How to Choose and Optimize Your Product Category on Etsy with Data and Analysis

Etsy is a global creative goods marketplace, with millions of buyers and sellers, offering a variety of handmade crafts, unique products, and personalized services. If you are an Etsy seller, or want to become one, you may face a very important question: which category should you sell your products under? This question is not simple, because there are thousands of different categories on Etsy, each with different market demand, competition level, and profit margin. If you choose the wrong category, you may miss a lot of potential customers, or fail to compete with other sellers. Therefore, choosing the right category is the first step to do well on Etsy.

So, how to choose the right category? Are there any tools or methods that can help us make smarter decisions? The answer is yes. Today, I want to introduce you to a very powerful and practical online tool, called esale.io. esale.io is a tool designed specifically for Etsy sellers, which can help you manage and optimize your Etsy store, increase sales and revenue. It has many features, one of which is Etsy category research.

What is Etsy category research?

Etsy category research is a feature of esale.io, which allows you to analyze the performance of different categories of products on Etsy, find out the most popular and profitable categories, and how to optimize your product titles and tags to improve ranking.

How to use Etsy category research?

The use of Etsy category research is very simple. You just need to enter the category you want to research on esale.io’s website, such as jewelry, home goods, wedding supplies, etc. Then, esale.io will show you the following indicators based on Etsy’s data:

Total sales: The number of products sold in this category on Etsy in the past 30 days.
Average price: The average selling price of products in this category.
Average favorites: The average number of times products in this category are favorited by buyers.
Average views: The average number of times products in this category are viewed by buyers.
Best-selling products: The top 10 best-selling products in this category, as well as their sales, prices, reviews, etc.
Best-selling stores: The top 10 best-selling stores in this category, as well as their product quantity, sales, reviews, etc.
Most popular keywords: The top 100 most popular and searched keywords in this category, as well as their search volume and competition level.

What are the advantages of Etsy category research?

Etsy category research has the following advantages:

Quickly understand market demand and potential: You can judge the market size, consumption level, user preference and traffic situation of a category by looking at its total sales, average price, average favorites and average views. This way, you can choose a category with high demand, high profit and low competition to increase your sales opportunities.
Find out the most suitable products and categories for you: You can learn from their successful experience and strategy by looking at the best-selling products and stores in different categories. You can also compare different products in different categories to find out your strengths and weaknesses. And how to improve your products and strategy to increase your competitiveness.
Use the most popular keywords to improve ranking: You can find out what buyers care about and search for by looking at the most popular keywords in different categories. And their search volume and competition level. You can choose the most suitable keywords for your products based on these data. And how to optimize your product titles and tags to improve your visibility in Etsy search results.

How to use Etsy category research to do ETSY operation?

There are many ways to use Etsy category research to do ETSY operation. But I will introduce you three most common and effective methods. They are:

Choose a profitable category: You can choose the most suitable category for your products based on market demand. Competition level and profit margin of different categories.
Optimize an existing category: You can optimize an existing category that you have already chosen by improving your product quality and attractiveness.
Create a new category: You can create some new and never-seen-before products or combine different products together to form a new category.

Below I will give some specific examples to show how to use Etsy category research to do ETSY operation.

Example 1: Choose a profitable category

Suppose you are a jewelry seller, and you want to sell your handmade necklaces, earrings, rings, etc. on Etsy. Which category should you sell your products under? You can use esale.io’s Etsy category research to help you make a decision.

First, you can enter “jewelry” as the category you want to research on esale.io’s website. Then look at its indicators. You will find that the total sales of this category are 1,569,545 pieces, the average price is $34.28, the average favorites are 1,038 times, and the average views are 5,271 times. These data indicate that this category has a large market demand, but also a lot of competition and traffic.

Next, you can look at the best-selling products and stores in this category. You will find that the top 10 best-selling products are all simple and stylish designs, such as metal chains, initial letters, stars, etc. The top 10 best-selling stores are all large stores with thousands of products and tens of thousands of reviews. These data indicate that buyers in this category like simple and personalized products, but also have a lot of brand effect and loyalty.

Finally, you can look at the most popular keywords in this category. You will find that the top 10 most searched keywords are all general and broad words, such as “necklace”, “earrings”, “ring”, etc. These keywords also have a high competition level, indicating that there are many sellers using these keywords to optimize their products.

Based on these data, you can draw the following conclusions:

Jewelry is a category with high demand, high profit and high competition.
If you want to stand out in this category, you need to have some unique and attractive product designs, as well as some strong and reputable brand images.
If you want to improve your product ranking in Etsy search results, you need to use some more specific and relevant keywords, as well as some more optimized and appealing product titles and tags.

Based on these conclusions, you can choose the following strategies:

Choose a more segmented subcategory: If you think that jewelry is too big and broad a category, you can choose a more segmented subcategory, such as “crystal jewelry”, “vintage jewelry”, “embroidered jewelry”, etc. This way, you can reduce your competitors, increase your target customers, and increase your profit margin.
Create a more distinctive product: If you think that jewelry is too common and monotonous a category, you can create a more distinctive product, such as “personalized jewelry”, “hand-painted jewelry”, “transformable jewelry”, etc. This way, you can increase your product uniqueness, attract more buyers, and increase your brand awareness.
Use a more precise keyword: If you think that jewelry is too generic and competitive a category, you can use a more precise keyword, such as “crystal necklace”, “vintage earrings”, “embroidered ring”, etc. This way, you can improve your product relevance, increase your product ranking in Etsy search results, and increase your traffic and sales.

This is an example of using Etsy category research to choose a profitable category. Of course, this is just a demonstration. You can make more suitable choices according to your own products and market situation. The important thing is to use esale.io’s data and analysis to help you make smarter decisions.

Example 2: Optimize an existing category

Suppose you have already sold some products on Etsy, but you think your sales and revenue are not satisfactory. You want to optimize your existing category, improve your product quality and attractiveness. You can use esale.io’s Etsy category research to help you make improvements.

First, you can enter the category you are currently selling on esale.io’s website, such as “wedding supplies”. Then look at its indicators. You will find that the total sales of this category are 1,234,567 pieces, the average price is $56.78, the average favorites are 987 times, and the average views are 6,543 times. These data indicate that this category has a large market demand, but also a lot of competition and traffic.

Next, you can look at the best-selling products and stores in this category. You will find that the top 10 best-selling products are all exquisite and practical designs, such as wedding invitations, wedding decorations, wedding favors, etc. The top 10 best-selling stores are all medium-sized stores with hundreds of products and thousands of reviews. These data indicate that buyers in this category like high-quality and meaningful products, but also have a lot of price sensitivity and word-of-mouth influence.

Finally, you can look at the most popular keywords in this category. You will find that the top 10 most searched keywords are all specific and detailed words, such as “wedding invitation template”, “wedding decoration set”, “wedding favor custom”, etc. These keywords also have a low competition level, indicating that there are not many sellers using these keywords to optimize their products.

Based on these data, you can draw the following conclusions:

Wedding supplies is a category with high demand, high profit and high competition.
If you want to improve your product performance in this category, you need to improve your product quality and service level, as well as provide some more specific and more suitable products for buyers.
If you want to improve your product ranking in Etsy search results, you need to use some more refined and more relevant keywords, as well as some more optimized and more appealing product titles and tags.

Based on these conclusions, you can choose the following strategies:

Improve product quality and service level: If you think your current product quality or service level is not good enough, or you have received some dissatisfied or negative feedbacks, you can take some measures to improve them. For example, you can use better materials or techniques to make your products, or provide faster or more convenient shipping methods. You can also provide better after-sales service or return policy, or actively communicate and solve problems with buyers. This way, you can improve buyer satisfaction and trust for your products and store, thereby increasing your sales and reviews.
Provide more specific and more suitable products for buyers: If you think your current products are too general or not distinctive enough, or they do not meet buyer’s personalized or customized needs, you can take some measures to improve them. For example, you can design some more specific and more detailed products based on the most popular keywords or best-selling products, or provide some more options and combinations. You can also provide some more suitable products for their preferences or occasions based on buyer’s feedbacks or suggestions, or provide some personalized or customized services. This way, you can increase buyer interest and purchase intention for your products, thereby increasing your sales and favorites.
Use more refined and more relevant keywords: If you think your current keywords are too broad or not accurate enough, or they do not reflect your product features and advantages, you can take some measures to improve them. For example, you can choose some more refined and more relevant keywords based on the most popular keywords or best-selling products, or add some modifiers or qualifiers. You can also choose some more suitable keywords for their needs or preferences based on buyer’s search behavior or purchase behavior, or use some long-tail words or phrases. This way, you can improve your product ranking and visibility in Etsy search results, thereby increasing your traffic and sales.

This is an example of using Etsy category research to optimize an existing category. Of course, this is just a demonstration. You can make more suitable choices according to your own products and market situation. The important thing is to use esale.io’s data and analysis to help you make smarter decisions.

Example 3: Create a new category

Suppose you are a creative and innovative seller, and you want to sell some never-seen-before products on Etsy, or combine different products together to form a new category. How can you use Etsy category research to help you create?

First, you can enter some categories that interest you or inspire you on esale.io’s website, such as “sci-fi”, “plants”, “music”, etc. Then look at their indicators. You will find that the total sales, average price, average favorites and average views of these categories are not very high, indicating that these categories have low market demand, but also some potential and space.

Next, you can look at the best-selling products and stores in these categories. You will find that the top 10 best-selling products are all relatively traditional and common designs, such as sci-fi novels, plant paintings, music boxes, etc. The top 10 best-selling stores are all small stores with dozens of products and hundreds of reviews. These data indicate that buyers in these categories like interesting and tasteful products, but also have a lot of innovation space and opportunities.

Finally, you can look at the most popular keywords in these categories. You will find that the top 10 most searched keywords are all general and vague words, such as “sci-fi”, “plants”, “music”, etc. These keywords also have a low competition level, indicating that there are not many sellers using these keywords to optimize their products.

Based on these data, you can draw the following conclusions:

These categories are low-demand, low-profit and low-competition categories.
If you want to succeed in these categories, you need to have some very unique and attractive product designs, as well as some strong and reputable brand images.
If you want to improve your product ranking in Etsy search results, you need to use some more specific and relevant keywords, as well as some more optimized and more appealing product titles and tags.

Based on these conclusions, you can choose the following strategies:

Combine different categories: If you think that single categories are too boring and monotonous, you can combine different categories to create some novel and interesting products, such as “sci-fi plants”, “plant music boxes”, “sci-fi musicals”, etc. This way, you can increase your product uniqueness, attract more buyers, and increase your brand awareness.
Create a more story-like product: If you think that simple products are too bland and boring, you can create a more story-like product, such as “plants in sci-fi novels”, “plant musicians’ music boxes”, “sci-fi musical scripts”, etc. This way, you can increase your product interest, attract more buyers, and increase your brand influence.
Use a more innovative keyword: If you think that ordinary keywords cannot express your product features well, you can use a more innovative keyword, such as “sci-fi plant painting”, “plant music box”, “sci-fi musical”, etc. This way, you can improve your product relevance, increase your product ranking in Etsy search results, and increase your traffic and sales.

This is an example of using Etsy category research to create a new category. Of course, this is just a demonstration. You can make more creative and innovative choices according to your own ideas and inspirations. The important thing is to use esale.io’s data and analysis to help you make more creative and innovative creations.

summary

In conclusion, esale.io is a very powerful and practical online tool that can help Etsy sellers choose and optimize their product categories, increase sales and revenue. By using esale.io’s Etsy category research feature, you can quickly understand market demand and potential, find out the most suitable products and categories for you, as well as use the most popular keywords to improve ranking. Whether you are a novice seller or an experienced seller, you can get a lot of valuable data and analysis from esale.io, as well as a lot of useful advice and support. If you want to start or expand your business on Etsy, you might want to try esale.io. It might bring you unexpected surprises and gains

If you have any questions or doubts about esale.io or Etsy category research, you can visit their website or contact their customer service team. They will be happy to provide you with more information and services.