Etsy seems to launch a new feature every week. To be honest, I don't care about most of them because they don't solve any of the challenges I have selling on Etsy. But one recent change caught my eye: shop updates. This is a way to share photos from your shop with your customers and have them linked to products in your shop. Cool idea, right?
My first photo that I shared was a quick snapshot of my new rabbit earrings. (I love these storybook charms—so incredibly detailed!)
Here are my thoughts so far:
The Upsides
- Shop updates are supposed to appear in the "Recommended" tab of the Etsy app for
buyers who have purchased from you or favorited your shop or an item in
your shop. I love the idea of having more contact with customers and fans. (I have yet to see any shop updates as a shopper, so I think that any shops that do put forth the effort will stand out.)
- The app is very easy to use. I had my first update posted within minutes of downloading and installing the Sell on Etsy app. (It was a little hard to find the "shop updates" in the menu because I had to scroll down to see it, but the directions on how to post something are very clear.)
- It makes my Etsy shop page feel a little more dynamic and personal. I know that Google favors websites with frequently updated content (like blogs), so I'm wondering if this will help with search engine traffic.
- You can delete a shop update and it's easy to do.
- It's easy to see the shop updates on a shop's home page (it's on the far left under the "About" link), although I'm not sure from a customer perspective if customers will know where that link goes.
- It's easy to share the photos with a click of a button to social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Google Plus, SMS, and email.
The Downsides
- The feature can only be accessed via the Etsy app using your phone or mobile device. (I'm using an iPad.) It does not work from a desktop computer, which is where I do most of my shop management.
- This is a shoot-and-share app. I'm used to doing at least some minor editing for lighting, cropping, or adding my shop name on my photos, so sharing this kind of raw photo will be a mental adjustment for me. (You can also grab a photo that is already stored on your device, so I may be able to figure out a workaround if necessary.)
- You must tag your photo with an existing product. I understand that this feature is there to help sales, but it does mean that you can't show photos of something new in progress that will be for sale later. You also cannot tag multiple products.
- I had some minor tech issues. For example, you will need to download the latest version of the Sell on Etsy app to get this functionality. (It's not in the older versions.) I'm also having some difficulty linking Twitter to the shop updates. (By default, the app only gave me three choices for sharing content and it doesn't seem intuitive on how to add others. I ended up contacting Etsy Help because I just couldn't figure it out. I'll post an update here when I hear back.)
- Oct. 30, 2015 - Tech update: You must have the app installed for each social media platform and be logged in. You also may need to log out of the Sell on Etsy app and log back in to see your latest items that you've listed. (It does not seem to refresh automatically.)
References
- How To Use The Shop Updates in the Sell on Etsy App
- 5 Tips for Sharing Your Story with Shop Updates
- Shop Updates (Etsy Help Page)
You can view all my updates so far if you're curious. I'm going to keep using this feature and see how it goes. Have you tried it yet? What do you think?