47 Tips to Get Your Etsy Shop Ready for the Holiday Rush

September flew by. The holiday sales season is upon us. Is your shop ready for the rush? Here’s 47 tips to get your holiday sales mojo brewing.

1. Update your banner. Does it reflect your current work?
2. Update your profile. Is it current? Is it interesting?
3. Check your avatar. Is it memorable?
4. Inventory and order shipping supplies.
5. Straighten up and organize your shipping area.
6. Freeze meals for later. Home cooked meals in the freezer will be gold on busy days later.
7. Schedule some time off. Mark your calendar.
8. Ask family and friends for help.
9. Consider hiring some help.
10. Update descriptions with gift suggestions: “perfect for the teachers on your list,” “fabulous for the person who loves to cook.”
11. Include a photograph of your packaging in your listings.
12. Buy Etsy search ads.
13. Offer gift certificates and offer fancy gift boxes for the gift cards for additional cost.
14. Offer returning customers a discount.
15. Plan what will happen to seasonal items after the holiday– put them on sale? De-activate the listings? Note in your calendar.
16. Re-photograph those things that you know could shine a little brighter with a new photograph.
17. Post your bling. Don’t be afraid to list your high-end items. (See Show Your Bling.)
18. List sets.
19. Type up responses to common questions to be ready to copy and paste into convos.
20. Set your location for Shop Local.
21. Label items “ready to ship.”
22. Post shipping cut-off deadlines.
23. Post your shipping times.
24. Put your important URLs in your email signature (website, blog, etsy shop, facebook).
25. Spruce up your “message to buyer” with calls to action to “like” your facebook page or join your email list.
26. Start an email list if you don’t have one. (Try Mailchimp.)
27. Ask buyers if they want to be added to your email list, include an incentive like a coupon or discount off their next purchase.
28. Work your mailing list. Plan your email campaign. Note it in your calendar.
29. Tag items with common price terms: “under $25,” “under $50.”
30. Update your blog or website so it looks fresh.
31. Offer gift wrapping. Don’t be afraid to charge a little more for this.
32. Offer to include a gift note.
33. Include testimonials in your descriptions or profile.
34. Plan your sales, note the dates and details in your calendar.
35. Start a facebook business page if you don’t have one.
36. Offer personalized or custom items.
37. Post your cut-off date for personalized or custom items.
38. Know your options for expedited shipping, offer extra fast shipping for additional cost.
39. Don’t forget your New Year’s item production, pitches, promotion. (Get the Wonder Thinking Marketing Calendar Workbook to help keep organized.)
40. Don’t forget your Valentine’s Day item production, pitches, promotion. (Get the Wonder Thinking Marketing Calendar Workbook and stay on top of seasonal themes.)
41. Update your titles and tags for relevancy.
42. Buy blog ads.
43. Re-photograph your products with seasonal themes (for example, reindeer with your soy candles, …).
44. Review your prices. Consider which products have a comfortable margin and focus on promoting those.
45. Create a coupon for your Etsy teammates so they can do some holiday shopping with you.
46. Keep an eye on your Etsy shop stats and revise your tags and titles as you see which keywords bring the most traffic to your shop.
47. Remind yourself what success means to you. In the rush of the holidays, it can be easy to loose sight of your goals and chase every opportunity and every sale. Know your margins. Know your goals.