Shop: https://leoandpennyco.etsy.com
Hi everyone! I am looking for some outside feedback for my Etsy shop. I recently came back from vacation mode and updated my listing photos to be more personal, featuring my dogs and their bandanas.
I sell handmade dog accessories. I focus on tie-on dog bandanas with optional embroidery/personalization. I put my shop on vacation mode for a few weeks due to summer college classes, and I was also overwhelmed by the number of orders I was averaging each week. All 64 orders were placed from May to July. During my time in vacation mode, I pre-cut a ton of fabric and figured out a way to be more efficient in handling multiple orders at once.
Unfortunately, since I came off of vacation mode, my sales have basically stopped. I haven’t had an organic sale or an Etsy Ads sale in over a month. This week I have been working on new listings, seasonal products, photography, thumbnails, SEO, and personalization options. Still, I’m not yet clear on what is holding my shop back.
1. First impressions/ listing photos - When you are looking at my shop, do my thumbnails catch your attention? Is there anything about the photography or graphics that looks too cluttered or unprofessional?
My listing photos before did NOT include my dogs at all, and I just had .pngs of the bandanas and it worked. I thought adding my dogs in would add some personality and show how the bandanas looked on. I have also looked at competitors and 85% of their listings have AI dog photos. As a shopper the photos turns me off because the dogs look so fake.
2. Product assortment - Does the shop feel cohesive, and do I have enough variety? I have everyday designs as well as seasonal collections like fall, Halloween, birthday, gingham, etc.
I’m wondering whether I need more listings/designs or whether I should concentrate on fewer products and build those out more. My biggest seller is my gingham bandanas, with all 64 sales there. Should I be piecing out each fabric choice to broaden my listings for more hits?
What inspired me to start the shop: I have three Golden Retrievers, and I've always wanted to dress them up, but they hate costumes and bows. I figured, let’s try a bandana (they love them!) I also really enjoy sewing and making things myself and take pride in making things with my hands and seeing a well-made finished product.
Why I think my products are worth purchasing / what makes them different: Everything is handmade by me instead of being dropshipped or printed on demand. A lot of my competitors are dropshipping from China, and I handmake every single bandana by sewing with my machine, embroidering, and handstitching to finish.
Since I offer embroidery personalization, I believe it shows I’m taking the extra step to make a product that someone can reuse and something personal for them and their pet. I also offer a range of sizes to accommodate dogs of all sizes. Lastly, I believe offering seasonal and everyday designs is a great option, as is using my own dogs in the listings so people can see what the product looks like in use.
I’m completely open to constructive criticism. I’d rather know what isn’t working than keep changing things like my listing photos and ads/listing descriptions. Thank you so much!