In the dynamic world of eCommerce, strategies for boosting your sales are constantly evolving. To that end, Etsy has introduced a new program to help sellers save on transaction fees and improve their marketing efforts — the Etsy Share & Save program. In this guide, we uncover this new program’s potential benefits and pitfalls and discuss why putting all your eggs in one basket is not always a wise business move.
Etsy Share & Save Program Explained
Etsy’s Share & Save program allows sellers to earn a 4% refund on the total order value when a buyer purchases through a shared trackable link within 30 days. This program encourages sellers to share trackable links through various channels such as social media, business cards, newsletters, and more.
Consider this a unique spin on affiliate marketing, where sellers can increase their sales while earning a commission from Etsy.
Essentially, you become your own influencer.
It sounds like a win-win, right? Well, let’s explore the Share & Save program a little deeper.
Ready to join Etsy Share & Save? Skip to the quick start guide ↓
Benefits of Joining the Etsy Share & Save Program
Saving on Etsy Fees
When you join Etsy Share & Save, sellers can experience increased profit margins by saving 4% on the total order value. And while 4% may not sound like a lot, it can be a game-changer for high-volume orders — especially for businesses with thin margins.
With these savings, you’ll not only put more money in your pocket, but you’ll also gain an opportunity to reinvest in your business. This could allow for product development, better marketing initiatives, and an enhancement to your shop’s brand — all to aid you in growing your business further.
Increased Marketing for Etsy
Sellers are encouraged to actively market their shop (and the Etsy marketplace) by sharing trackable links to their listings. After all, you are your biggest fan — Etsy knows this and hopes that by enticing more consumers to use their marketplace, you’ll bring new lifelong Etsy shoppers to the platform.
By exploring various marketing avenues like social media, newsletters, and more, Etsy encourages its sellers to embrace a multichannel marketing approach. Not only can this increase your Etsy shop’s visibility and customer base, but it can also help grow the entire marketplace.
Detailed Data Insights
With detailed insights from your unique links, you’ll gain a new perspective on which listings drive sales in your shop. Through these data insights, sellers can analyze customer behaviors and preferences to tailor marketing strategies that resonate with specific target audiences.
If you know your audience and which listings are more likely to resonate with them, you’ll gain an increased opportunity to convert more shared links into sales.
The Potential Downsides of Etsy Share & Save
Increased Competition
Share & Save encourages Etsy sellers to pull up their bootstraps and begin marketing their Etsy listings. This means that more sellers will start promoting their listings on social media than ever before. With sellers ramping up their marketing efforts, you may see increased competition across the board.
Etsy Fatigue
There’s a potential risk of audience fatigue as your social media channels become saturated with Etsy links. Shoppers bombarded with an overload of links across various platforms might become weary and choose to avoid clicking on any of them, reducing the overall effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Reliance on External Traffic
Over-reliance on external traffic might steer sellers away from optimizing their listings for Etsy’s internal search engine, potentially missing out on the rich organic traffic the platform offers.
Leveraging external platforms for traffic also comes with the risk of attracting a crowd less likely to convert than the organic traffic garnered within the Etsy platform. Users already browsing Etsy are generally there with a purchasing intent, which might not be the case with users coming from external sources.
The distinction in traffic quality becomes a critical factor, where sellers could potentially invest time and effort in driving traffic with a lower conversion rate.
Balancing External Marketing and Organic Traffic
Why You Shouldn’t Only Rely on External Marketing
While external marketing encouraged by Etsy’s Share & Save program is a promising opportunity to land more sales and lessen your fees, relying solely on it can result in missed opportunities for organic growth on Etsy’s platform.
Organic traffic, cultivated through SEO efforts, stands as a source for high-quality traffic that is cost-effective and benefits from better conversion rates.
Relying solely on external traffic can mean missing out on the benefits of Etsy’s SEO optimization, which can help increase the visibility of your shop and products to a vast audience already interested in buying what you offer.
When you focus on optimizing your Etsy shop and listings for SEO, you naturally attract buyers who are already looking for what you offer, thus potentially increasing your conversion rates.
→ Related: Here’s how to improve your Etsy SEO in 10 easy steps
The Way Forward: A Balanced Strategy
Leveraging Etsy SEO for Organic Growth
Sellers should leverage Etsy’s Share & Save program’s opportunities, but it should be part of a larger, integrated strategy. A significant portion of this strategy should be dedicated to understanding and implementing Etsy SEO principles to harness organic traffic.
By doing so, sellers can build a sustainable business model that promises rewarding returns in the long run. This approach ensures a balanced marketing strategy and promotes effective time management and a high return on investment, cultivating a resilient Etsy shop that scales with every new purchase.
How to join Etsy Share & Save
Any seller can participate in Etsy’s Share & Save program unless you’re currently enrolled in the Creator Co affiliate program. To join Share & Save, simply follow the steps outlined below:
Step 1: Head to your Etsy shop dashboard, and you’ll find a Share & Save banner at the top of your screen. Click on Join now.
If you don’t see the Share & Save banner, visit this link: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/share-and-save
Step 2: Once you join, Etsy will provide you with a unique link to begin sharing with potential customers. Your link should look something like [yourshop].etsy.com.
Note: Your unique Share & Save link is the same URL Etsy has always provided as a direct link to your shop.
Step 3. Begin sharing your link in your social media bios, text messages to friends, attached to your newsletter, and anywhere else you distribute your marketing materials.
Step 4. If someone clicks on your link and purchases an item from your Etsy shop within 30 days, you will receive a credit for 4% of the total order value.
Step 5. Keep sharing your link to continue saving!
How to share a listing with Etsy Share & Save
Increase conversions when you share targeted listings with a specific audience. To get a unique Share & Save link for a particular listing in your shop, follow these steps:
Step 1. Once you join Share & Save, visit your shop dashboard, navigate to the Marketing menu, and click Share & Save.
If you’re having trouble finding the right menu item, follow this link: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/share-and-save
Step 2. You’ll find a copy of your unique link in the top right of the Share & Save banner. Below this link, click on Share a listing →
Step 3. Scroll through your listings until you find the one you want to share. Click on the settings gear⚙️ at the bottom right of your listing and then select Share.
Step 4. Copy your unique listing link and begin sharing it with a targeted audience that may be interested in your product.
How to opt-out of Etsy Share & Save
Is external marketing not your thing? Here’s how to opt out of Etsy’s Share & Save program:
Step 1. If you’re already enrolled in Share & Save, visit your shop dashboard, navigate to the Marketing menu, and click Share & Save.
If you’re having trouble finding the right menu item, follow this link: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/share-and-save
Step 2. Scroll down to the Frequently Asked Questions section and select the drop-down menu for How can I opt out of Share & Save?
Step 3. Select opt out and in the pop-up menu, select yes, opt out.
If you decide you’d like to rejoin Etsy Share & Save, you can opt back in at any time. Simply follow the steps outlined above to rejoin the program.
Over to you
As we navigate Etsy Share & Save, remember that the program offers an excellent opportunity to save on fees and ramp up marketing efforts, but it should not lead to a neglect of the rich potential that organic traffic offers.
The road to sustainable growth in the competitive marketplace involves a balanced strategy, where external marketing and organic growth efforts go hand in hand.
Are you excited to begin using Etsy’s Share & Save program? Let us know in the comments below.
And as always, happy selling!
