Mental health has come under the spotlight in recent years as a way of improving personal well-being. Stress, depression, and anxiety are just some of the symptoms of poor mental health. And addressing this issue among children and adults is crucial. Luckily, there are a multitude of ways in which one can reconnect with themselves, taking better care of their emotional, physical, and psychological states.

Etsy is one of the best platforms where a person who suffers from poor mental health can find something to alleviate the pressure. But what is the size and scope of mental health care related products and is it worthwhile entering this niche?

We explore the answers to these questions below.

How big is the market for the mental health care niche?

Studying the mental health care niche, we used the results on Etsy in conjunction with those on Sale Samurai to help us determine its market size.

Here’s what we found.

The broad term “mental health” yields 120,821 results, indicating a large supply of related products on Etsy. But to explore this niche in even more detail, we also looked at other similar search queries.

Keyword and listings saturation

Our findings indicate that these keywords yield the following number of listings:

• “mental health shirt” (31,350)
• “mental health matters” (14,260)
• “mental health stickers” (13,329)
• “mental health poster” (11,419)
• “mental health journal” (11,156)
• “mental health png” (9,923)
• “mental health sweatshirt” (9,487)
• “mental health pin” (3,803)
• “mental health matters png” (2,183)
• “mental health badge reel” (358)

Overall, we’re looking at nearly 110,000 listings in this niche on Etsy.

With the help of Sale Samurai, we also determined the search volume (or demand) for these primary keywords. The results indicate the following:

• Mental health matters: 460
• Mental health journal: 459
• Mental health sweatshirt: 459
• Mental health stickers: 452
• Mental health poster: 452
• Mental health shirt: 443
• Mental health png: 436
• Mental health pin: 435
• Mental health: 383
• Mental health badge reel: 223
• Mental health matters png: 16

Some of the most popular keywords related to the highest search-volume keyword “mental health matters” (which has both a high search volume and a relatively low listings number) are: “mental health shirt men” (452), “mental health stick” (443), “cards for mental health” (21), “mental health badge holder” (16), “mental health tshirt” (15), “mental health awareness” (15), “mental health calendar” (14), “mental health intake” (13), and ““mental health pack” (12).

Furthermore, if we look at the broad keyword “mental health” with the highest number of listings on Etsy, we get the following related keywords and their associated search volume: “mental health sticke” (459), “mental health sweatshirt mens” (220), “mental health notepad” (15), “mental health badge” (15), “mental health therapist svg” (15), “mental health women” (14), “mental health ornament” (14), “mental health sweatpants” (14), “mental health tapestry” (14), and “mental health awareness earrings” (12).

All of the above serve as a strong indicator of interest in apparel such as shirts and sweatshirts for a male audience in particular. This is followed by “mental health stickers” as well as “mental health stick”.

Tags optimization

Next, we come to the related tags to help us see what sellers are doing to ensure they get in front of an audience.

The primary tags and their associated search volume for the most searched for keyword “mental health matters” are:

• “anxiety shirt” (994)
• “mental health matter” (452)
• “mental health shirt” (443)
• “school psychologist” (443)
• “suicide prevention” (436)
• “inspirational shirt” (435)
• “mental health” (383)
• “therapist shirt” (190)

As for the broad search term “mental health”, Sale Samurai indicates the following tags with their search volume:

• “be kind to your mind” (1,169)
• “suicide awareness” (1,109)
• “school counselor” (1,088)
• “anxiety bracelet” (1,087)
• “depression” (877)
• “psychology” (862)
• “be kind” (581)
• “mental health matter” (452)
• “therapy office decor” (452)
• “mental health poster” (452)
• “mental health svg” (444)
• “motivational shirt” (444)
• “mental health plan” (444)
• “mental health shirt” (443)
• “you are enough svg” (443)
• “mental health png” (436)
• “inspirational shirt” (435)
• “you are enough” (391)
• “mental health” (383)

This would indicate a strong interest in subjects and services such as counselling and therapy for both school-aged children and adults, as well as motivational items that seek to inspire and foster a positive outlook on life.

Finally, we also explored the prices for the top keywords. “Mental health matters”, for example, sees listings with a minimum price of $1.99, a maximum price of $54.94, and an average price of $17.32.

Meanwhile, “mental health” items sell for a minimum of $0.99, a maximum price of $70.00, and an average price of $11.50.

What are some of the best-selling merchants doing right?

Exploring some of the best-selling listings, we discovered that there is quite a variety among the items on offer. However, two that stand out the most are a pick-me-up box kit and a mental health-related t-shirt.

PickMeUpBoxes is the seller of the “The Distraction Box – Stress & Anxiety Relief Box – Pick Me Up – Letterbox Gift – Mental Health Distraction” item. This best-seller has made 17,143 sales and has received five out of five star ratings for their product.

In terms of price, they are asking $24.01 for this gift box, which is around double the average for mental health items on Etsy. The box itself can be used as a self-care kit or as a thoughtful gift for someone who needs it. It is evident that the seller is catering to audiences who need a pick-me-up and the contents of the box offer a variety of items.

This is evident in the product description. Meanwhile, the title contains the keywords “mental health” and also includes words like “stress” and “anxiety” to help pinpoint exactly what this item is to be used for. The keyword targeting is very effective and this is apparent through the high number of sales.

We now move on to QuriousShop. This seller has produced the “Dear Person Behind Me Shirt – Personalised Mental Health Awareness T-Shirt”. This t-shirt is original because it contains a unique message to anyone reading it. It’s inspirational and motivating at the same time. And it grabs the reader’s attention.

Although QuriousShop has not written an overly long title, their keyword usage is highly effective. This is because it contains the words “mental health awareness” and “t-shirt”. As seen above, these keywords have a high search volume and the number of listings is not as high, which means no oversaturation of this market.

Further to this, the description is accurate and precise. Customers get a clear idea from reading it as to what they’re going to get with their package. The pricing, on the other hand, is also around double the average at $30.36, but this has not stopped the seller from making over 85,000 sales.

How profitable is this niche?

Going back to the two best-selling listings discussed above, we can provide an estimate of the turnover each seller has made to date. This is done by multiplying the numbers of sales by the asking price.
PickMeUpBoxes, for instance, has made 17,143 sales and has priced their product at $30.36 yielding a turnover of just over half a million dollars at $520,461.48. Meanwhile, QuriousShop with its 85,484 sales at $30.36 has reached a turnover of a massive $2,595,294.24.

In summary, it’s clear that some sellers are earning huge amounts from their products on Etsy. We also noted other sellers such as SuperPrintShop with a turnover of $324,973.74 and SilkyTouchByAndrea with turnover of $395,046.00.

These profits should be a decisive factor to consider when entering the mental health niche.

What is our advice to sellers seeking to enter this niche?

There are a couple of things we can learn from these top sellers on Etsy.

Starting with listing optimization, it’s crucial to use low-competition, high search volume keywords in both the title and the description. These keywords should include “mental health” and “mental health awareness”. Furthermore, utilizing the full 140 characters for your title or as much thereof as possible is a strong way of gaining more visibility. Sale Samurai’s “Search” module is the perfect tool for helping you do this.

We also consider the price. In both of the best-selling cases above, sellers have gone beyond the average although they have not charged the highest price for the items in these categories. As a result, our recommendation is to not be afraid to experiment with your pricing, which will also be dependent on the type of product you are selling. Mental health related stickers sell well on Etsy but their price will be much lower compared to a t-shirt or a gift set. Therefore, the nature of the item will play a crucial role in your pricing strategy.

The top-sellers mentioned above have also optimized their usage and space allocated for images to display their product (a maximum of 10 is allowed by Etsy). This leads to better decision-making on behalf of the buyers and easier sales for the Etsy shop.

Finally, although ratings and reviews are not necessarily a sales strategy, generating these through a high quality product offering means that you will be able to add value to your listing. Ratings and reviews serve as social proof that the product is well liked by others and is a strong convincing factor for new customers to buy. Think of it as a self-perpetuating cycle: the more high ratings and reviews you receive, the higher your sales. And the higher your sales, the more positive reviews you’re likely to generate.

Final thoughts

The mental health niche on Etsy caters to a particular group of individuals who are interested in their own and in others’ well-being.

This is clearly demonstrated by the variety of items available on the platform to help promote mental health. With some sellers reaching over $2.5 million in turnover, it becomes apparent that there’s scope for entering this niche with your own unique products and designs.

However, your listing needs to be fully optimized if you want to gain visibility. To this end, you are encouraged to use Sale Samurai in your research efforts to help you get ahead. And for only $9.99, you can see your side gig soar to incredible heights.