People don’t stop shopping on December 25th, especially given the popularity of gift cards, and Etsy is prepared with a lineup of after-Christmas sales. First up, it’s running an “End-of-Season Deals” event December 26 – 31, 2024. Sellers must have opted in to be considered for “Etsy marketing features about this event” by putting items on sale for at least 25% off and must offer global shipping.
Next up is a “Home Sales Event” that will run January 6 – 12, 2025 (sellers must have opted in by December 11th), followed by a “Jewelry Sales Event” on February 3 – 9, 2025 (sellers must opt in by January 13, 2025). Etsy advised sellers to use its “easy sales opt-in tool to join Etsy’s upcoming sales events.” Sellers are not required to put their entire shop on sale in order to participate – they may select which listings to include.
Occasionally Etsy runs sales where it subsidizes sales, as it did on Cyber Monday when it offered shoppers $5 off on any purchase of $25 or greater, and when it offered a similar, 2-day sale the following week. However, Etsy gives little advance warning of such sales, and sellers are not required to discount their listings in order to qualify.
To entice sellers to participate in sales this season, Etsy said sellers who were featured in Etsy’s 2021 holiday marketing saw an average increase of 35% in their shop sales compared to their sales the previous year, but opting in to the sale does not guarantee Etsy will feature the listings in its marketing. Etsy’s merchandising team “consider a variety of factors when selecting shops and listings for marketing channels, including whether an item is participating in a sales event.”
Etsy said participating in sales offer the following benefits to sellers:
“Reaching a wider audience: Running a sale during the holidays and other popular sales moments is a great way to introduce a new world of buyers to your brand. Longer sales, for example, can draw more buyers over time.
“Creating a sense of urgency: Running shorter sales can encourage shoppers to act quickly and make a purchase while the deal is available.
“Attracting deal-seeking shoppers: You have the chance to bring in potential customers who are browsing online during major sales events, like Labor Day and Cyber Monday.
“Experimenting with discounts: Think of your sale as a learning opportunity to help you better understand what works best for your business, whether that’s discounting certain items or offering a shop-wide discount.
“Growing your business: By bringing in an influx of orders, running a sale can help foster short-term growth for your business. And, as customers leave reviews on their purchases, your shop can also benefit for the long-term: These reviews can inspire future customers to confidently make a purchase.”
I think this may be the first Etsy sale I do not join. Looking forward to resting up over the holidays.
*** Never-ending “sales” ***
The consumer is not stupid. Last week I watched interviews with typical U.S. consumers on what they think of “sales”. The overwhelming comment was that it’s all a scam. To double the price of an item to then offer a discount wasn’t really a discount. One particular individual said that all the items she had in her cart from some unknown site, had actually INCREASED during Cyber Monday! And yes, there will be those who show up to Etsy with gift cards, however, for the most part, consumers are done with “sales” scams.
Amazon is a perfect example – Amazon shows me different prices for the same item depending on how many times I look at the item. If I take too long to purchase a product, Amazon starts to increase the price point.
On a side note…government numbers are having a difficult time tabulating U.S. inflation numbers because of the constant “yo-yo” in retail pricing. It’s sad what general retail has become.
“After-Christmas Sales” for people so unattractive that nobody gave them any present for Christmas so they have to buy some for themselves AFTER Christmas!