As a marketplace for authentic, vintage, and handmade items, Etsy attracts a substantial number of shoppers interested in one thing – personalization.

Product personalization adds another level of uniqueness and value to a listing. It enables sellers to target a specific target audience, set higher prices, and ultimately enjoy fruitful financial rewards.

In this article, we’ll dive into customization as a popular seller approach on Etsy. We’ll go into detail about the types of personalization available, analyze the bestsellers in the space, explain the benefits, and offer practical tips.

Personalization opportunities on Etsy

There are a multitude of different personalization options to explore on Etsy. Sellers can embrace the opportunity to offer specific customization for different product types. Alternatively, they can tap into specific niches where personalization is a critical factor that determines buyer interest. At the same time, some experienced sellers successfully combine these two approaches for maximum results.

Product customization options

When assessing the potential options sellers could explore on Etsy, there are many opportunities.

A popular approach is to enable shoppers to choose text or imagery for engravings. Sellers can offer engraving personalization for various types of jewelry made from stainless steel, silver, gold, aluminum, and materials.

Another creative way to empower shoppers to purchase something unique is to sell clothing that can be personalized. For example, customized t-shirts and hoodies are one of the most attractive product types in the clothing space when it comes to customization. Most Etsy shoppers appreciate the chance to buy a clothing piece that will be one-of-a-kind.

Selecting different product patterns is also a form of personalization many sellers offer. For instance, this could be adapted to different sewing, handmade bracelets, mug design patterns, and more.

These are considered some of the more affordable customization options from a seller’s perspective. They don’t require a fundamental change in the product base. Instead, they add something extra that usually doesn’t cost a fortune.

However, you can explore other, more sophisticated opportunities to customize your products. For example, individualizing the product based on the materials used, customizing the size of the product, or creating a completely new design.

But what are the most popular niches where personalization is a profitable opportunity?

We performed extensive research to reveal the following niches as the best ones to offer customization in:

• Gifts
• Necklaces
• Baby products
• Blankets
• Aprons
• Bracelets
• Coasters
• Cufflinks
• Doormats
• Collars
• Cups
• Weddings

Why? Because these words, combined with the keyword “personalized” generate the highest search volumes on Etsy. Put otherwise, shoppers actively search for similar products, creating significant demand.

An analysis of bestsellers who customize their listings

To get a better idea of what makes a personalized listing sell, we must analyze some of the bestsellers in the space.

For instance, let’s take the listing “Sterling Silver Name Necklace, Custom Name Necklace, Christmas Gift For Her, Personalized Jewelry, Baby Name Necklace, Birthday Gift Ideas”. The product has received more than 5,000 reviews, while the seller has scored more than 65,000 sales.

So what makes it so successful?

Use of keywords

For starters, the listing has strategically targeted several popular niches by using diverse keywords. Let’s dissect the listing title to explain this in more detail. Here are some of the words and phrases utilized:

• Name necklace
• Custom name necklace
• Gift
• Birthday gift
• Baby name necklace
• Personalized jewelry
• Gift for her
• Christmas gift

These keywords are crucial for the product’s success. The main reason is that they have high search volumes and are often used by Etsy buyers to browse for products. As a result, when optimized for them, the product becomes easily discoverable and visible to shoppers.

Furthermore, they’re part of different niches. In other words, the seller is simultaneously targeting different audiences and markets with a single listing. And best of all, no matter the occasion, niche, or audience, the product can be customized, making it unique and authentic for all.

Representation

The next listing component to look at is the use of images. Product photos are the first thing to catch a user’s attention. They can encourage a shopper to click on the listing and double the chances of converting them into a customer. If done wrong, they can also make your product appear low-quality and unattractive.

With personalized products, top performers prioritize high-quality, diverse photos. Where possible, sellers display the product in a customized format to give shoppers a better idea of the final look.

In our earlier example, the bestseller has provided a few necklaces with different names based on customer specifications. This allows buyers to imagine how the product would change after being individualized.

Reviews

There’s no doubt that reviews make a difference for any product, regardless of whether personalized or standard. However, they’re vital for listings that offer personalization.

Why? Because there are diverse peculiarities that shape the overall experience of the buyer. For instance, customization usually requires an extra amount of time. Customer reviews can confirm the seller’s ability to react quickly and deliver on time. Additionally, tailoring a product to meet specific needs hides certain risks of harming the overall quality.

The best way to build trust with new buyers and convince them otherwise is by showing that others are happy with the product.

Benefits of customizing your listings on Etsy

Going through the effort of creating personalized products only makes sense if it pays off at the end of the day. Customized listings on Etsy can remunerate sellers with the following perks if approached strategically.

Better listing optimization

Well-optimized listings are the key to higher organic rankings. And the higher you rank, the higher the chances of realizing sales.

Creating listings for products that can be tailored opens up new opportunities for optimization. As we observed in the bestseller example above, you can use many different keywords and phrases from several niches to enhance your listings. By doing this, you are creating a diverse target audience, enabling you to stay ahead of the competition with more traffic and, ultimately, more sales.

Higher prices, higher margins

In some niches, custom-made products empower sellers to price listings higher without compromising sales numbers. Why? Because a lot of the personalized products that attract attention are related to “special” purchases. These could be shopping for gifts, wedding accessories, seasonal products, etc. Buyers are usually prepared to spend more on these items as long as the quality is exceptional and there’s added value.

Furthermore, the selling point of such products is that they’re unique and one-of-a-kind. Put otherwise, shoppers are paying for something no one else will have.

Keyword targeting

As mentioned above, Etsy is popular for discovering handmade, unique, and authentic pieces. Naturally, keywords like “personalized” and “custom-made” are trendy on the platform.

Creating products that meet this description will allow you to target these opportunity-rich keywords. If you’ve optimized your listings appropriately and provided quality to your audience, you will soon start ranking in one of the most attractive niches on Etsy.

Reliable market insights

Lastly, enabling shoppers to personalize their products will reward you with the most valuable asset of all – insights. If you see your Etsy gig as a long-term investment of time and resources, you must take full advantage of the information users provide to you.

What do we mean?

You can discover specific trends in the colors, shapes, sizes, or text buyers commonly choose. As you gain more experience and learn more about your audience, you can create new listings based on your findings. This will help you satisfy specific demands and equip your Etsy seller profile for success.

How to personalize your products on Etsy

All of the information we’ve shared above is vital for sellers looking to tap into the personalization niche on Etsy. Yet, it won’t bring you many returns unless you see its practical value.

To make the process easier, we’ve extracted the most fundamental tips for creating customized products:

• Choose a profitable niche – don’t neglect the research phase and identify the niches that will offer the highest rewards for tailor-made items. We’ve recommended a few ideas in this article, but you can discover more with the help of Sale Samurai.
• Create a diverse portfolio of high-quality images – use all ten image slots allocated to Etsy listings to present the options for product customization in the best way possible.
• Use varying keywords to your advantage – if you’re selling a personalized necklace, don’t limit your listing potential with this sole keyword in your title and description. Target different words and phrases that are highly searched for and maximize your product’s discoverability.
• Encourage shoppers to leave reviews – use every occasion to inspire your existing customers to rate and review your products. By taking this approach, you can quickly prove your quality and win the trust of new buyers.

Wrapping up

Personalized Etsy products are undoubtedly a trend that offers a lot of money-making potential to sellers.

But to make the most from this endeavor, you must ensure that you’ve properly researched the market and have made informed decisions for your listings. Don’t forget to use Sale Samurai throughout your journey to gain access to insights that will put you one step ahead of the pack.