How to Improve Your Print on Demand Etsy Sales

Etsy is one of the foremost digital marketplaces for custom, handmade, and print on demand merchandise. And yet, the sheer popularity of Etsy means it’s easy to get crowded out by all the competition. Here are a few suggestions for print on demand merchants hopeful to boost their Etsy sales.

Proven Ways to Increase Etsy Sales

1) Use Etsy SEO

First and foremost, remember that Etsy isn’t just a shopping platform. It’s also a search engine. To increase sales, you’ll need to boost your visibility in Etsy-specific queries, specifically with target customers looking for your type of print on demand merch.

Remember:

• Keyword research helps you connect with the words and phrases consumers actually use to locate products on Etsy.
• Your product page titles and tags are especially important places to incorporate keywords.
• Getting reviewed is another important way to gain SEO traction, so don’t hesitate to ask your shoppers to provide their feedback. You can read how to Generate 5-Star Customer Reviews.

2) Write compelling product descriptions.

There’s no such thing as a product that sells itself. No matter how good your print on demand products are, you’ll need to use thoughtful, strategic sales copy to illuminate their features. 

The best Etsy product descriptions:

• Capture the reader’s attention.
• Indicate how the product can make the user’s life better, even if that just means providing happiness and satisfaction through a well-made, well-fitting product.
• Remove all barriers to purchase (e.g., discussing refunds, quality guarantees, free shipping, etc.)

Additionally, product descriptions should include target keywords, employed organically. And, they should include gentle yet persuasive calls to action.

3) Include outstanding product photos.

Strong sales copy is vital, but it’s nothing without compelling images alongside it. 

When taking photos for your print on demand Etsy shop:

• Try to use natural light whenever possible.
• Use photo editing software; the images produced by your iPhone are probably fine, but may need some touching up sometimes.
• Remember to provide all angles of the product, along with mockups of what the product looks like when worn/used by a person.

4) Try new products regularly.

One of the great things about the print on demand production model is that it makes it fairly easy and inexpensive to experiment with new products, rotating merch in and out of your Etsy store.

Advantages of this include:

• It keeps your Etsy store fresh, improving your Etsy SEO.
• It provides customers with reason to keep coming back.
• It allows you to explore new niches or markets.

5) Troubleshoot products that underperform.

Do you have one product page that gets way less traffic than the others? Spend some time deciphering the reasons why. For example:

• Does this page lack proper keywords?
• Is the sales copy subpar?
• Are the photos bad?

Also entertain the possibility that it’s a product that simply doesn’t connect with your target audience, in which case you may decide to switch it out for something else altogether.

6) Try Etsy advertising.

Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Etsy advertising isn’t free, but it can certainly be effective as you try to scale your print on demand store. 

Some tips:

• Start by advertising your bestselling/flagship products only.
• If you find success, move toward advertising more mid-level products.
• If you have products that get high views but no sales, stop promoting them!
• Use Etsy advertising to promote sales, as shoppers will be more likely to convert.

Lead Your Etsy Store to Amazing Growth

The bottom line: A vigilant, strategic focus can help you turn your print on demand Etsy store into a real money maker. Follow these tips to help get you started.