Etsy is integrating its seller advertising program with Google Shopping. It will launch a new ad platform called Etsy Ads in a few weeks and said it was designed for business owners who want to grow "without all the guesswork."
"With Etsy Ads, one campaign makes it easy for shoppers to discover your products on both Etsy and Google and make a purchase from your shop. Instead of managing two separate campaigns through Promoted Listings and Google Shopping, you can set a single daily budget and see your advertising performance in one place.
"Using Etsy's data insights and expertise, we'll identify the right places and times to show your ads. By optimizing your campaign for you, we get you the best results for your budget. That means more traffic, more shoppers, and more ways to grow. Stay tuned for more details - Etsy Ads will be available in just a few weeks."
It also said its own advertising to draw buyers to the site was working, included television ads launched earlier this year:
"Etsy's television ads were more likely to be watched all the way to the end when compared to competitors' ads. Plus, our research indicated that shoppers who visited Etsy after seeing the ads were 20% more likely to make a purchase, compared to customers who hadn't seen the ads. Increasing the number of visits to Etsy that result in a purchase means more sales for shop owners like you.
Etsy then tied the two together: "Television advertising will continue to be a part of Etsy's marketing strategy this holiday season. And running your own Etsy Ads campaign can help bring those shoppers straight to your listings."
"Once Etsy Ads is available," it wrote, "running your own campaign can help bring shoppers who are searching for Etsy after seeing our television ads straight to your listings."
Etsy also updated sellers on its second quarter performance (April, May, June):
"In the second quarter, Etsy sellers sold about $1.1 billion in goods - we call this gross merchandise sales or GMS. That's a 21.4% increase in GMS compared to the second quarter of 2018. Active buyers on Etsy increased 19% from the prior year, to 42.7 million.
"International GMS, or transactions where at least one person (buyer or seller) is outside the United States, was 38% of overall GMS and increased 37% from the prior year, adjusted for changes in exchange rates."
What it didn't mention was that it's getting more revenue per GMS dollar - thanks in great part to its Promoted Listings Ad program. See "Etsy Grows Sales 21% in Second Quarter But Grows Its Own Revenue 37%" (link to
August 1st Newsflash article).
Etsy also reminded sellers that this holiday season, it will prioritize listings that include shipping costs in the price of the items in its advertising and marketing campaigns, including email marketing, social media, and television ads.
While many sellers might welcome an easier way to participate in Google Shopping, they're more likely to point such ads to their own shops rather than marketplace listings. What do you think of Etsy ads and its ad program?