Solved: Trouble Growing Sales on Etsy Store with Portrait Conversion

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch. I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your situation with your online store. It sounds like you've built a solid foundation with a good conversion rate, but hitting that next level of growth can be a right pain. So, let's have a think about what's going on there.

We'll need to look at the sales process...

First off, let's talk about your sales process. Those daily listing and pin numbers you mentioned... are they genuinely bringing in sales, or are they just keeping you busy? It's ever so easy to fall into the trap of doing things because you think you should, not because they're actually effective. I'd suggest taking a good hard look at where your sales are *actually* coming from, and adjust your strategy accordingly. There's absolutely no point burning yourself out on stuff that isn't shifting units, is there?

Also, you mentioned ditching the 'normal' products for portraits. While I get the profit margin appeal, I reckon you shouldn't be so quick to write off those SVG listings. They could be acting as a gateway, bringing in new customers who then go on to buy your higher-margin portraits. It's basic marketing funnel stuff, really. I remember one client who sells customizable phone cases had a similar issue, more expensive phone cases were more profitable and much easier to fulfill but we kept the cheap phone cases as they drove a lot of volume. Think about it: could you test running ads to the SVG products to build up your audience, then retarget those customers with ads for the portrait stuff? That can be a surprisingly effective way to scale.

I'd say you should focus on your website...

I know you didn't ask about your website, but this really is important as it will make or break everything else. I recall that for a luxury brand, they were generating millions in revenue, however, it took a website redesign to get them converting! It looks fantastic, has a really nice user experience, is fast to load and I'm pretty sure that's what makes the difference with them. In eCommerce, the website is the heart of the store.

Your website needs to look professional and trustworthy. People are more hesitant to buy if they don't trust your website. They need to feel safe paying you and they also need to feel safe in terms of the products they'll be getting. The website design will reflect the product quality. You probably should invest into getting this designed and setup properly, it can be a complete game changer.

Good pictures, clear descriptions, customer reviews... all that jazz. Honestly it can be worth getting a few friends to try and buy the product and see if they run into any issues that might make the customer think twice. It's not always just about ad spend.

You probably should experiment with your ads...

Now, let's talk about those ads. You're currently spending around £500 a month, and you're aiming for £1000, maybe £1500 in the long run. That's a pretty hefty jump! Before you start throwing money at ads, you'd be better off making sure your product pages convert well. A great landing page can improve your returns!

What ads are you experimenting with? You're talking about Etsy ads. Are you running Google ads? Meta ads? What ad types have you tested? If you just spent the money on your best sellers then it's likely that you have exhausted the scalability there, as there is only so much you can scale before the costs are too high.

I've worked with eCommerce companies before, and they saw a large revenue increase when we introduced Meta ads and Google ads. They needed a good website and product though to make these ads work.

You'll need a marketing funnel...

And finally, something to think about, have you thought about a marketing funnel? Customers usually need to see your product several times before they're ready to buy. So maybe it makes sense for you to experiment with retargeting ads. Someone visits your website, they are added to a retargeting audience, then the next week they are shown an ad with a special offer, with a link to the product.

If you don't have a retargeting audience setup, it's easy, just google it. If you have facebook pixel installed on your store and a Google ads tag, then all you need to do is create an audience based on website visitors. You can also create an audience based on the people that engaged with your social media posts.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Hope this all makes sense! Scaling an online business isn't easy, and it's common to hit roadblocks along the way. Sometimes, getting an outside perspective and expert help can make all the difference. We offer a free consultation where we can review your store strategy and accounts together, which is usually super helpful. It gives potential clients a taste of the expertise they'll see going into their project if they decide to work with us.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh