Guest Post...Getting your Shop Ready for the Holidays

Hello readers! This is a guest post from Katelyn Jane! After reading, take a look at her wonderful Etsy shop as well. Enjoy!

I logged onto Etsy the other day only to be confronted with this info: Etsy sellers are already getting ready for the Christmas Season. It wasn’t such a big shock at first, but then I looked at my calendar. It’s still September! I guess that’s how it is in the sellers world though. And being a seller that means I need to buck up and get going!

Last Christmas season was no biggy for me. I didn’t make any more sales than usual and didn’t have a rush. A total bummer. I had researched how to prepare and was hoping for huge amount of sales. I watched every Etsy video there was on getting ready, how to impress your buyers, how to deal with shipments, and how to make nice little extras.

Hopefully this winter I’ll be able to put the great amount of knowledge to use. Here’s my action plan:

1. I’m listing frequently and will continue to do so in the next couple months. This way I’m keeping my store visible and I’m collecting more hearts (really, I am! It’s already paying off!).

2. I’m pre-making promo items to give as “extras” with the purchases. I’m hoping that this will create repeat buyers but also make for even better gifts.

3. I’ve been making more Treasuries lately in an effort to get my store name out there and become more involved in the community.

4. Renew renew renew! I’m renewing items all the time, and I’ve really been noticing a difference. More views, and more hearts!

Here’s some thing you can do as an Etsy seller in order to improve your shop for Christmas (and attract customers!):

1. Take a peek through your photos. Do any of them need updating? Take a few new ones, sharpen and brighten the images in Picasa (a free and GREAT photo tool to download).

2. Buy a new banner. They’re really inexpensive and a great way to update the look of your shop. I personally, am not going to buy a strictly “Christmas” banner. I’d rather spend money on one that will last longer than the x-mas season.

3. Update your items, make sure the descriptions are clear, spelling is correct and all the info is there.

There’s so much more that you can do with your Etsy shop in order to prepare for the season, but these are just a few things to get you started. I know it can be time consuming, especially if you have a family, but it’s so worth it! My advice: take half an hour out of your evening to do one of these things and you’ll be going in right direction.