As an Etsy Seller I’m hearing I can create coupon codes to bring in sales to my shop. This all sounds great but Is it difficult to create a code to share with my customers?
Etsy allows its shop owners to create three types of Etsy coupon codes: percent discounts, free shipping or fixed dollar amount off the sale. This article will help you create all 3 types of discounts to bring in sales. Be sure to check out the frequently asked questions the bottom of this article. Follow the steps below to get your coupon ready to use today! Let’s get started!
Creating coupon codes is a sure-fire way to make your Etsy customers happy. It seems like quite a daunting task but thankfully, it’s rather simple once you know how.
Follow the step-by-step guide below to quickly and easily make your coupon code and satisfy your shoppers!
Etsy tells us that one of the key benefits to creating a coupon code is that it’s easy to schedule and run the promotion. Etsy has made is simple to not only start a promotion but to cancel it at any time.
Easily schedule and run promotions: The Sales and Coupons tool gives you new ways to incorporate discounts and special offers into marketing plans for your shop. Now you can schedule a sale or create a coupon code to share with certain buyers. You’ll be able to discount items in your shop between 10 to 70 percent, and set order minimums for your promotions. To help you plan promotions, the Marketing section of your Shop Manager also includes a calendar of key shopping dates throughout the year, along with information about the types of items shoppers are likely to be searching for at those times.
New Sales and Coupons Tools to Help You Grow Your Business: Etsy
If you’re ready, we’ll jump right into the details.
How to Create a Coupon Code in Etsy to Boost Your Sales and Satisfy Your Customers
Alright, let’s do this! Take these 5 steps to get your coupon code created. Pay close attention to step 4 where you will be choosing the kind of coupon/discount you wish to offer. Don’t worry, we will break it all down for you below.
Step 1. Go To Shop Manager > Marketing
Head into your Shop Manager and click on the Marketing button located on the page. You’ve likely visited this area before when you do your day-to-day shop activities. Consider the Shop Manager the “HUB” of your shop.
Step 2. Click On Sales and Coupons > New Special Offer
Once you’re on the marketing page, click on the Sales and Coupons link. As soon as that page loads, you’ll be able to click on New Special Offer.
Step 3. Specify the Type of Discount
Under “New Special Offer”, you will find a variety of discount types. These include the following:
- Run a Sale — With this option, you can offer free delivery or a percentage off the standard price for certain items. When somebody clicks on your store or sees your products in searches, they will see that your items are on sale.
- Create a Coupon — With a coupon, you can send it to specific individuals or share it on your social media channels. If you’re reading this, you will need to click the “Create a Coupon” option to continue with the tutorial.
- Send Special Offers to Interested People — This allows you to send a coupon code to people who have your items in their basket but haven’t checked out yet. Alternatively, you can send special offers to Etsy shoppers who have favorited one or more of your products.
Step 4. Select Coupon Options
After clicking on the “Create a Coupon” button, you will be taken to a page showing various offers and options. Pick one of the following:
- Fixed Amount Off — Here, you can give your customers a fixed dollar amount off your products. This type of coupon is applied automatically upon creation and applies to all the items in your store.
- Percentage Off — This allows you to give a specific percentage off the list price of your Etsy shop’s products.
- Free Standard Delivery — With this option, you can offer standard delivery for free, meaning your customer won’t pay a P;P charge. This coupon kind is applied to your entire shop. However, you can choose to only offer it for domestic deliveries.
Alongside this, you can set a minimum order limit for your coupon. In other words, a threshold your buyer must reach in order for the coupon to apply. These options are as follows:
- Order Total — Here, you will need to set a minimum dollar amount your customers must spend to qualify for your coupon. You can’t exclude items from this deal.
- Quantity — With this option, your customers must buy a specific number of times to qualify for your special offer. Again, you can’t exclude items from this deal.
- None — This means that you have chosen not to set a minimum order to qualify for your offer.
Step 5. Run Your Coupon
After you have finished creating your coupon and setting the parameters, it’s time to sit back and wait for the orders to come rushing in!
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1. How Do You Name Your Code and Can You Use Lower Case?
You can name your coupon code anything that suits you and your store! People have various ways of naming them so that they can easily see sales metrics and other data.
For your convenience, it’s worth combining the name of the sale with the month of the sale to make it easier to find and monitor. Alternatively, you can name it after your newest product to further improve your use of metrics.
You won’t be able to use lowercase letters, however. Etsy’s platform always converts the codes into capitals. Remember that you can use numbers too! Just remove all spaces and you’re good to go.
Question 2. Can You Create a Coupon Code and Send It to Previous Customers?
Under Etsy’s policies and the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Act, you are not allowed to send coupon codes to your previous customers. The law states that you can only send discounts to people who opt-in to receive them. However, you can’t do this with Etsy’s platform, thus it isn’t allowed.
With that being said, you are allowed to make a coupon code to include in your thank you for purchasing note sent straight after the purchase. You can do this under Marketing > Sales and Coupons > Coupons.
Question 3. Can You Give a Code to a Customer to Use on Their Next Purchase?
While you are not allowed to send a coupon to previous customers under the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Act, you can create a code for them to use on their next purchase. Just make one and include it in your thank you note following the purchase. This way, they can use it the next time they shop with you.
Question 4. Can You Cap The Number of Items That Can Be Bought with the Code?
Unfortunately, you cannot cap the number of items that can be bought with the code. As we mentioned earlier, you can set a minimum order but sadly, not a maximum order.
There also isn’t a way to limit the number of times someone can use your coupon code on your store. If you wish to cancel it, you must do so manually once they have made their purchase. This can become tedious if you’ve made a lot of coupon codes but it’s often necessary if customers don’t naturally abide by the code’s wishes.
Question 5. Can You See a List of People Who Used the Coupon?
The short answer is yes! All you need to do is head to the “Coupon/Promotion” stats page to take a look at your analytics. You’ll be able to see who has used your coupon code here.
When you receive an order, the coupon code your customer used will appear on the receipt. This is often the preferred way of checking whether people are participating in your deals and offers.
If you purchase, Etsy Premium Package, you will be able to see an even deeper insight into these metrics and overall coupon usage.
Question 6. Can You Make a One-Time Use Coupon?
Sadly, you cannot make a one-time use coupon on Etsy at the moment. However, there are a couple of ways around this.
The easiest way is to create a personalized coupon code (with their name, for example). Then, once they have used it on one purchase, just cancel the coupon. Of course, you will need to have your head in the game for this to stay on top of things!
Another way is to ask your customer to make a custom request through Etsy conversations. Then, you can make a private listing for that individual through the conversation function. This will allow you to set a one-off price for the items requested by your customer.
In conclusion
Coupon codes are a great way to interact with your customers. Coupon codes are easy to generate, and you can help boost sales. Give it a try and track your sales as your coupon campaign progresses. You may find these sweet codes can do wonders for your shop.