- You might have heard that when it sellers put their shop
on vacation mode, they will typically be a bit
of a dip in traffic and sales when they come back.
It's not always the case and it can be more brutal
for some than others, but the possibility is there
and it might make you wonder, will putting my shop
on vacation mode kill my traffic and sales?
It's a reasonable fear to have and today we're going to dive
into it and talk about the best ways to go
about taking time off because we all need time off, right?
It's just a matter
of being a bit strategic about how you do it.
So in today's video we'll explore what vacation
mode actually is, a possible alternative
to using vacation mode when it makes sense to use it
and when not to
and how to limit the damage if vacation mode is necessary.
Ready?
Let's dive in.
(drum music)
Bonjour, my name is Deb and I'm the founder of Tizzit Daco
a membership community for makers and handmade shop owners.
Just like your fabulous self, you can learn more
about our community Tizzit HQ via the link below this video.
But for now, let's jump straight into today's conversation.
Will putting your shop on vacation mode
kill your traffic and your sales.
You might feel afraid to put your shop on vacation mode.
Maybe you don't really know what to do and how it works
and if it's going to affect your SEO, your traffic
or your sales.
So what is vacation mode?
Let's first quickly talk about what it is
in your Etsy settings, there is a toggle button you can turn
on that enables vacation mode.
When your shop is in vacation mode
it will still show up in search results
if someone searches for your exact shop name.
Anyone who visits your shop though will get
a message saying the shop is on vacation
and they will have the option to sign up to receive an email
once the shop is taken out of vacation mode.
Your products however, are not going to appear
in any product search results
so you're not going to get any traffic
during this time because your products can't be found.
So how does this affect your Etsy listing quality score?
Since your products are not appearing in search
you're not going to get clicks
and you're not going to get favourites
and obviously you're not going to get sales and because
of that, you won't be building your listing quality score
while you're away.
So you're not going to lose the listing quality
score that you have that is set
and your history will still be retained
and linked to your store
but you're also not keeping your listings active
so you're not continuing to build activity
into your listing quality score.
So how does that affect your SEO
and how can it potentially affect your sales and traffic?
When you return from vacation
You may not see the same traffic level you saw
before your vacation.
This is because while you're away
other shops are continuing to build a listing quality score
in Etsy by making sales, getting clicks, getting favourites
but your shop's listing quality score is staying the same.
So what does that mean for you?
That's going to depend on the number of factors.
Some shops are going to experience a bigger dip
in sales than others.
Some shops have a stronger listing quality score
when they turn on vacation mode.
They have a longer history
of consistent sales and traffic and favourites.
So after putting their shop
and their listing quality score on hold, they will still
have a competitive listing quality score when they come back
and show up in search results again.
But other shops may have, you know, not a really
strong listing quality score yet, and while they're gone
their competitors may be getting more sales and clicks.
And this can be why you hear nightmare stories
of vacation mode because when those shops come back
they aren't showing up in searches
and it takes them a while to build their listing quality
up to the new level of their competitors.
So it's going to be different for each seller
because each shop is different and has different scores
different histories and different competitors, right?
And it also is going to depend
on how long you're putting your shop in vacation mode for.
Obviously a longer vacation time will have
greater potential effects.
You may be hearing this and be feeling a bit fearful
of using vacation mode and wondering
if there are any alternatives you can do instead.
Or you might be wondering if there is ever
any case where it does make sense to use vacation mode
in certain situations.
There is an alternative and that is leaving your shop open
but extending your processing times.
That said, there are also situations where
it absolutely makes sense to use vacation mode.
So which is best for which situation?
Let's talk about each one.
Extended processing time.
If you only need a short break, I will try to
extend your processing time if that's possible, right?
You would obviously want to catch up
with all your orders before you leave
so that when you actually are on holiday there
are no previous orders that haven't been shipped
then you can keep taking orders while you're gone
but extend your processing time.
So for example, your processing time might, you know
go from two or three days to five or 10 days
so do the math correctly
and make sure you give a processing time that is
not just the time you'll be gone
but also includes time to actually process that order
and ship it out once you come back, right?
Now, if you're actually going
on holiday and it's not a very long break
then this is probably what I would recommend.
I know that you will hear people say
but when you extend your processing times
you are going to lose sales
because people don't want to wait 10 days for you know
their product to be shipped.
And that's true, you might lose some sales because of that
but at the same time, you are definitely going to lose
out on sales if you are in vacation mode
because your products aren't even going to show up
in search results.
So at least with extended processing times
you're still going to get some clicks
you're still going to get some favourites
which builds up your listing quality score.
Plus, you are probably also going to get some sales
from people who are willing to wait for your product
so you're still building up
that listing quality score instead of having it put on hold.
If you opt to use extended processing times instead
of putting your shop in vacation mode, I would make sure
that you are very clear about your processing times.
Obviously being a bit longer than normal.
You want to make sure
that you put the extended processing times
in your shop announcement that you are announcing it
in your banner and in every product listing, right?
You want to be clearly communicating
to potential customers so there are no surprises, right?
I would add it to your autoresponder as well
so that when people message you
they'll get a response that you know includes something
like, we're taking orders as usual
but we are on a short break, blah, blah, blah.
Then give them the information on your processing times.
Now of course
you can't extend the processing times to infinity
and you're not going to change your processing times
to six weeks or six month, right?
So if you really need to take a longer break
for whatever reason, it might be maternity leave
or you or someone in your family is sick
or perhaps you are moving or a long holiday
and you simply cannot take orders at all for a while
then in that case I would say it's completely
fine to use vacation mode, in these scenarios
you really don't have a choice.
You can't leave your shop open and receive orders
and then not process them, right?
That's going to hurt your shop a lot more and it'll
do more damage than putting your shop and listing on hold
right, and it's why vacation mode is there as
an option for your shop.
Again, how it will affect you is going to depend
on your history, how long you've been selling for
what your listing quality score is right now
how long your break is for and what happens to
your competitors in the time that you are away.
You might not be affected at all when you return
but to be honest, it is likely you will see a little dip
in traffic for a little while that is proportional
to your time away and there's no clear how long can I take
off maximum or how long will this traffic dip last
for after taking time off.
There's no formula to calculate that, right?
I know, I wish, if there was one
I promise I would be sharing it with you.
So if you have to use option two
and actually turn on vacation mode
then what do you do to fight that potential dip
in traffic and sales when you come back?
That's a better question.
The first thing you want to do once you're back
again is to kickstart that listing quality score
and build it up again is marketing.
Your goal is to send activity to your shop, and
by that we mean people clicking on your products in search
favouring them and obviously buying them, right?
So whatever you use outside of Etsy SEO to send traffic
to your shop, whether you have an email list
or social media or whatever, plan a campaign.
Make sure that the moment you come back
you are heavily marketing your product
in your store again and you're sending people to your shop.
You can even run a sale on Etsy and
if you have a budget, you could also consider running ads.
If you'd like to learn more
about marketing your handmaid shop on Etsy
after being a vacation mode, you'll want to
watch the video showing on your screen right now.
It will not only give you the elephant best ways to
promote your Etsy shop
but we'll tell you also the three worst ones as well
so you're not wasting your time
on things that just don't work.
Thanks for watching.
Make sure to check out this video
and until next time, au revoir.