Shopify and Etsy are some of the two most popular ecommerce solutions you can choose from, and many merchants who started out on Etsy are now also using Shopify to grow their brand’s success and reach new heights with a multi-platform approach.
While you can sell goods on both ecommerce platforms and launch a business in a relatively short time, Etsy is a global marketplace for creative merchants who wish to sell handmade products. Many sellers on Etsy also sell vintage clothing, art supplies, and other unique products, but ultimately, the site is known for its handmade and creative goods. As a marketplace, Etsy has amassed a great number of eager buyers who comb the site for beautifully made handmade works.
However, as your business grows and you gain an audience of satisfied customers, you might find that you want more control over your business operations. You might even want to further develop your own brand and move beyond the Etsy marketplace to establish an online store that is truly your own space.
This is where Shopify steps in. While Etsy provides you with a marketplace with an audience of eager buyers, Shopify allows you to unleash your creativity further and build a memorable brand completely on your own terms.
In this article by Ecommerce Pro, we’re going to delve into selling on Etsy and Shopify simultaneously and the benefits of building your brand through Shopify. We’ll also dive into the success stories of online business owners who have used this multi-platform approach to reach a new level of success.
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Benefits of Selling on Etsy & Shopify
There are many benefits to the multi-channel approach of selling on both Etsy and Shopify. Below, we explore some of the advantages of using both platforms:
Access to Different Customer Bases:
Using both Etsy and Shopify will allow you to tap into two different customer bases, meaning you get to grow your audience and improve your sales volume.
Etsy already attracts a large community of dedicated buyers who are on the market to find unique handmade goods. With Shopify in the mix, you get to target a broader audience and expand your reach well beyond the Etsy marketplace. With this dual online presence, you’ll have a higher chance of attracting an even wider range of buyers than ever before.
Diversify Revenue Streams:
We all know that diversifying your revenue is important. In business, depending on one source of revenue and income can be a little risky, and revenue diversification lowers that risk, giving your brand and online business better financial stability, and vastly improves the marketability of your brand and the products you sell. Running your online brand on both Etsy and Shopify will help you not just protect your business, it might even help it thrive. The advantage of having a couple of revenue streams, like Etsy + Shopify, is that it helps you future-proof your business, helping you solidify your brand, and build personal brand relationships with your customers.
Improved Branding and Customization:
While Etsy provides merchants with the safety net of a ready-made audience and marketplace, Shopify offers something much more—an extensive customization experience that helps you build a unique brand and shopping experience.
Building a store on Shopify gives you your own website. Your business gets to own a unique URL, and you get complete control over your store’s design and branding elements, allowing you to create something unique. You’ll have a website with a shopping experience and look that fully lines up with your brand's identity and core values.
One of the great advantages of establishing your brand presence that you should take note of is that it helps you grow customer loyalty to your brand, and less so to the Etsy brand.
Enhanced Marketing Capabilities:
Shopify offers many powerful marketing tools and integrations that can really boost your brand’s marketing and promotion, helping you reach an even larger audience. To increase traffic to your Shopify store, you may make use of many marketing channels that Shopify gives you better access to. This includes email marketing, social media advertising, and search engine optimization. Alongside Etsy's current consumer base, you can expand your brand's visibility and draw in more potential customers by using Shopify’s extensive marketing tools that help you more effectively use a multi-channel approach.
We also encourage you to look into Shopify POS, a point-of-sale function designed to help business owners sell their products in person and online. Shopify POS is great for creative merchants who wish to sell their handmade products not just on Etsy and on Shopify, but in person as well, in pop-up locations and their physical stores, helping you keep data like your inventory, customers, sales, and payouts across all channels in sync. Learn more about Shopify POS.
Learn more about Shopify and Shopify Plus’ top features from the top experts. Get in touch by filling out this form.
Success Stories: Highlighting the Benefits of Etsy + Shopify
Below we highlight 3 businesses that operate on both Shopify and Etsy, providing you with a link to each of their unique Shopify stores.
Floral Neverland
Floral Neverland is a charming online business founded by Olivia Wang. The brand specializes in preserving real flowers and turning them into exquisite accessories, with every unique piece meticulously crafted by hand.
The brand first began its journey on Etsy, until the founder realized she needed more flexibility to build her own brand up. While Floral Neverland’s Etsy store is still operational today, Olivia dedicates more time to her Shopify store and website, which helps her generate more sales. Floral Neverland is an example of just how important brand and building a dedicated community outside of Etsy can be in establishing a long-lasting, future-proof online business.
HaldeCraft
HaldeCraft is a creative little corner of the internet by Lorena Haldeman, a multi-talented artist and craftswoman, who creates unique pieces including ceramics, soap, handspun yarn, and more. HaldeCraft began online with an Etsy store, but as the product range grew, Lorena found herself faced with challenges when it came to organizing her wares on Etsy, prompting her to turn to Shopify for better product organization and categorization.
She was able to organize all of her wares into categories and subcategories on her Shopify site in a way that benefited both the shop and her consumers. Today, both Shopify and Etsy stores are kept open, used to leverage the exposure from Etsy that also helps customers find their way to the HaldeCraft Shopify store for Lorena’s exclusive offerings on the site.
Conquest Maps
Conquest Maps is a beautifully organized online store that sells custom travel maps that are made to help travelers set, track and achieve their own personal travel goals. Founded by Ross Worden who began his business journey on Etsy, he found Shopify to be a great fit for establishing a more direct and personal relationship with customers. Conquest Maps still operates on both Shopify and Etsy today, with Ross reporting a majority of sales through his Shopify store.
Bottom Line
While the decisions you make on the next steps to expand your business will always be dependent on what you feel is best for your brand, launching a Shopify store combined with Etsy may be the best course of action to grow your brand.
Combining the ecommerce potential of both Etsy and Shopify could be the key to unlocking multi-platform ecommerce success. By selling on both platforms, you can access a wider customer base, diversify your revenue, improve customization, and have access to advanced marketing capabilities.
What’s more is that with Shopify, you get to build your own unique website and brand experience, forming deeper connections with your audience than ever before.
Ready to take your Etsy business further with Shopify? Let’s build your Shopify online store together. Fill out our contact form to get in touch with Ecommerce Pro.
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At Ecommerce Pro, we help entrepreneurs and business owners build better and more successful Shopify businesses. Have a question or a project in mind? Get in touch with us today!
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