qualify for the Star Seller badge, a ranking factor on Etsy, you must respond to 95% or more of initial buyer messages within 24 hours.
- Responding quickly to customer messages and contacting the buyer if there’s an issue with their order increases the likelihood of great reviews.
- This practice contributes to achieving a higher customer experience score, which, in turn, positively impacts your market ranking.
Key Takeaway: 68% of these top Etsy shops have a history of replying to messages quickly. Also, to get a star seller badge, you must respond to at least 95% of buyers’ messages within 24 hours.
In most of the top-selling listings, Titles are longer than 100 Characters
Product Title is considered one of the most important ranking factors in Google.
Similarly, Etsy highlights the importance of the title tag by placing it at the top of their official Etsy SEO guidelines page.
We decided to study how top Etsy brands are utilizing listing titles.
We discovered that 69% of the listings use titles with over 100 characters, while only 25% of product listings use titles ranging from 50 to 100 characters in length.
Our data shows that titles of top products from these shops average around 110 characters.
This suggests that instead of shorter titles of 50-60 characters, you should focus on longer titles, ideally around 110 characters long.
As Etsy displays the initial 45 characters of a product listing’s title
and Google showcases the first 50-60 characters,
it’s vital to convey a product’s description and essential information within this limited span, preferably under 45 characters.
Opting for longer titles allows for the inclusion of more relevant keywords with substantial search volumes, thereby enhancing the likelihood of ranking for multiple keywords.
Key Takeaway: 69% of successful Etsy Shops use titles over 100 characters.
Read More: Featured Charities That Accept Handmade Items And Craft Supplies
The majority of top Etsy product descriptions exceed 1000 characters in length.
We analyzed product descriptions of 40 products from each of these top shops to answer the simple questions:
How long are product descriptions of these products?
As a result, we found that 66% of products have product descriptions longer than 800 characters.
Our data shows that, On average, product descriptions span around 1000 characters.
Etsy displays the initial 200 characters at the forefront, concealing the rest under the ‘Learn more about this item button. Incorporating essential aspects of the product within these initial 200 characters is considered a good practice.
Key Takeaway: Product descriptions that are longer than 800 characters are widely used and practiced by most successful Etsy Shops.
Read More: How To Sell Vintage Items On Etsy
The majority of top-selling Etsy products are priced under $10.
Pricing is indeed the most crucial thing buyers consider before purchasing.
After analysis of product listings from these shops, we found that 65% of listings from top Etsy shops are priced under $10.
However, it’s important to note that many of these listings fall under the Craft Supplies & Tools category. This suggests that starting with low-cost products, which can be sold under $10 after factoring in expenses and profit margins, can be a strategic approach.
This initial strategy can pave the way for early success, gather positive reviews, and establish credibility for your shop. As your shop gains traction, you can gradually introduce and sell more expensive products at a later stage.
Key Takeaway: 65% of top-selling listings are priced under $10 on Etsy.
Many top products from these successful Etsy shops are being offered at discounted prices.s
According to a survey by Etsy, 71% of Etsy shoppers look for the best deal when shopping for a product.
Running a sale is the best option to attract this 71% of Etsy buyers.
We found that 43% of all products from these Etsy Shops are currently being offered at discounted prices.
According to our data, out of this 43%, approximately 47% of listings offer discounts ranging between 10% and 20%, while about 29% offer discounts exceeding 30%.
Key Takeaway: Among the top Etsy Shops, 43% of the listings are currently running sales, and within this subset, 47% offer discounts ranging from 10% to 20%.
Most of these Etsy shops with more than 300k sales are star sellers
Introduced in September 2021, Star Seller is a badge awarded to sellers based on the following criteria:
- Messages quickly
- Smooth shipping
- 5-star ratings
When we analyze all top Etsy Shops with more than 300K product sales, we found that 59% of these top Etsy shops have star seller badges.
This means that they are
- Replying to messages quickly
- Shipping items on time
- Receiving great review Rating
A star seller badge not only helps your shop gain more credibility but also helps your listing gain more views and sales.
Key Takeaway: 59% of these Top Etsy Shops shops are star sellers.
Read More: How To Make Money As An Etsy Affiliate
A notable portion of the shops offer Cancellations, Returns, and exchange options.e
According to our data, 42% of top Etsy shops offer a cancellation option.
According to Etsy, Returns & exchanges are one of the essential things customers are looking for in Etsy Shop Policies.
We decided to dig deep into our data to find the return and exchange policies of the most successful Etsy Shops. As a result, we found that almost all shops have mentioned return and exchange policies in their shop policy sections.
After analyses of top products from the shops, we found that 36% of product listings from these top Etsy shops offer the option of return and exchanges.
Among these, 52% provide a 30-day return and exchange window, while 24% offer a 14-day window.
Most Etsy shops sell products within the “Craft Supplies and Tools” category.y
Some Product Categories perform better on Etsy than others. Some categories perform well only in particular periods, like
- Wedding and Bridal: Wedding-related items like bridal accessories, wedding invitations, bridesmaid gifts, etc., experience high demand during the wedding season (spring and summer).
- Swimwear and Beach Accessories: Swimsuits, beach towels, beach bags, and accessories tend to sell well during the summer months.
We decided to find product Categories that most successful Etsy shops are selling and that have the potential to generate sales for new Etsy Sellers.
Craft Supplies & Tools is the most popular category among top Etsy sellers. 57% of these shops sell products within the Craft Supplies & Tools category.
Home & Living is the second most popular category and being used by 12% of the top Etsy sellers.
Key Takeaway: Most of these top Etsy shops (57%) sell products within the “Craft Supplies & Tools” category, with “Home & Living” being the second most popular category, accounting for 12% of the shops.
Most of these Etsy Shops are active on Facebook and Instagram
Top Etsy shops receive a significant amount of traffic from the Etsy platform. However, a common question is whether these successful Etsy shops attract customers solely from Etsy or other platforms, particularly social media sites.
Our findings indicate that 76% of these shops remain active on platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
Remarkably, 50% of the actively engaged shops on Instagram and 40% on Facebook boast a substantial following, exceeding 4000 followers.
Key Takeaway: 76% of these top Etsy shops are active on Facebook or Instagram
Some shops are getting more than 199.9K monthly views on Pinterest
Our Data shows that 23% of the actively engaged shops on Pinterest receive an impressive monthly viewership of over 199.9k from Pinterest alone.
If even a modest 5% of these visitors make a purchase, these Etsy shops could sell up to 9,950 monthly products solely from Pinterest.
Key Takeaway: 23% of these shop profiles on Pinterest are getting around 199.9K monthly views.
The majority of these top Etsy shops are based in the United States.
A significant proportion of these successful Etsy shops predominantly hail from the United States, constituting 72%.
Key Takeaway: If you’re an Etsy seller based in the United States, leveraging this platform can significantly amplify your business potential, given that most successful shops are from this region.
Many of these Top Etsy Shops have been established for eight years or more.e
An appreciable segment of these flourishing Etsy shops has stood the test of time, with approximately 71% being established for eight years or more. This speaks volumes about the credibility and longevity of these businesses, highlighting the importance of commitment and dedication in the Etsy marketplace.
Key Takeaway: Building a longstanding presence on Etsy, like the 71% of successful shops established for eight years or more, can substantially contribute to your shop’s credibility and success.
Weaker correlation between the number of product listings and total sales
We found a weaker correlation between the total number of product listings and product sales.
Nevertheless, it’s interesting that 50% of top Etsy shops have several listings ranging from 2000 to 10,000.
We found three shops with less than 40 listings that have sold more than 321,932 product.s
Our data shows that these top Etsy shops have 4,935 listings on average.
Key Takeaway: We found a weaker correlation between the number of product listings and total sales. Average number of listings for these top Etsy Shops is 4935.
Conclusion
I learned a lot about Etsy success from this study of top Etsy shops and i hope you did too.
And now I’d like to hear from you:
What’s your #1 takeaway lesson from this study?
Or maybe you have a question.
Either way, leave a comment below right now.
