Good day, everyone! This is Maya Kaganovich, marketing specialist at Western Bid, and today’s article is on a not-so-familiar topic for me — uncrowded trends and the place where you, as a handmade seller, can still compete very effectively on Etsy.
Why are trends important
Recently, I have been creating quite a lot of content on niches. That is, I am searching for such niches, finding and analyzing them, where on the one hand, there isn’t very high competition, and on the other — there’s a pretty good demand, meaning search and engagement.
But let’s suppose you produce any kind of product, and maybe, your niche has fewer than 5000 competitors. Still, in principle — fewer than 5000, but even 1000 competitors in your niche. In any case, you need to stand out in your niche, even among that thousand. And even if it’s not a thousand — let’s say there are three competitors. You need to be the best among these three, create a value proposition, a product that in the eyes of the customer looks so unique that they will buy from you and not your competitor, right?
Analyzing a niche — is not everything
And so, analyzing a niche itself doesn’t really tell you much. Because you can be in a certain niche, and competitors’ products sell, but yours don’t. And here’s a very important detail that you must, absolutely must pay attention to — modern trends.
One of the main reasons why buyers might prefer competitors over you — your products are outdated, don’t match the tastes, so to speak, of the broader target audience. That is, you’re narrowing your niche too much. And I don’t mean to say that you have bad taste, or that you lack it, God forbid, or that you are a poor craftsperson.
But to expand and make your target audience larger, you need to slightly change your products. Add modern features that will appeal to a much wider audience.
These features, which I will now talk about, can be applied to products:
- For knitting
- For embroidery
- For sewing
- In your paintings
- In woodworking
- In leatherwork
In other words, you can take any kind of craft, and add these details that immediately elevate your products above the competition. And these niches are still not saturated on Etsy.
Where to look for trends
So, let’s go! Let’s check Etsy, just to illustrate this, and type in the search query — Wood Frame, meaning wooden frame. Obviously, it’s mostly bought for photos or paintings. And there are many — Popular Now, bestsellers, great.
And how many of these frames have rounded edges? Okay. Or, for example, have a modern, contemporary shape? One — all the rest are usual, classic frames. The second, immediately in Popular Now — with these dotted elements, walnut. There are very few of them. And the bestseller also has rounded edges. And these things are now extremely trendy.
Important: where NOT to look for trends
By the way, trends — this is a very important point — do not need to be searched for on Etsy. There are no trends on Etsy. They lag behind, they are delayed. You need to look in other stores. My two favorite shops are Anthropologie and Target. These stores, so to speak, are focused on tracking trends. They have incredible marketing teams who, you know, keep their finger on the pulse very well.
Trend 1: Rounded edges and arches
So, let’s look on Etsy and search for mirrors. Well, it’s a bit better here. Here they are — heart-shaped, scalloped, round. Okay, but again, we don’t know — maybe the fact that I’ve been searching for such products lately also influenced my search results. This niche is still not overly saturated.
Let’s take a look. If we go to Anthropologie, you’ll see that now, these rounded edges and various types of arches are trendy — I’ve already done a piece on trends for 2024 and 2025.
I just looked at furniture made with rounded edges. Traditionally, it’s sharp corners, but now, in 2024 and 2025, all corners are meant to be rounded. You understand that this can be used in everything. At least in wooden or leather products. I don’t know, in shelves you make, frames. So many things. If you think about it, you can round off the edges — and it will immediately give them a completely different look and demand. For example, such, and so on, and similar styles.
Keywords
Pay attention to the words: scallop wall mirror made of wood. If we go to Etsy and type the word scallop — well, it’s a very broad term. And here, anything can be — scallop. But you will immediately see that such frames, which immediately become Etsy picks, are actually very few. And those that exist quickly become, I don’t know, either popular now, or a bestseller. Look at that.
Use in digital products
And even pattern — this also relates to digital products. For example, making wedding invitations in digital format. You can confidently apply this trend to your product.
Competition analysis
This very word itself — it’s clear that nobody searches specifically for it. And therefore, it is not a separate niche. That is, 158 thousand — competition. Think about it. That’s a great result. What does this search tell us? It indicates that all products, all I’ve listed — any products, with this feature, or that involve this word in their tags or titles — total 158 thousand.
Do you think that’s a lot? Do a search, for example, wall art or gifts for Thanksgiving. there will be millions. That’s nothing. That’s competition, if divided among all smaller niches and products where such features are popular.
And demand here doesn’t matter, because no one really searches for this word. Someone might be searching for, say, lampshade, some lamp. And the first page pops up with a lamp that has that shape. That immediately appeals to them. But the actual search is not really conducted like that, friends.
Trend 2: Pleating
The next subject is pleating. Pleating in clothing — of course: skirts, dresses. Completely clear. But pleating now applies to everything.
The same bows — they can be pleated. Here’s a mirror from Target. It also features pleating. Look, the word pleated just like scallop — the same — has competition of 114 thousand.
So, it can be broken down to all products. It’s nothing. Imagine narrowing the competition just by adding this one word and this feature to your item. And it’s clear — that applies to skirts, clothes, and so on. All this remains very popular this year. Or rather, next year, 2025.
Trend 3: Fringe
The next topic, which was popular last year, continues to be so. And, so to speak, even gaining new life and a fresh breath. That’s fringe. And now — any fringe.
What is fringe
Look, here’s fringe on a dress. It’s called fringe, fringe edge. Now, we’re talking about some edges. Look, fringe can be quite usual — on dresses, skirts. But now, this fringe — it’s everywhere.
For example:
- Fringed pillows
- Fringed boots
- Fringed pants
- Fringed bags
Cowboy theme
The cowboy theme — Western — is still ongoing. We had cowboy boots. And it continues today, for instance, in jewelry. It could be such a necklace. And again, I’m viewing these trends not on Etsy but on Anthropologie. The trends we don’t see on Etsy.
Etsy analysis
For example, if I go to Etsy and search for “fringe blankets” — fringed blankets, you’ll see there aren’t that many. And the results on Etsy are limited. So, it’s still an open niche, not overly filled with sellers. Fringe can even be made from feathers. And interestingly — the fringe itself, not an item, just a decorative element, already appears in 20 baskets of buyers.
Trend 4: Bows
Moving to another topic — structures in the form of bows. Bows are now not just bows but practically everywhere. They’re on buttons, curtains, Christmas stockings. If you type in the word bow, you’ll see many options — for example, hooks in the shape of bows. Such forms are extremely popular now. Basically, anything that can be imagined is being decorated with bows. By the way, on Etsy, there are many mugs with bows — and I don’t recommend jumping into this niche because it’s getting over-saturated quickly.
Where there’s less competition
For other products, like hooks, there aren’t many in the bow shape. Of course, there are plenty of mugs. Think: you want to add a drawing or detail — just adding a bow or this shape immediately increases the product’s current value.
Bows, bows, bows. But, for example, sewing actual bows onto curtains — such things do not exist. And I know such curtains exist — I’ve seen them, and they are very popular. But on Etsy, they are absent. Or, for example, dishes with integrated bow shapes. And an excellent, perfect example is the Metal Serving Set. But it’s not just made for this — it also features bows. Such utensils and similar items are almost absent on Etsy. If they appeared, they would sell well. Do you understand?
Again: I’m not talking about specific niches now, but about what you can improve or add to your niche to stand out among competitors and find your place under the sun. Look: even a Christmas ornament with small bows can become that very detail that makes your product trendy.
Trend 5: Miniatures
And the last idea I want to share — is tiny items. They’re called mini or miniature. For example, a Christmas tree. Such a small, charming Christmas tree. If you search on Etsy with the term miniature ornaments, you’ll see such items are very popular now. I don’t know the secret, but all these tiny animals, houses, decor items evoke special affection. Today, people try making simple items — but in miniature format.
For example, miniature planters — tiny pots for plants. Small but a bestseller with a “Popular now” mark. Mini animals, toys, jewelry — all those cute little things are gaining popularity. And, by the way, there aren’t that many of them on Etsy yet.
We tend to think these tiny things are only for dollhouses or girl’s play. But now, adults are interested too — using them as decor, placing them on shelves, in display cases. It also relates to paintings: miniature canvases are also in demand. Small, touching items that evoke a smile.
If you’re thinking about what to make that’s lightweight, easy to ship, and profitable — here’s the answer. You wouldn’t even imagine how many sellers on Etsy now make money on such miniatures.
Conclusion
So, friends, I hope I managed to inspire you with new ideas and trends that will help improve your sales. Thank you very much for your attention — wish you success, and see you again!
