In this Storque article, Beth from the Etsy Business Operations team explains the reasoning behind the recent jump in main Showcase prices and why they created the Category Showcase, as well as things to keep in mind when considering purchasing a spot.
So the price for the Main Showcase has gone up. We mentioned that the reason for the increase is because of the tremendous demand — but we didn’t talk about why demand is higher.
Increased traffic to Etsy: Etsy has put a lot of effort into our public relations and outside advertising efforts. In addition to word of mouth and our sellers marketing their own shops, this effort has been highly successful, bringing a tremendous amount of traffic to Etsy. As our traffic continues to grow, the Showcase spots increase dramatically in value. Every spot has an increased opportunity to drive more traffic and more exposure to not only the item highlighted but also the seller’s store.
Location on site: Just like in real estate, location is everything on the internet. Our homepage gets the most traffic and the Main Showcase is highlighted on this page.
Success stories: We have many examples of great successes using the Showcase. Some sellers have seen an immediate increase in sales, selling many items from an individual Showcase. The value however, is beyond the immediate sales. Most report that the increased exposure that the Showcase provides drives future traffic and sales. We are developing additional tools for sellers to measure the performance of their store and evaluate success for themselves.
Value: Compared to other ways to promote and advertise items or a store, the main Showcase is a great value. Yes, even at $15! It is up to an individual seller to decide whether purchasing a Showcase spot is good for their sales strategy and the types of products they are selling.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:19 am
.A great way to make a quick buck sell showcasespots.I never had one sale out of them.great succes stories? most of the people in the forums complain about the lack of sales from the showcase .Is so much better without the lame explanations.we will increase the showcase spots starting at:
it would be better if it was: we will increase the showcase spots because we advertise the in such and such and you get more for your money.
November 7th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
What a joke! They’re obviously raising prices because they’re struggling for money - they’ve had so many problems with money collection over the month and consequently now have sellers who haven’t paid their bills because they’re enormous.
I won’t be paying for a Showcase but then again when I paid for one when it was $7 I had no sales and only 5 extra hearts. Not worth 7 bucks and absolutely not worth $15.
Then again Etsy isn’t worth much either. I’ll be closing my shop after the holidays, low sales, a search function which doesn’t work, ridiculous rules in the forums that are only enforced for some sellers and on and on. Etsy is the worst company I’ve ever had the misfortune to sell on. I used to slam EBay but I’d sell there in a second before I’d sell on Etsy again.