2022 was a rollercoaster for Etsy sellers, with some experiencing great sales while others faced challenges due to inflation. 

Despite these challenges, there is still a lot of excitement and optimism for the future of e-commerce for handmade businesses!

I’m going to look into my crystal ball as a top Etsy Seller and share my predictions for the near future of Etsy (within the next 3 years or so)!

You can listen to the episode here, or keep reading below!

But first, a quick recap.

Here are a few moves Etsy made in 2022:

• In 2022, Etsy took steps to attract more customers to their platform. 
• They increased their ad budgets and also focused on improving the mobile experience for shoppers with the launch of Etsy Explore, a new video feature similar to Instagram Reels or TikToks. 
• They also released a new Etsy Seller app with new options for viewing statistics.

2022 was really hard on some Etsy Sellers

While inflation caused some challenges for sellers, it also provided an opportunity for Etsy to focus on improving its platform and preparing for future growth. 

With the rise of social commerce on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, Etsy has had to compete for customers' attention.

By investing in features that enhance the customer experience, such as videos, Etsy is positioning itself for social e-commerce success in the future.

As we look ahead to 2023, there are a few key predictions for the future of Etsy that handmade business owners should keep an eye on. 

My future predictions for Etsy

Prediction #1: Etsy’s going Social

First, Etsy will become a more social shopping platform, with a focus on increasing engagement and conversion rates. 

By integrating video content into their algorithm, sellers who consistently post videos will have more visibility and therefore more sales. 

Right now, posting to your shop’s explore or video feed has no impact on SEO but I absolutely think going forward they will start sending more traffic to sellers who are daily posting videos. More views on Etsy Explore videos will eventually start getting tied to more sales.

I also think on the customer side, Etsy will prompt people to save products and videos in essentially “boards” or “collections.” People have this option now, but it’s not really used that much but I think that will change going forward.

What we at Studio Sisters plan to do with this prediction:

Lean in to Etsy explore. We’re already reposting our social content but we want to increase video frequency, experiment with hashtags, different types of call-to-actions.

Prediction #2 A better customer experience with more features

Additionally, the customer experience will be enhanced (I hope!!) by the introduction of new features such as “boards” or “collections” that make it easier for customers to save products and videos.

This would be so beneficial, in my opinion, to raising the average order value for sellers, if they could choose which additional products to suggest to customers, especially within collections of items that go together.

What we at Studio Sisters plan to do with this prediction:

As soon as more digital options are available, we plan to adopt them.

Prediction #3 

Another trend that I predict will shape the future of Etsy is the introduction of more product options.

Specifically, my prediction is that Etsy will eventually offer more variations on digital products, and even recurring subscriptions are a possibility.

One other prediction I have for Etsy’s future is that shoppers and sellers will also start using the platform for online education. 

I think we are going to see a lot of growth in online courses, trainings, and guide books being sold on etsy.

It’s significantly cheaper to sell on Etsy than a lot of online course platforms and of course, the built in traffic of 90+ million shoppers on Etsy just means that literally no other platform compares. 

So, I can see more people selling online courses on Etsy and then actually hosting them on their own website, google drive, Teachable, etc. 

Plus, we already know from current search data on etsy some people are already selling online courses in various formats successfully. 

What we at Studio Sisters plan to do with this prediction:

I’m not sure to be honest. We have online courses available, but we haven’t really decided if the etsy market is right for our courses. One reason I say this is because our courses are all business education, so it’s not as obvious of a niche.

However, if we were in crochet or party planning or cooking, or skincare, I would absolutely be creating low cost online mini courses and putting them into my etsy shop.

 As a handmade business owner, it's important to stay informed and take advantage of new product options as soon as they become available.

Prediction #4 an Etsy & Pinterest reunion??

Finally, another prediction I have is that Etsy and Pinterest will come together again, allowing shoppers to shop directly in Etsy shops. 

Currently, there is no great way for shoppers on Pinterest to shop in Etsy shops, but this is likely to change in the future (it might be farther out than 2023 unfortunately). By bridging this gap, Etsy will provide even more visibility and sales opportunities for handmade businesses.

In conclusion, while 2022 was a challenging year for Etsy sellers and makers, the future looks bright for e-commerce for handmade businesses, and Etsy sellers have a lot of opportunities to grow this year.

By keeping an eye on trends such as social commerce, product options, and e-commerce platforms working together, handmade business owners can position themselves for success in 2023 and beyond.

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