A step-by-step guide on how to start your Etsy shop with products that will sell.
Figuring out what to sell on Etsy doesn't have to be complicated. All you have to do is let the platform tell you what's selling. The biggest mistake I see Etsy sellers make is failing to validate if their product idea is in demand on Etsy. If you are selling on Etsy to make additional income, you'll have to make products Etsy's customers are actively searching for and buying, which isn't always aligned with your taste. This is why I cover this extensively at the beginning of my How to Sell on Etsy masterclass.
This article will help you:
Use my top10 free research tools
Validate your product ideas
Find profitable niches
Find design trends
Stand out from the competition
Find your niche(s)
Next Steps: Go-to-Market Strategy
Top 10 Free Research Tools
Bookmark these sites in your browser for easy accessibility:
Google Docs (or any text editor). I use Google docs so that I can access it at any time and anywhere, including from my phone.
TikTok *use phone or tablet
Instagram *use phone or tablet
Etsy's Trend Report *If you are a seller, Etsy will send you an email Here is the Q4 2022 Report
Facebook Groups *Find your niches groups and join them. Consider them a free focus group.
Step 1: Validate Your Product Ideas, aka Market and Product Research:
Let's do some Google Trends research:
Open up a google doc. As you do product research, you will type each keyword or long-tail phrase you use when researching on search engines, social media, and Etsy. This list of words and phrases will help when developing your SEO later.
Let's research your product idea on Google Trends. Search the term or terms and filter by "Past Five Years." If there is no data, you may have narrowed your search term down too far. Try using a broader term.
Let's answer the questions below:
Is your product (search volume) rising? The endpoint should be higher than the beginning point.
Pay close attention to the peaks and valleys and jot down the dates. Are you entering the market just before a peak or the beginning of a decline?
NOTE: These may be your future busy and slow times of year to sell this product.
Do these peaks historically happen during a specific time of year? Is there a holiday, change in season, or a popular life event around this time (for example, kids going back to school, Christmas, etc.)?
Step 2: Find Your Profitable Niches
Still using Google trends. Scroll down to "Related Topics" and type these keywords in your text doc.
NOTE: This may provide some insight on where to niche down. Be sure to filter by "Rising" and "Top." "Rising" will provide insight into searches that are trending. "Top" will provide insights on potential evergreen products.
Scroll back up, type these keywords and run another search. Compare them. Is there any overlap? Are some more popular than others? Are one of these rising at a faster pace?
Add keywords and phrases you think there are opportunities to the Google doc. Make sure you Google and educate yourself on any words or terms that are unfamiliar. Learning the customer jargon is essential for search query matching.
Step 3: Find Design Trends
Social Media Research:
Go to TikTok and run a search on your product and or niche in 'Discover.'
Go to Instagram and run a search on your product and or niche.
Go to Pinterest and run a product and or niche search on pins, boards, and groups.
Go to YouTube and watch videos of people who use or make the product.
Let's answer the questions below:
Are specific designs trending?
Are specific colors, materials, fonts, styles, etc., popular?
Are people using the product in a way you didn't think of?
What are people saying in the comments?
Can you take your broad product idea and narrow it down to a more specific type of product?
Are there hashtags or challenges affiliated with the product that you can leverage when you launch? Note in your Google doc.
Step 4: How to Stand Out from the Competition
Etsy.com Product and Listing Research aka Competitive Analysis
Go to Etsy.com and start typing your product name(s), keywords, and phrases you gathered when researching on Google Trends and Social. You will notice some suggestions populate in the search bar; add those to your Google doc. These will be useful later for SEO.
Run a search and filter by Bestsellers. Start looking at Bestseller listings and their product offerings (these will be your top competitors).
Now, sort the search by "Most Recent" and look at "Popular Now" listings.
Copy and paste Bestseller and Popular now titles and URLs to the listings into your Google doc. These will help later with SEO (cherry pick what's relevant and run through a trademark search at USPTO.gov).
Bonus: profitable product idea I shared on TikTok. Follow me: @ecommercewitharelis
Let's answer the questions below:
How are your competitors labeling products and variations?
What are they offering (be sure to look at listing images and descriptions)?
What's their price?
What is a popular design aesthetic?
Where are they delivering (domestic vs international)?
What postal services are they using (USPS, FedEx, UPS, DSL, etc.)?
Do they offer gift wrapping? Is there a charge?
Are they offering special pricing, sales, discounts, promotions, bundles, or cross-promoting listings?
Are they bundling products?
For digital products:
For digital products, what file types are they including in their downloads (Canva templates, Corjl, PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG etc.)
What resolution are they offering?
What licensing are they offering, personal vs. commercial?
Read the reviews for the item. What are customers liking? What were customers' complaints? Add a customer wish list to your Google doc labeled "Unique Selling Proposition Ideas." Having a USP or differentiator will help you stand out from the competition.
Step 5: Define your niche and or sub-niche(s) and define your target audiences
Who is my product for? AKA target audiences. Example: nurses, moms, pet owners, etc.
How can I segment this group? Example: LPNs, working moms, people who own dogs.
How can I niche this down? Example: NICU LPNs, moms with toddlers, people who own Yorkies.
Do I have four niches I can target this product idea to? Let's use "People who own Yorkies" as an example:
Pet owners enjoy Yorkie humor/behavior
Men who own Yorkies
Women who own Yorkies
People who consider themselves "Fur Moms" or "Fur Dads."
Who will be consuming my products? Example: Mothers buy clothes for their children. However, they do not wear the clothes (consume them). Depending on the child's age range, the design's aesthetic would have to appeal to the mother, mother and child, or just the child.
Can I make these products better? Your product should solve a problem for the customer or entice them to purchase because of its design or trendiness.
How to make your listings better than the competition by asking yourself:
Can I simplify or add more variations? Note: I have a bestseller that doesn't offer the least or the most. It is a middle-of-the-road option.
Can I make a better design?
Is my quality better?
Is my shipping time better?
Is my pricing better?
NOTE: A strong brand can demand a higher price. Cheaper is not always perceived as better by shoppers.
Can I solve a problem I keep seeing in reviews?
Can I concisely explain why my product is better and what I am solving for in layman's terms? You'll want to use one of the listing images to point this out.
Do I have the right tools, partners, vendors, time, money, and passion for pursuing this product?
Can I sustain this product? Over time, will I be able to make a profit where I can pay myself hourly? Is this amount at least minimum wage or above?
Over time this Market and Product Research will become second nature. I promise! By the end of this exercise, you will have a product idea that's been validated and know how to set up your listing for success.
Steps 6: A Go-To-Market Strategy aka List Your Products for Sale the Right Way.
Mastering Etsy SEO (search engine optimization) is the second most critical step for your Etsy shop's success. Watch How to sell on Etsy Masterclass This next lesson and its learnings will make your shop into a money-making machine!
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