On July 09, 2024, Etsy introduced new “Creativity Standards” designed to “keep commerce human” on the platform.
You can check what the CEO of Etsy John Silverman has to say in the original announcement here.
Below we will explain what this announcement means for you as an Etsy seller and what are the future changes we hope to see on Etsy to enhance the marketplace for sellers.
Here’s what Etsy sellers and buyers need to know about this new classification and how it benefits their Etsy experience.
But first
What are Etsy's Creativity Standards?
Etsy's new Creativity Standards categorize items into four groups:
- Made by a Seller: Physical items created by the seller, either by hand or using personal or computerized tools. This category includes handmade, hand-altered, and hand-assembled products.
- Designed by a Seller: Original designs by sellers that are produced or printed by a third party or offered as digital downloads. This includes digital products and print-on-demand (POD) items.
- Handpicked by a Seller: Vintage items, natural items, and curated collections like gift boxes fall into this category.
- Sourced by a Seller: Craft and party supplies, as well as products personalized by the customer and produced by a production partner, are included here.
As of now, these categories are visible on the listing page under “Item details.”
You can check the full Etsy's Creativity Standards here
Why is Etsy releasing this update?
Before we move on to any actionable steps you can take, let's take a look at what are Etsy's objectives with this update.
In the first place, this is a marketing and PR move. Etsy's share price kept dropping over the last quarters and this move is addressing 2 key objectives:
- this is the first step from Etsy's marketing plan for Q4 to differentiate from platforms like Temu and Shein. The marketing message is "There is a person behind every piece" which brings Etsy much closer to its origins:
- this is also addressing seller and general public concerns around the handmade nature of the marketplace. This overhaul seems well-placed - the title of the "Handmade Policies" rulebook has been irrelevant for an increasing portion of the listings in the marketplace. The way they've reworked this is much more relevant to the situation over the past few years - Etsy is a place for creative items which can be produced in a variety of ways.
Overall, Etsy seems to be coming from a good place and most sellers have been mildly positive about the update. This move is about communicating more clearly and from the marketing perspective this is the first time in a while that Etsy is putting the spotlight on sellers. A lot of buyers consider different stores as "vendors" which is a long way from being a memorable brand where customers keep coming back. So the story and creator focus is a bit of a shift in the right direction on top of the overall clarity they are currently aiming for.
What we know so far?
The process of classifications is fully automated by Etsy and it depends on the type of the product and in some cases can be changed depending on the current item categories, but not in all of them. We are also currently seeing a discussion about which products should be in which category and many store owners on the platform are wondering why some products fall into what they believe are the wrong categories and how this can be changed. In any case, like any new thing, there is a lot of confusion at first, and we think that Etsy will be able to clear up any questions that have arisen very soon.
Should I make changes to my listings?
Following the Creativity Standards announcement, Etsy released a new feature in the Listings Manager where you can add production details for every item individually:
As none of this was filled in at any of the stores at the time of the announcement, this hasn't played any role in the initial assignment of listings as Made by / Designed by, etc.
Our SEO team ran a series of tests and for now they are conclusive that these settings don't directly affect your listings, e.g. this part of the Listings Manager has no connection to the front end for now. There is actually a notice in this section of your listing that states this directly:
So updating this part of the listing details has zero impact for now and it's also not required by Etsy. This particular update to the Listings Manager is still a test feature and we will see how it will develop over time. Once they add weight to this, e.g. link it to the front end of the listings, we also expect them to release a bulk edit tool so you can set this up for multiple listings and / or entire sections. For now, setting this up manually listing by listing is a waste of effort and we don't recommend it.
Our tests until this point show that the Made by / Designed by... status can be affected by:
- certain product categories and product types are automatically assigned, for example vintage items always get Handpicked by, digital downloads - Designed by, etc. There are some niche ones like Spa Kits & Gifts always getting Handpicked by, but overall these categories don't apply to most products and can't be reliably used to change your status;
- adding a Production Partner to your listings can reliably update your status to Designed by:
- we've seen some obscure cases where listing descriptions may affect this label as well - this is currently unconfirmed and we are running description tests to see if we can predictably use copywriting to affect this.
Overall, changing the automatic label your listings received is not straightforward and for now you don't have control over this. Also, most of the automatic labels are either accurate or at least reasonable so for now everything looks good. If you notice some of your products being mislabeled, you can let the SEO team here know so we can review the options for these particular listings.
Is there are room for improvement and what are the future possibilities?
1)Highlight the categories in more places
Currently, the new categorization appears as a single line of text under "Item details” on the listing page and we hope Etsy will make this information more prominent, perhaps with highlighted text or visibility on search result pages, categories and other Etsy pages.
2)Add the categories into the search filters
Incorporating these categories into search filters would allow buyers to easily find items that match their preferences. This would also reduce the competition between handmade and mass-produced items, but also can enhance the presence of certain categories like "made by".
3)Etsy buyers habits
While the new categories are a step forward, their names might not be immediately clear to all customers. Etsy could add a small question mark icon next to each category name, which would reveal a popup with a concise explanation when clicked. This feature would educate shoppers about the different types of products available and highlight the unique value each category brings to Etsy.
4)Product creation process reveal
Etsy could introduce a section on the listing page where sellers can share short videos and photos of the product creation process, or a direct link to their ‘About’ section for more information.
5)Collaboration badges:
For items in the "Designed by a Seller" category involving production partners, Etsy could introduce badges or icons highlighting ethical production practices or local collaborations.
How does this affect the Etsy shopping experience?
For now besides the new labels your listings received, there is nothing else going on in terms of shopping experience. There are multiple ways Etsy can develop this to put these features into the spotlight
- Adding the production labels into the search filters - this is the most impactful change we can expect from the SEO perspective.
- Highlighting the production labels through search icons or call-outs - similar to the Free Shipping and local delivery call-outs, Star Seller badges and so on;
- Updating the listing page - Etsy may release a new section dedicated to the production process for each listing that's showcasing the production info from the backend.
There are a lot of options going forward but it's still early to speculate. For now, there is only 1 new row with information in your listings which won't sway the customers too much.
Over the next months we will be keeping a close eye to see if and how further features based on the Creativity Standards will get implemented. When we get the new features in action we will be able to come up with the best ways to leverage them to potentially boost SEO and traffic. It's likely that Etsy is planning new features to get released ahead of the Holiday Season in Q4. Reacting quickly and getting a first-mover advantage may give us an edge.
The promise of more actionable insights
Another promising aspect of this announcement is the promise of more transparency around Etsy’s search algorithm ranking factors. Etsy CEO Josh Silverman stated in the YouTube video announcement, “We'll soon give you more transparency and actionable insights than ever before into factors that can impact how you show up in search.” He elaborated, “We'll show you specific information like listing quality and completeness because it's important to surface high-quality items from shops that shoppers can trust.”
The "listing quality score" is a crucial ranking factor in Etsy’s search algorithm. It assesses how well a product sells and converts. Etsy considers the percentage of people clicking, favoriting, and buying a product to determine this score. The higher the conversion rate, the higher your Etsy ranking will be. If you are looking for ways on how to increase your conversion rate you can check our article here about Conversion Rate.
While the Creativity Standards announcement made marketing & PR waves, the action points at this stage are very limited. Overall this appears to be a step in the right direction and we will see how Etsy will develop this further.
On a side note, the Creativity Standards announcement came with a short promise that Etsy will be providing "more actionable insights to help you improve the visibility of your listings". They are also retiring the so called Search Analytics which has been in beta non-working state since forever.
It seems we will be getting more search insights over the next weeks which might be a very exciting update SEO-wise.
Conclusion
Etsy's new "Creativity Standards" mark a significant step forward for the platform, emphasizing the human touch and uniqueness of handmade products. These standards promise to differentiate Etsy from mass-produced marketplaces, benefiting both sellers and buyers by fostering transparency and trust. As these changes take effect, we anticipate further enhancements, such as more prominent category displays, improved search filters, and educational tools for shoppers. The potential for sellers to showcase their creation process and ethical collaborations can also enrich the customer experience. With the promise of greater transparency in search algorithm factors, Etsy sellers can look forward to actionable insights to improve their listings and boost their visibility. Overall, these developments signal a positive direction for Etsy, reinforcing its commitment to keeping commerce human and authentic.
