In this Storque article, jared and danielexo unveil the latest updates to Etsy’s Pounce feature.
We’ve just added a new feature to our newest way to shop, Pounce. Previously, it was a way to find other items by a seller who just made a sale. Now you can also find items just listed by sellers who have yet to make any sales. So support the Etsy underdogs, the Featured Sellers of the future and find yourself some fresh-to-the-market handmade goodies!
Also new to Pounce, you can now view 10 rows instead of 3. This extra little improvement really made my day. Check out tomorrow’s Etsy Finds Email to see products I’ve found using the new Undiscovered feature on Pounce!
Follow the announcement thread here.
NOTE: This is an example of Etsy-member-suggestions in action. The ‘undiscovered’ or ‘underdog’ option was suggested by users in the original Pounce debut thread.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Well, I really like this new undiscovered shop feature, and I think it answers, to some degree, the complaint that Etsy only features popular stores.
January 30th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I like that new sellers getting a chance to get noticed but I think it would be great to extend that to 5 sales or less.
I also agree with pounce having a randomization aspect to it. Since it is not a tool that is juried there is no need for it to fit into the aesthetic of Etsy’s home page or gift guides. This would be an even handed type of tool.
January 30th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I have spent a lot of time on Pounce and all the other free-promo-marketing tools on Etsy and have concluded they all do the same thing in the end. It’s Etsy employees who pick most of the featured items, and it is clear that they choose to promote a very small fraction of stores and products within the confines of their own tastes and only top selling stores. And they promote them in more than one tool at a time. Pounce appears to be more “hands off” but it reinforces all of the other marketing that Etsy has created that boils down to this: Etsy promotes stores and products it likes, and frequently. Their marketing tools just add layers to this selective process. High volume stores are bolstered by constant free marketing accompanied by Storque features and Etsy emails on the same products and the same stores.
Pounce does not even the playing field because Pounce is user generated. The choices are the viewers - not Etsy’s. So Pounce can be used by thousands of viewers, but it has no impact on the focused marketing that Etsy uses for a very small number of stores.
The marketing tools on Etsy are actually a jury-slection process, but they pick and choose who gets into the jury process in the first place.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:15 am
So the best way to be seen in Pounce is to either sell a crapload or open a new shop every week…..
I feel that a random selection would be best. i definitely think it would be a great way to find sellers I haven’t discovered yet, be they old hands or absolute beginners.
January 29th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I’d like to be able to Pounce around a category.
I wouldn’t mind seeing the definition of underdog being relaxed to include people who’ve had up to, say, 5 sales (to pick a number). That’s still just a beginner, really.
I hope that people don’t start opening multiple shops just to get the exposure as a “new” shop. I can’t imagine it, but I’ve heard of crazier things.
January 29th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Well, the absolutely best and most fair set-up would be a random item and/or shop generator. Anyone remember the Sampler? That was way cool. And I reeaaaallly miss it. But, I’m still glad that Pounce gives a little extra exposure to those who haven’t sold anything yet.
January 29th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
People would just get their friends to heart each other up. People who have lots of Etsy acquaintances will have a better shot at exposure than newbies who don’t know anybody.
It’s too easy to manipulate hearts, that’s why I think a shopping method based on hearts wouldn’t be fair.
January 29th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
I wonder would people with multiple shops start hearting their own items every day (heart and unheart, reheart) to be on top?
There is no rule about heating your own things, you just can’t buy from yourself. (with multiple accounts)
January 29th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
all i’m suggesting is a random shopping method that doesn’t target new or high volume shops. a “newly hearted item” Pounce for exmple would offer the same sense of *preselected good stuff* without being so specific that it limits so extensively.