Recently Etsy introduced some changes to the Wedding Category. I love
the look of the first page, but have some mixed feelings about the rest.
Here are my thoughts on the new category and I'd love to hear yours in
the comments.
First Page:
I love the modern, chic look of the first page! It's so inviting and more appealing than the old standard page. I like that there is a lot to look at, yet it's not overwhelming.
I love the modern, chic look of the first page! It's so inviting and more appealing than the old standard page. I like that there is a lot to look at, yet it's not overwhelming.
Categories:
One thing I'm not thrilled
about are the categories. They have several sub-categories lumped under
one heading that used to be several separate categories. Take the Paper
Goods Category for instance: They have Wedding Invitations and Guest
Books lumped under this heading. What about my Wooden Invites and Guest
Books? They're not made of paper. And I think this may be confusing for
shoppers.
I also don't care for the layout of the listings
anymore. They seem like a jumbled mess to me. I like to see items in
organized rows that are easy to see and easy to come back to. And there
aren't pages anymore. Just a button to push to see more items. And if
your item isn't "relevant" it doesn't show up at the bottom of the
list...it doesn't show up at all!
Kudos to the Support Staff:
Stemming from my comment above about "relevant" items, I contacted Etsy when my Wooden Guest Books weren't showing up anywhere in the New Guest Book Category. I had my items listed in the proper category, so why weren't they showing up! I got a pretty generic response the first go around, but after my second email, I got a very detailed response that was helpful and did help my guest books show up. I knew that the first three words of our titles were the most important, but I didn't realize that they had to have the exact wording in them to show up in the new categories! I changed some titles to including "Wedding Guest Book" in the first 3-4 words and that seemed to do the trick. I added "personalized" "wooden" or "custom" to a few listings just so they wouldn't all be the same and that still seemed to be okay. Thank you to Etsy Support for taking the time to point this out and answer my emails.
I'll be interested to see how the new Wedding Pages do and if they bring me more/less traffic. What are your thoughts on the new categories?
Stemming from my comment above about "relevant" items, I contacted Etsy when my Wooden Guest Books weren't showing up anywhere in the New Guest Book Category. I had my items listed in the proper category, so why weren't they showing up! I got a pretty generic response the first go around, but after my second email, I got a very detailed response that was helpful and did help my guest books show up. I knew that the first three words of our titles were the most important, but I didn't realize that they had to have the exact wording in them to show up in the new categories! I changed some titles to including "Wedding Guest Book" in the first 3-4 words and that seemed to do the trick. I added "personalized" "wooden" or "custom" to a few listings just so they wouldn't all be the same and that still seemed to be okay. Thank you to Etsy Support for taking the time to point this out and answer my emails.
I'll be interested to see how the new Wedding Pages do and if they bring me more/less traffic. What are your thoughts on the new categories?
I hate it. It's obvious from the layout of the categories that they're trying to go for the Pinterest look, but that doesn't really work for a shopping venue when people need organization. I also have a huuuuuge problem with "Want to see more items? Search for ____." That makes it seem like there aren't very many things to see, which is not only untrue but will probably be weird for people who are new to Etsy. Finally, I'm still seeing a lot of non-wedding items popping up in various categories, which tells me they didn't perfect their algorithms before launching the section.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that I'm glad I don't rely on Etsy for all of my business, and that I don't get much traffic from categories anyway (search and treasuries are way better, thank god). I think this new setup will only benefit a very small group of people.
Ek, I was thinking exactly what Paige said- it looks like they're just copying pinterest! But, she's right- I like etsy more classic organized grid format better.
ReplyDeleteGlad they were helpful to you when you asked for assistance. That's an awful lot of work!
I'm for the organized grid layout too -- I like things to be symmetrical so it's difficult for me to make sense of the layout as it is now. It might be better if they had pages to click on rather than the "show more items" button.
ReplyDeleteI did find your guest book though -- on page 2!!
I've heard that the babies category might be next, so that concerns me with my toys!
having the topic of an item, like Wedding guest book, makes more sense than what they're made out of. Glad the support Staff was able to help you like. About the layout: looks like they're copying pinterest! {:-D
ReplyDeleteThis isn't my category but I do not like the look of the page. I want things to be organized, easy on the eyes, and streamlined.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I haven't looked at the wedding pages much, but I agree with you about the organization. It would be interesting to get a buyer's take on it. I'm glad that Etsy Support was able to straighten out your issue at least.
ReplyDeleteI only looked at the wedding pages once trying to find your items and only found paper things so I'll have to see if I can find your work now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone on the confusing layout. I think it looks messy. I do love the idea of the wedding registry.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got a response from Etsy on your guest books. I didn't realize that the first 3 words needs to be exact wording for some of these categories. :)
The first thing I thought, too, was that this looks just like Pinterest. I like the clean look better, too. I agree that the new categories could use a bit of work, too.
ReplyDeleteI only looked briefly once.
ReplyDeleteYep, looks like Pinterest. great for Pinterest, but I agree with the neat organized rows where you can re-find things.
Thank goodness the support staff gave you some actual good support!
good to know about the first 3 words and showing up in categories. I've also heard that if you repeat the same titles that a search will find them a duplicate and therefore irrelevant. (This may be for google searching.)
I never look at wedding stuff, but I checked it out and does look a lot like pinterest. I agree I prefer simple rows where everything is the same size when I am shopping. I am glad you were able to find out what you needed to get your items to show up, they are to lovely to be missed.
ReplyDeleteValerie
Everyday Inspired