How to Use Discounts on Etsy to Get the Most Sales
If there’s one special thing about Etsy, it’s the “sales and discounts section” that allows sellers to send shoppers a discount fee on items they favorited in their cart.
Most small-scale and large-scale businesses use discounts to attract new clients and customers. This is an effective marketing strategy that drives more sales.
If you own an Etsy shop, you are likely looking for ways to boost your sales.
It’s quite discouraging if sales don’t roll in when you open your Etsy shop. So, there’s a need to look for ways to make sales. A good way is through discounts.
Due to price discounts creating a sense of urgency and scarcity, shoppers on Etsy will be motivated to buy items in your shop when presented with juicy offers.
The importance of offering discounts to boost the sales of your items on Etsy can’t be overemphasized because it shows customers the value of their purchase when they shop for items in your shop.
Etsy discounts attract potential buyers, so it’s important to consistently run a discount on Etsy. To do this, you have to set clear goals for your discounts, calculate your margins and profitability, and time your discounts strategically.
In addition, you have to devote time and resources to promoting your discounts effectively while avoiding common discount pitfalls. It’s a process you will enjoy.
Are you looking to use Etsy discounts to make the most sales?
This guide will teach you all you need to know in running a sale on Etsy and how to use Etsy discounts.
The Benefits of Etsy Discounts
You can run effective sales promotions with Etsy discounts. This encourages customers to purchase more of your items, thereby increasing your Etsy sales.
For instance, if you tell a shopper they can save money on a purchase, this will grab their attention, and even if they don’t intend to buy, they will due to the offer.
When you run a discount on Etsy, you will attract new customers and encourage repeated purchases of items in your shop. It is not rocket science.
Furthermore, it helps in clearing out old inventory as shoppers will buy old stocks if you offer a discount on their prices. Also, discounted prices will help you compete effectively with other sellers as it will make your prices attractive.
Sellers on Etsy can use three methods to discount their items in their shop.
These three methods include;
- Seasonal Sales – to run a sale by setting lower prices for shop items
- Promo Codes – to create a promo code that customers apply at checkout
- Targeted Offers – to send discount offers to interested shoppers
You can use any of these methods to run a sale on Etsy for a certain audience over a given period of time. So, don’t hesitate to explore these sales strategies.
Types of Discounts to Consider on Etsy
There are different discount types available on Etsy. They include;
- Percentage-Based Discounts:
This involves taking off a certain percentage on the list of prices in your shop
- Dollar Amount Discounts:
This involves offering a fixed dollar amount off the list price of items in your shop
- Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) Offers:
This involves offering an additional item for free when customers buy an item
- Free Shipping Promotions:
This promotion allows shoppers to not pay the shipping fee on an item purchased
Overall, you can set up these Etsy discounts from the Shop Manager on Etsy. This will help you run a sale on Etsy without hassle.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Discounts on Etsy to Get the Most Sales
Without further ado, we will take a closer look at how to use discounts to get the most sales on Etsy. These strategies are proven to be highly effective.
Step 1: Setting Clear Goals for Your Discounts
Before you run a discount on Etsy, you have to set clear goals for the discounts.
There are different reasons you might intend to run Etsy discounts. It could be that you want to increase overall sales volume or you’re looking to clear specific product categories. Whatever your reasons are, you have to make it clear.
When you run a discount through special offers, you can entice new shoppers to buy your items or encourage your customers to come back and buy your items.
Also, your goals could be that you want to build customer loyalty and generate buzz for a new product launch. Moreso, it could be that you are promoting your brand and encouraging shoppers to spend more money on items in your shop.
When you set clear goals for your discounts, you’ll have a sense of direction.
Step 2: Calculating Your Margins and Profitability
It is necessary to calculate your margins and profitability when running Etsy sales.
Just like any sales strategy, you have to make sure it will help your shop.
To achieve this, you have to determine your “Cost of Goods Sold” (COGS) and factor in overhead expenses. This includes the cost of supplies, labor costs, and shipping fees. You don’t want to run a discount on Etsy that will lead to a loss.
With proper calculation, you can determine your margins and profitability.
In addition, you need to avoid unsustainable discounting. This means you should never run a discount on Etsy that you can’t sustain over a long period of time.
Start a profitable Etsy shop selling printables today!
Step 3: Timing Your Discounts Strategically
You have to time your discounts strategically if you want to catch the right customers. This involves aligning discounts with seasonal trends.
What are we saying? You can reduce the price of an item to encourage shoppers to buy the item during the off-season. For instance, you can run discounts during the festive seasons like Christmas and New Year’s Eve to make more sales.
Etsy shoppers are likely to purchase certain items during holidays and special occasions such as Halloween, summertime, or during winter. So, it will make sense to leverage the period with Etsy discounts to get the most sales.
Also, you can offer limited-time flash sales to get shoppers to buy an item. This works because shoppers are always looking to find a bargain at the right time.
Step 4: Promoting Your Discounts Effectively
You must run an effective promotion of your discounts to reach your target audience.
With an effective discount promotion campaign, you can get ahead of your competitors and be the first to reach potential customers.
But the question is – how do you promote your discounts?
You can promote your discounts by leveraging data and trends through effective promotional campaigns. If you follow social media trends, you’ll have an idea of what people are likely to buy and then you can promote discounts for such items.
Some of the places you can promote your discounts are online channels, social media platforms, Etsy shop announcement page, or via email newsletter.
Step 5: Avoiding Common Discounting Pitfalls
Here are some of the common discounting pitfalls to avoid;
- Discounting too frequently or generously
- Offering unattractive discounts to your customers
- Hiding the details of your discounts when promoting it
- Devaluing items in your Etsy shop when offering discounts
- Not aligning discounts to your margins and profitability result
- Ignoring ethical and legal guidelines when offering discounts
- Keeping customers in the dark about restrictions on the discounts
To avoid these pitfalls, Etsy sellers should set clear and realistic goals as explained earlier. Also, track and measure results to adjust accordingly.
Final Thoughts About Using Discounts on Etsy to Get the Most Sales
As a seller on Etsy, your motive is to make the most sales. Therefore, to achieve your desired Etsy sales, you have to embrace the use of Etsy discounts.
Whether you are running a sale or offering a coupon, you should understand that Etsy discounts will always be in the mix as it’s been proven to be effective.
However, there’s no point running Etsy discounts or Etsy sales without having a clear goal in mind. So, to get started, you have to set clear goals for your Etsy discounts. Then, you can calculate your margins and profitability.
This will ensure you are setting Etsy discounts that will give you profits.
When setting up discounts, you have to time it strategically to meet customers’ demands during festive seasons and special occasions.
To reach your potential customers, be sure to get the word out there about your Etsy discounts and avoid common discounting pitfalls while you’re at it.
I hope this guide will help you explore discounts on Etsy with ease!
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This post was all about how to open an Etsy shop for beginners.