This checklist is written to give you a high level view of starting, growing and scaling an Etsy shop.
Before you download the Etsy shop checklist at the end of this guide, read through this and understand the whole process first. Then download the PDF, print it out and keep yourself on track.
I've also included relevant links to other free Etsy guides if you want to read more on the topic.
1. Market Research
Brainstorm product ideas - Browse Etsy, Pinterest, or this Etsy shop idea guide to generate a list of product ideas.
Validate product ideas on Etsy - It’s important to validate whether your product idea has high demand with low competition.
Analyse your potential competitors on Etsy - Other than validating product ideas, it’s important to look at your biggest competitors and see how you can differentiate your products if you enter the market.
Understand your target customers - Understanding their pain points, interests, preferences, etc.
2. Branding
Come up with a catchy shop name - A catchy, memorable name can make you stand out on Etsy.
Develop brand positioning & brand voice - Brand positioning is how you want your brand to be perceived by your target audience. Your brand voice is the tone and personality of your brand. Both are important to creating a strong, consistent brand identity.
Make a simple shop logo with Canva - A simple word mark logo is enough for most Etsy sellers to start with.
Decide on brand’s colour palette - Your brand colours can be used in not only the products and packaging, but also the marketing materials.
3. The 4P's
Decide on your products - From your previous brainstorm list, you can chose your products to sell on Etsy.
Take clickable product photos - High-quality product photos are essential to making customers click and buy your products.
Come up with professional yet personable packaging - This gives customers a great first impression and can positively impact their buying experience.
Set your prices based on costs and competitors - It’s important to understand all the costs of running an Etsy shop before coming up with your product prices.
Create a Etsy listing (Can use a placeholder listing)
Open Etsy shop
5. Etsy Listing Optimisations
Learn Etsy SEO - Search engine optimisation is key to getting found on Etsy. Etsy shop gets most of their traffic and sales this way.
Do keyword research on Etsy - Identify long-tail keywords that your target customers use, and describe your products well.
Fill titles with long tail keywords - And put your most descriptive keyword at the front of the listing title.
Use all 13 listing tags - Make sure the tags are what customers will actually use in Etsy search, preferably they should be similar to the keywords used in listing title.
Write benefit-driven listing descriptions - Product descriptions should highlight how the products can help your customers. Also include product features and facts that support your benefits.
Show the best details of your products in the 10 listing photos
6. Etsy Shop Management
Add banner and shop icon - You can showcase your products, crafting process, current discount details, etc. in your shop banner. Also set up the shop icon with your logo or your own portrait.
Write shop announcement - Your Etsy shop announcement is a short greeting to them to make them feel welcomed and let them know what’s important from your shop.
Fill in about section - Show the story and process behind your shop and its products.
Set up shop policy - Reduce customer purchase barrier with a clear shipping and refund policy.
Set up shipping profiles - Make sure customers understand when the product will be shipped and when will it arrive.
Write the order confirmation message - Thank your customers in this message that they’ll receive in their Etsy order receipt.
Set up saved replies for customer messages - Answers to commonly asked questions can be set as templates to save time.
7. Getting Traffic & Sales
Create more product listings - The more listings you have in your shop, the more opportunities you have to satisfy customer’s needs, rank on Etsy and make sales.
Continuously improve Etsy SEO - Test different keywords and swap out underperforming ones
Experiment with Etsy ads - Etsy ads is a paid method to get traffic to your shop fast. It can be a great way to grow quickly and build initial momentum.
Set up social media accounts - Choose 1-2 platforms to connect with your potential customers. Some popular social media platforms for Etsy sellers are Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.
Set up email marketing - Build long-term relationship with customers so they come back again and again.
Run sales occasionally - Good way to increase sales temporarily. Make sure don’t overuse it.
