Etsy adds features to new seller app

Etsy Inc. is crafting a new and improved mobile app designed to ease the process of selling items on its platform.

The online marketplace retailer is launching a new Etsy Seller app intended to help them seamlessly communicate with their customers, easily manage their orders and inventory, and effectively run their businesses.

Based on research, Etsy is adding features requested by sellers, while also keeping functionality from its existing Sell on Etsy mobile app.

With the new Etsy Seller app, sellers are obtaining additional capabilities including:

• The ability to check order statuses and get important insights at-a-glance, such as whether they have a repeat customer.
• Adding photos and listing videos directly from their mobile device.
• Having access to order details when messaging a buyer and utilizing saved replies to respond quickly to common questions.
• Purchasing and printing shipping labels via the app.
• Managing their inventory and having access to detailed insights about their Etsy shop’s performance.

Through the end of the year, the original Sell on Etsy app will still be available. Etsy says it is doing this so sellers can adjust to the new app without losing access to the features it is still perfecting in the new Etsy Seller app.

“The new Etsy Seller app’s technology enables us to more quickly roll out updates based on seller feedback, so we’ll continue to add features and iterate as we go,” Kruti Patel Goyal, senior VP of product at Etsy, said in a corporate blog post. “We’ve already planned a number of exciting updates in the coming months.”

Etsy increases seller services
Etsy has been upping its offerings for sellers in the wake of higher seller transaction fees and growth in its customer base. Starting Aug. 1, 2022, Etsy will launch its new Etsy Purchase Protection plan. The upcoming program will provide buyers with a full refund for purchases on Etsy.com in the cases that they don't match the item description, arrive damaged, or never arrive.

The company plans to invest at least $25 million per year into the purchase protection program to cover refunds on behalf of sellers for qualifying orders up to $250. In addition to the purchase protection program, Etsy says it will continue to invest in product and customer service improvements to make the issue resolution process as seamless and efficient as possible for both buyers and sellers.

Etsy is offering sellers some coverage for buyer refunds in the wake of recently increasing its seller transaction fee is increasing from 5% to 6.5%. The company has reported that as of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, it had 96.3 million active buyers on the platform. The Etsy marketplace acquired approximately 10 million new buyers in the quarter, its highest level of new buyer acquisition since the fourth quarter of 2020.

Habitual buyers, those with six or more purchase days and over $200 in spend in the trailing 12 months, grew 26% year-over-year, remaining the company’s fastest-growing cohort.