01 - Scale Disruption

This involves playing with the size of the product, either making it significant larger (oversized) or smaller (miniature) than what’s typically expected.

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Doing this creates an unexpected visual impact for your product which can help you grab attention on Etsy. These novelty products also have a built-in virality, meaning that it has a better chance of going viral on social media.

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When photographing these products, make sure to compare it with some common objects, or even their normal size counterpart, to really show the sense of size.

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Let’s look at some examples:

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Go Big

Giant chunky yarn blanket

Huge chess pieces and board for your garden

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Soy sauce light

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Go Small

Miniature food earrings

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Miniature book nook decor

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02 - Niche Specialisation

Niche specialisation involves focusing on a very specific segment of the market and tailoring your products exclusively to meet the specific needs of that sub-niche. In other words, niching down.

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This strategy allows you to stand out by offering highly targeted products that aren’t readily available elsewhere, making your shop the go-to choice for a particular group of customers. It also allows you to become an expert in your niche because you understand your customers more deeply.

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Even though this strategy is talked about a lot, not many sellers are doing it properly. The key of this strategy is research - Researching your target customers to understand their pain points (e.g. go to forums and Facebook groups to read their complaints), and researching what your competitors are NOT providing (e.g. read the 2-4 star reviews of your competitors).

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Then communicate those specific features you developed in your listing photos and description clearly.

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Examples

Eco-friendly stationery like recycled planners and reclaimed wood desk organisers to target environmentally conscious professionals

Meal planner targeting vegans with specific shopping guides and recipe ideas

Left-handed notebooks with the spine on the right-hand side

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ADHD Planners

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03 - Unexpected Materials

Using unconventional and surprising materials in making your products can help you stand out.

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First, study your competitors and identify potential unique materials that you don’t see in your niche. It could be something popular in another niche/industry, it could be a new material you create yourself, etc.

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Narrow down to materials you can source at a reasonable price. If you can find those unexpected material cheaply, that could add to your competitive advantage.

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Next is to actually create the product with the new material and test it out. Some areas to look out for would be the durability, comfort, usability, etc.

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When you list the new product, make sure you emphasise the unique material choice in the listing title, photos, video and description. For photos and videos, show close up photos to demonstrate the texture, appearance, etc.

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Another important thing is to educate shoppers the benefits of using this unexpected material. If there’s no benefit, tell a story about how you come up with the idea and what it means to you. If you material itself is special (e.g. you created it, hard to source), then even explaining how you source the material would be a great way to make your product feel more special.

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Examples

Stone paper notebooks

Seed paper invitations

Concrete planters

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Tyvek bags

Cork wallet

3d printed vases

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04 - Personalisation Plus

Personalisation is already a good method to differentiate your products on Etsy, but this takes the concept to the next level by offering unique, more advanced and creative customisation options.

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Offering personalisation that your competitors don’t, naturally helps you stand out. It can also help customers feel more involved in the ‘design’ process and increase the perceived value of the product.

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Here are some ways to do that:

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Unusual options

Providing options that are not common in your niche. For example, t-shirt with materials like leather or linen. Or a recipe book with a custom cover.

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Deeper customisation options

Consider offering a different layer of customisation for customers. For example, if competitors only offer colour customisations, consider letting people change the size as well.

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Offering more options

Sometimes standing out could be as simple as offering more colours, patterns, materials, etc. than your competitors.

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Offering customer message

Allowing customers to add a message to the product/order makes it a lot more gift-able, especially it’s not usually provided in your niche.

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05 - Cultural Connection

Create products that resonates with specific cultural themes, traditions, or identities. This method taps into customers' cultural pride, nostalgia, or interest in diverse cultures, which can create a strong emotional bond between the product and the buyer.

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It’s effective because it speaks to a shared experience or values, making the product more meaningful and desirable

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Research thoroughly cultural symbols, patterns or colours to incorporate into your products. You can also consider creating products that target cultural festivals, holidays, or significant events.

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One important thing to keep in mind is to be authentic. Only include culture themes that you are very familiar with to make sure it’s cultural appreciation instead of appropriation. If you can tell the story behind your products with your own heritage, it’d come across much more genuine and authentic, which in turn helps you connect with customers better.

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Examples

Cultural gift box (e.g. Japanese snack box)

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Cultural art prints (e.g. French art prints)

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Cultural decor (e.g. Hong Kong neon sign stickers)

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06 - Sensory Experience

The idea is to incorporate sensory experiences into your products is to engage multiple senses beyond just sight. By appealing to touch, smell, sound, or even taste, you create a more memorable interaction with your product. This helps you create a unique experience and help you stand out in customers’ minds, They may even spread the words to other people via word-of-mouth.

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It’s important to highlight the unique experience with your listing photo. If possible, take photos of a model acting out the experience.

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This strategy may be hard to apply to digital products.

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Examples

Scented soy candle

Textured baby toys

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Exfoliating bar soap

Garden decor with built in wind chime

Suncatcher-inspired products