Is your Etsy shop ready for Christmas?

We are just about 3 months away from Christmas!

If you haven't already, it's time to prepare your Etsy shop for the most busy time of the year.

This could be the most profitable time for your shop so take advantage of it!

Here is a list of some vital things you need to start doing NOW!

1. List your Christmas Items

Do not presume that its early to start selling Christmas items. Many buyers on Etsy are already purchasing their Christmas Gifts! Try to photograph your items in a Christmas ambiance, so that shoppers will automatically visualize your products as an ideal Christmas gift. For example, if you sell jewellery, place it on a beautiful gift box and put a small Christmas tree in the background; if you sell home decor, try putting them on the mantelpiece with other Christmas decorations. 

2. Revise your Titles and Tags

Make sure you choose 'CHRISTMAS' in the Holiday drop down menu. Then adjust your titles and tags to reflect keywords that are popular for Christmas Gifts. These include: Xmas Gift, Stocking Filler, Stocking Gift, Christmas Stocking Ideas, Gift for Her, Gift for Him, Gift for Mom/Dad, Gift for Husband/Wife, Gift for Brother/Sister and general neutral gender people, such as Gift for Best Friend, Gift for Nature Lover, Gift for New Baby. Other keywords could be Low Cost Gift or Budget Gift or Gifts less than $10, Unique Gift or High Quality Gift. Make a list of all the hot keywords you want to use and distribute them across your listings. If you use Gift for Mom in one listing, use Gift for Daughter in the other, etc etc.

3. Edit the Description to reflect Christmas Gift option.

Remember that some people want you to send the item directly to person they are giving the gift to. So my advice is to communicate with the buyer immediately after an order is place, to double check that its a gift, to confirm the address, and to ask the buyer if they would like to add a 'personalized note'. Besides, it is a lovely idea to package the item with Christmas wrapping. And lastly, do not include the invoice with the package, but you may include a business card.

4. Prepare supplies

Since we are planning to have a busy period, think ahead of what supplies you will be needing the most and purchase them beforehand. This will save you a ton of time in the long run. You need to make a list of your essential supplies - only you know what these are depending on what you do. Other supplies could be: postal envelopes, boxes, bubble wrap, labels, thank you notes, gift bags, wrapping paper, ribbon, .... and coffee! 

5. Christmasize your brand!

The banner is the first thing that buyers will see in your shop, so it is a great idea to add something extra to celebrate the festive season. You need not change your brand, just add a Santa Hat, or a snowflake. The same applies to your logo, if that is possible at all.

6. Edit Processing times

In view of the bulk of work, you might want to consider increasing your processing time. If something took you 2 days to complete, perhaps with multiple orders now it will take you 4 days, so make sure to reflect this reality so that you don't disappoint customers. 

7. Shop Announcement

Write a new shop announcement and mention that you are now taking Christmas orders and mention also your new processing times. This will also help you place higher in searches within the Google Search Engine.

8. Social Media

Don't forget to post your new listings on Social Media. Try to post something on Facebook every day, in different groups. Pin everything. Insta everything. Twitter everything. Use popular Christmas hashtags. You might need to do some research about hashtags. To give you an example, here's the most 50 popular hashtags used for Christmas 2016.

https://www.instacentric.com/50-popular-christmas-hashtags-instagram/