Good day, everyone! This is Masha Kaganovich, a marketer at Western Bid. And in today’s article, I will talk about three types of conversions that exist on your Etsy shop, basically, in any shop, yes, and the most important things that influence these conversions, what can be done to improve them.
These are cases I encounter very often during individual consultations. Recently, their number has been increasing, and I notice the same very similar mistakes. And mainly, these mistakes in shops are related specifically to low conversion rates, not SEO problems.
It’s understandable that if your product doesn’t appear at all on the first pages of search, there are issues like an unsuccessful shop, pushed back somewhere, with improperly chosen keywords that aren’t appearing in search results. But now, let’s talk about products that do appear, where you can pay for advertising, have decent keywords, and generally some sales in your shop, but what can be done to boost conversion rates, maybe these sales are simply not enough.
What are the three types of conversions
You either notice that many people add items to their cart but, for some reason, they then proceed from the cart to checkout, or you have quite a lot of shop visits, views, but few of them proceed to the cart after that.
In short, we have three conversions:
Conversion 1: Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The first conversion is called click-through rate. It’s the number of people who see your listing, and this percentage, the number of visits compared to views, is the first click-through rate, CTR.
Conversion 2: Adding to cart
The second type is how many… How many people, after viewing your listing, then add the item to their cart. This is the second type.
Conversion 3: Proceeding to checkout
The third type is the transition from the cart to the checkout. That is, many people leave the item in the cart, and it’s completely unclear why they remain there.
By the way, recent findings show that as a seller, you don’t get detailed stats on how many people… leave items in the cart, but if you enable marketing options like sending follow-up emails or discounts for those who have items in their cart but don’t proceed further, you can understand how many emails were sent to customers, for example. But now, let’s talk about what influences these three types of conversions — these are different things.
Conversion 1: What affects CTR (from search page to listing)
Okay, so the first type of conversion is CTR, which indicates how many people transition from the general search page to your listing. For example, I searched for Gift Basket. I know that probably no one searches exactly for that; people look for gift baskets for holidays, Mother’s Day, or Christmas, it doesn’t matter. I did this general search just to illustrate this concept.
What the buyer pays attention to
- The first thing — is the first photo
- The second thing — is the video, even more than the photo, because when you hover over the listing, a video appears immediately
- Price — a combination, I would say, of these factors: the first photo and the price
- The fourth place — which is already small but can also draw attention — is the number of stars and reviews, which also appear on the first page
No free shipping — you might think that free shipping affects this, but no, it does not.
The headline is not read
If you think that the headline might influence this, I’ll say no, no one reads it. It’s visible only, I don’t know, three to five words, and basically, no one reads it because listings are viewed very quickly — at this speed. If you couldn’t catch attention with your listing in the first 5 or 6 seconds, then you’ve lost — that’s the first conversion, and you did not pass it.
Of course, I understand that people with 60,000 sales or so, they are in a different position. They have a strong reputation, many stars, and selling many other products besides — they can afford to increase their margins, set higher prices.
What should be on the first photo
Regarding the first photo, since we already have a video about what should be on the first photo to attract attention, here’s a summary:
- If you have multiple options for your product, it’s better to show them all immediately on the first page, on the first photo
- The most expensive option in your shop should also be on the first page, on the first photo
- Try to include a less expensive option to lower the initial price
- And think about what you can remove from your product — certain features, packaging, a box, a stand — if you can sell the product without these to reduce the initial price
Three types of videos
Now about videos, three types:
Type 1: Manufacturing process
Video of how you make your product — for example, “Here’s us baking in the oven.” Why is it important to show products during production? Because it increases perceived value in the buyer’s eyes.
There’s a big difference for the customer if the same item is made on an assembly line in China, or handcrafted by an artisan with love and soul. Imagine, you might think it’s factory-made in China, but it’s all handmade. Right away, the product looks much more valuable, like “Wow, only 35 dollars,” but you could say, “I would buy it for 10 dollars.”
This also applies to digital products — you can show how you create your design on the computer, and voilà, it looks like this now. It also increases perceived value.
Type 2: Things not visible in photos
The second type is showing the customer something on video that can’t be shown in photos — like how a box opens smoothly, gently, beautifully. Photos from the side, front, or back can show the product, but how the box opens or a ring is taken out can’t be shown in photos. Here’s an example of how it works — you can’t show that in a photo, but it’s possible in a video.
Type 3: Customer emotions
The third is showing the emotions the customer experiences — how they open the packaging, receive the gift. This should be your target… Target Audience, meaning, who will give this gift? A girl? Our target audience is a mom giving a gift to a girl, but I mean the person for whom this gift is intended.
Most people come to Etsy to buy gifts. What’s most important in a gift? Packaging! So, what’s the point of the little dog? Just a cute, adorable dog adds emotion. Here’s another example — how it’s created: personalized pants with photos of our beloved dog.
Again, I’m not talking about headlines or SEO because it doesn’t influence this.
Conversion 2: What influences moving to the cart
The second conversion — when a person has already entered and moved your product into the cart. They pressed the “Add to Cart” button. This means you achieved the transition to the cart.
Mistake 1: Empty photos
One of the most important things that affect this is your other photos — if they are empty or do not add any value, they reduce this conversion.
For example, when there are very few photos, which don’t add much information: just a spoon lying there, obviously meant for the spoon — a Spoon Rest — seen from one side, the other side, and the back, okay, I get it. But very little info overall.
Another example: Option 1, Option 2, Option 3. No model, no additional info. One detail — what it’s called, like Panama Cap — great. Options by color, see photos. For whom? For women? For kids? Overall, just empty info.
Mistake 2: Lack of options
The second reason for low conversion — is the absence of options. For example, no options at all, just a few dull photos. No interior shots, no mockups, no appealing emotional images that could be inserted later.
Such photos worked five years ago on eBay, but now, they no longer work. We showed the lack of options — they just aren’t there.
Mistake 3: Confusing options
For example, too many options, like how many colors are here? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. Sometimes even forty. Why not?
This shouldn’t be. Even if the buyer’s psychology picks one based on options, they’ll be disappointed later — thinking maybe they should have chosen Cream instead of Beige, or maybe this Wisteria looks nice but should be darker, like Dusty Purple. Very similar options.
If you’ve made many variations by length, consider reducing them by half — three or four options max. Buyers don’t like spending that much time choosing all the details.
Guided Choice
It’s called Guided Choice now, meaning people prefer to see two or three options: “Do you prefer this or that?” This way, a person visits but can’t decide or make a choice. Offer them a quick decision — give a small discount if they’re confused about options.
Mistake 4: Wrong options
Let’s see — the first photo is excellent, bright, attractive, right? Now look at the video, what does it add? Showing this in gift packaging, or how you make it yourself — that’s good. Here it’s shown close-up. All photos are the same? No, that’s a problem.
This photo shows options: small, medium, large, extra large. Does it add value? Yes. Next photo also adds something — different stands, which aren’t many. Without a stand, probably, an inexpensive option. And a few more, clear options to choose from.
Summary for Conversion 2
Alright. Summarizing, here are four main points:
- Blank, non-informative photos
- Lack of options
- Confusing options
- Inconsistent or wrong options
Conversion 3: What influences transitioning from cart to checkout
The last, and favorite, is when the person has added the item and is ready to buy this wonderful journal.
Reason 1: High shipping costs
Number 1. Why? Because the person doesn’t proceed — the shipping cost kills it. This is what they mostly pay attention to. When they go to checkout, they wanted to buy for $16, but see shipping $19, paying a total of $35.
It’s upsetting — I get it. I understand that your actual shipping cost is $19. I get that. But it’s just disrespectful to the customer, right? Giving such a high shipping fee.
How to fix it
If the product cost is, say, $23, or $29, with a shipping fee of $6, that’s better. You won’t be too close to the $20 threshold, but you stay under $30. At least you won’t lose 90% of your sales. I don’t see how someone would buy a $16 product with a $19 shipping fee.
Reason 2: Confusing options again
The second reason — again — confusing options. If someone gets confused but still likes the product, they might just automatically add it to the cart, but then decide “I’ll think about it,” or delay the purchase. You can influence this by offering a discount if they’re confused about options.
Shipping rule
Generally, two main rules: highest priority — high shipping costs. Remember: your shipping shouldn’t exceed 25% of the product price. It doesn’t matter what it actually costs you — just increase the product price accordingly.
There’s a special video discussing whether you should offer free shipping or not. Just wanted to mention it because these are common mistakes I often notice.
Conclusion
Why might there be many views and advertising on Etsy but few sales?
Because the problem is often not SEO or advertising — it’s conversions. People see the listing, even visit it, but then drop out at some stage: don’t click, don’t add to the cart, or don’t reach checkout. If you don’t understand which stage it happens at, you’ll waste your budget without seeing growth.
What most affects the first conversion — from search to listing (CTR)?
In search, customers don’t pay attention to headlines. They respond to the first photo, video, price, and overall impression within a few seconds. If the photo is “bad,” the price looks worse than competitors, or the product doesn’t stand out in the feed — they simply scroll past, even if SEO is properly done.
Why do people add items to their cart but not complete the purchase?
Most often, these are two issues: high shipping costs or confusing options. When shipping nearly matches the product price — the customer quickly changes their mind. And when there are too many options, unclear or confusing, it’s easier to postpone the decision “until later,” which often never comes.
