Etsy BFCM Checklist – How to prepare for BFCM 2023 on Etsy?

Play Now

In the thundering festive season in retail, where every second counts, one event reigns supreme as the biggest sale event of the year – Black Friday Cyber Monday, or BFCM, as the Etsy sellers know it. The previous year’s sales figures are enough to describe the staggering spectacle where a single day of frenzied transactions (in the U.S.) on Black Friday was recorded as $7.4 billion and a record-breaking $9.2 billion on Cyber Monday. The stats are high and so is the opportunity for Etsy sellers this year. For an Etsy seller, the biggest sale event for the holiday season 2023 is here. The early holiday forecast reports show that 70% of all consumers plan to make multiple purchases on BFCM 2023. Well, we want you to make the most of it. We’ve crafted a well-researched 6-point BFCM Etsy checklist to prepare for Black Friday Cyber Monday Sales.

But in order to understand the importance of BFCM first let’s start with the previous year’s statistics. If you wish to directly go to the Etsy BFCM checklist then click on the highlighted text to skip this section.

BFCM Statistics

• As you can see there is a clear 12% YOY increase in the Black Friday Sales and a 5.8% increase in the Cyber Monday Sales figures in the US. 
• Online sales across BFCM Sales Week grew 2% YoY, reaching $281 billion globally.
• $35.3 billion was spent by consumers during the complete Cyber Week in 2022
• Black Friday online sales grew 3.5% to $65.3 billion globally in 2022. (Source: SalesForce)
• The total sales on Cyber Monday reached $11.3 billion in 2022. This number was 23.9% higher than that spent by the shoppers on Black Friday in the same year. (Source: Adobe Analytics)

I believe the above statistics are more than enough to show the significance of BFCM sales.

Now let’s move to another important topic on strategy for preparing for BFCM on Etsy.

How to prepare for BFCM 2023 on Etsy?

Every eCommerce store owner looks up to the BFCM weekend for a significantly large part of their annual revenue, making it a pretty serious event on a festive front. There are many BFCM planning and preparations that sellers make to meet the surge in demands and perform well during the highest-selling weekend. And that is no different for Etsy sellers who are in their busiest time since the beginning of the last quarter. Preparation is a constant process and needs continuous actions, this Etsy BFCM planning checklist will make sure you are leaving no stone unturned this Black Friday Cyber Monday sales!

Do you know? In 2023, Cyber Monday sales are predicted to generate a revenue of $13.7 billion.

The question isn’t whether you’ll participate – it’s how you’ll dominate using the Etsy BFCM checklist. 

6-point Etsy checklist for your Black Friday Cyber Monday preparation

1. Enhance your visibility
2. Use Promoted Listings
3. Perform Price Optimisation
4. Participate in Sales Events
5. Utilize the power of Social media
6. Acknowledge your customers

Now let’s discuss each in detail:

Enhance Your Visibility

As an Etsy seller, you must know how crucial this is to make sales. There are several ways you can ensure your product is visible to your audience. Make sure you are following the SEO right, to make your product and store more discoverable.

• Invest some time in keyword research and find out the most searched terms related to your product category. Optimize your listings with festive terms that are searched most during the season. For example, Christmas gifts and Christmas decorations. Erank and Marmalead can help you with the research work.
• Now use a good combination of keywords in your listing title, descriptions, and tags, so that your listings are shown to the buyers searching for relevant queries.
• Assign categories and attributes to your product listing if not done yet! This will ensure that your product is easily fetchable and hence, will rank higher on the search results. Take part in Etsy’s site-wide sales. This will increase the chances for your product to be on pages promoted by Etsy itself.

Use Promoted Listings

Etsy’s advertisement program charges you for advertising your listings online. A part of the program promotes listings on Etsy itself increasing the visibility of the product and the chances of conversion. As an Etsy seller, you are allowed to set up your daily budget if you choose to promote listing through Etsy ads. Another part of the program is offsite ads, through which the listings are given a larger exposure throughout the web, including search engines and social media platforms. You will not be required to pay any fee for offsite ads until you make a sale through one of the ads placed on the web.

Promoted listings will ensure your listings are given the exposure they deserve during this peak shopping season.

Etsy Checklist Note: Do not exhaust your budget in a single day. Rather, make sure you are promoting your listings for a longer period of time with a smaller budget

Want to sell on Etsy, but have no time to start from scratch? There is a surprise just for you at the end of the blog!

Check your figures – Perform Price Optimisation

Aggressive advertising and putting products on sale can be heavy on your business if your prices are not planned likewise for the holiday season. Remember that your goal is not just to make sales, but also to make profits. Make sure you are not facing any losses while promoting your products. BFCM planning is all about sales and discount offers. Sales and discount offers can help you attract first-time buyers and sell old inventories while significantly increasing the traffic to your store. Working on increasing your average order value (AOV) will make sure you are gaining enough profit. Here’s what you can do to increase your AOV

• Encourage your buyers to buy bundles or products placed in combos.
• Upsell. Put on discount a higher-end version of the product, encouraging the buyers to spend more.
• Give conditional discounts by offering a % discount to shoppers who reach a certain limit for cart value.
• Give discounts to selected groups of buyers. For example, you can attract more first-time shoppers by giving them a specific discount.

While these promotional activities will bring customers to your store, you can choose to promote/highlight a better(higher priced item) on your store. Mark it on your Etsy checklist.

Participate in Sales Events

Etsy generally introduces sales on various occasions that sellers can participate in. These sales are showcased to about 90 million active buyers on the marketplace. In its third quarterly report, Etsy has shared its commitment towards attracting more and more holiday shoppers. It has also launched a dedicated Holiday Seller Handbook on the platform. Right now people are looking for various items on Etsy for their Thanksgiving dinners, decorations, and gift items. The range of products on demand will increase during BFCM, giving a bigger opportunity for all sorts of sellers on the platform. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have been reported to be the highest sales days for many years on Etsy. So look closely for Etsy’s announcement regarding the sales where you can promote your products to a greater audience.

Utilize the power of social media

The results you are expecting from advertising and promotions can be further enhanced with a strong social media presence. Apart from helping you build brand awareness and trust amongst your shoppers, social media campaigns will update your buyers about your store activities, new launches, and promotional offers. The traffic will be directly channelled to your store through your social media posts. Etsy sellers are prominently active on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. Make sure that you are talking about the ongoing sales event (Black Friday Cyber Monday) through your social media pages. Also, in your BFCM planning add store optimization to reflect the information shared through your posts. It is extremely off-putting for buyers to not find the same offers on the store as shown in the promotional posts. Learn more about social media promotions for your Etsy store here.

Acknowledge Your Customers – Token of thanks

Last but not least in your BFCM checklist and BFCM planning, this is an effective way to turn your first-time shoppers into repeat buyers. All you need to do is send a thank you message to your customers with a discount code or coupon for their next purchase. After that, start preparing for your next order!

Thanksgiving is almost here and there is no time left to prepare for Cyber Week. We hope this last-minute Etsy BFCM checklist has refreshed your BFCM planning.

Etsy has seen record-breaking growth in 2023. The potential and reach of the marketplace are clearly seen with the growing number of its active buyers. If we are to trust the past year & ongoing Etsy trends, the marketplace must be flooded with holiday shoppers right now, spending the most on the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Since we have covered the major topic, let’s have a look at some of the common queries of Etsy sellers during BFCM.

Common Etsy Seller FAQs for Black Friday Cyber Monday Sale:

Here are some of the common queries and concerns that sellers face while preparing for BFCM on Etsy:

How to Optimise Product Listings for BFCM 2023?

To optimize product listings for BFCM 2023, focus on Etsy Product Listing Optimization. Write effective product titles with BFCM keywords to increase visibility and attract potential buyers. Additionally, enhance product descriptions and images to create compelling listings that drive sales.

How to forecast demand on Etsy for BFCM 2023?

Forecast demand on Etsy for BFCM 2023 by utilizing Etsy BFCM demand forecast tools. Start by preparing for BFCM on Etsy with a robust BFCM strategy, analyzing past and ongoing Etsy trends, and monitoring market dynamics. This strategic approach will enable you to accurately predict demand, optimize inventory, and capitalize on the BFCM sales opportunity effectively.

How to run effective promotions on Etsy for BFCM 2023

To run effective promotions on Etsy for BFCM 2023, leverage BFCM PPC campaign strategies. Utilize Etsy Sponsored Products to target specific audiences and boost visibility. Optimize ad content, focus on high-converting keywords, and set competitive bids to maximize your reach and drive sales during the holiday season.

How to provide excellent customer service on Etsy during BFCM 2023

To provide excellent customer service on Etsy during BFCM 2023, respond to customer inquiries promptly, and address their concerns. Enhance customer experience by offering personalized BFCM discounts tailored to their preferences, demonstrating your appreciation and encouraging repeat business.

How to analyze my results after BFCM 2023?

Analyze your results after BFCM 2023 by utilizing Etsy Advertising Analytics. Dive into detailed insights on your BFCM sales, including customer behaviour and purchase patterns. Use this data to assess the effectiveness of your strategies, identify top-performing products, and make informed decisions for future campaigns.

That’s enough of a detour.

Now coming back to our original topic of the BFCM checklist of Etsy. 

So brush up on your BFCM planning strategies with the Etsy checklist once more and focus on the following key factors to make the most of the biggest sales event of the year.

1. Enhance your visibility by working on listing optimization.
2. Use promoted listings to get increased exposure.
3. Optimize your prices so you do not face any losses.
4. Take part in site-wide sales to attract more holiday shoppers.
5. Set up social media campaign promotion for your offers and sales.
6. Sent coupons with thank you messages to convert buyers into repeat customers.

Here is an exclusive (Q & A) session with a successful 6-figure Etsy seller, Anna Beck sharing some crucial insights around the holiday season. Her experiences can be an eye-opener for many existing and aspiring sellers like you. Get the inspiration as you prepare and kickstart your festive season sale 2023.

The Surprise!

We know as an Etsy seller Q4 is a very hectic time for you. While selling on Etsy may be something you want to start, but lack the required time to set up a new store from scratch. Not to mention the trouble that comes with managing two stores at the same time, especially during the busiest time of the year! We have the perfect solution to your problem. With this, you can not only replicate your store on Etsy in seconds but also manage all shop processes from your existing store’s dashboard! The Etsy Integration App has many exciting features to organize, manage, and run your business seamlessly.

Now stop wasting your time and start selling where buyers are waiting for you!

Disclaimer– Etsy is a trademark of Etsy, Inc. This content is not created or endorsed by Etsy, Inc.