What’s new
Buyers value interacting with Etsy sellers to learn more about what you make, and on occasion, work with you to create something custom – this is part of what makes Etsy so special and unique. We’ve learned from research that shoppers prefer to interact in chat-like interfaces because they feel more familiar. So starting on Monday, 29th July, we’ll be updating the Conversations interface for buyers to better meet their expectations and help you provide a better customer experience. When shoppers have a better experience on Etsy, that’s good for all sellers.
Buyers will see the new Conversations interface anywhere they can contact a seller. A chat window will open, and buyers will see any reply you send immediately in the window. We know that sellers run their businesses differently, and you might not always be available to respond right away. In order to manage buyer expectations of when they might hear back from you, buyers will see your average response time. We calculate your average response time by measuring the time from when you receive your first new message in a thread to when you respond to that message. Don’t worry, if you receive a spam message, or a message that does not require a reply, we do not calculate a response time.
You’ll also be able to set a custom away message from the Conversations window in your Shop Manager to let shoppers know when you’re not immediately available. You can set an away message by clicking “Auto-reply” from the upper right hand corner of the Conversations page. If a shopper sends you a new convo when you have an auto-reply set, they will receive that message as an automatic reply.
Keep in mind that buyers expect quick responses, and are more likely to make a purchase when they have an immediate interaction with a seller. In fact, we know that shoppers are 40% more likely to make a purchase from a conversation when the sellers responds to their first message within two hours.
What’s next
The Conversations redesign for buyers and away message feature for sellers will start to become available to some users today and will be available to all users over the next few days. To make it easier for you to respond to your buyers quickly, we’ll be updating the snippets tool in the next few weeks. Soon, you’ll be able to create templates that will pre-populate in your Conversations with buyers, making it easier for you to quickly respond to common questions, which could potentially mean more sales for you. We’ll be sure to update you as soon as these new features are available.
Words by Shadi Jurdi
Shadi Jurdi is a Senior Content Strategist at Etsy.
