Wednesday, October 5, 2011

October's Merchandising Plans & Treasury Tips

Halloween Pumpkins Print - Magnesina


Happy ‘October” Curation Nation teammies and faithful followers! Here are the targeted merchandising points for the month of October - they are straight from Etsy’s Merchandising Desk. These specifics are what Etsy will be looking to showcase on the front page. It’s a great guideline to use to create items for your shop or for the vintage shops to be on the hunt for. When you curate Treasuries using these merchandising tips, remember to tag them with these words and themes as well.
                 
ETSY’S central merchandising will focus on autumn, Halloween, and preparing for the holidays ahead.

NOTE:  TREASURY TIP: Create and label treasuries fitting seasonal themes for a chance to have your collection featured on Etsy’s homepage, linked from promotional emails, and new shopping pages. We’ll be looking to highlight specifically themed gift guides throughout the holiday season. If you’d like to create a gift guide encompassing a full theme throughout your treasury, be sure to use the term “gift guide” as one of your treasury tags. along with the overarching theme of your guide (using the “gift guide” term with several smaller themes is not the ideal use here).

HOLIDAY TIP: Etsy’s seasonal Gifts Email has relaunched for the holiday season. Now is the time to list your full holiday line with clear seasonal tags. Don’t forget, Etsy’s “holiday” season encompasses all aspects of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the classic December gifting holidays: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

SHOPPING PAGES: We are delighted to introduce three new ways to shop and explore Etsy: FashionHome and Garden, and Kids. These new pages are a blend of curated content and category-based searches, changing frequently to represent trends in the Etsy marketplace and beyond. Following appropriate guidelines for tagging, use matching keywords on your relevant item listings to appear within search results linking from these new pages.

SEPTEMBER’S  BIRTHSTONE: Opal

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS: Libra (August 24 – September 23) and Scorpio (October 24 – November 22)

While emphasis will be placed upon the seasonality of the Northern Hemisphere, it’s important to remember that the Southern Hemisphere is preparing for summer. Maintaining seasonally appropriate options year-round is good practice for boosting international and overall sales.

COLORS: Pantone’s color trend report for fall 2o11 includes quarry, cedar, and teal greens, nougat and coffee browns, orchid and phlox purples, bamboo mustard yellow, honeysuckle pink, and ember-glow coral. We’re also noticing interest in scarlet, golds, pale hues of gray, pink, and lilac, classic neutrals and nudes, rustic fall colors, jade greens and mustards.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: An annual international health campaign to help raise awareness. The color pink and ribbon symbol embody the universal themes surrounding this cause.

HALLOWEEN: Halloween searches are in their prime right now. Make sure to take advantage of the next three weeks of seasonal shopping by tagging your Halloween products appropriately and offering extended shipping options — think last minute Halloween costumes and treat ideas.

AUTUMN: Home decor, entertaining, woodland motifs and nature’s symbols. Harvest themes encompass fall planting, preserving the summer garden’s bounty, rustic farm references and fall foods. Tagging tip: “Autumn” is a more global seasonal association than the American-based “fall” term; try including both as descriptive words.

THANKSGIVING: October is Thanksgiving in Canada and when Americans begin planning for November festivities. Classic Thanksgiving symbols include the turkey, cornucopia, Pilgrims and Native Americans, seasonal food, and fall foliage. Hostess gifts, table settings, and hearty treats are all items shoppers will be looking for.

FALL FASHION: Shift in materials, colors, and layers in the categories of clothing, accessories, and jewelry. More specifically, key basics, layering elements, the introduction of winter accessories and outerwear components, thick fabrics and rich leathers, autumnal tones, vintage boots and heavy-weight all-weather bags. Tagging tip: Try adding the term “fashion” to your appropriate items to reach a broader shopping audience.

WEDDINGS: Woodland and autumn weddings are currently underway; take advantage of seasonally-themed gift ideas, guest attire, as well as any final details that last-minute buyers may still need to purchase. Coinciding with our Halloween promotions, unconventional approaches to pulling off a creative event will have their time to shine. Don’t forget to stay a step ahead for brides currently planning and shopping for 2012 winter and spring weddings.

THE HOLIDAYS: If we haven’t hammered it home enough yet — or if you’re not participating in this year’s Holiday Boot Camp — now is the time to list your full, holiday-focused line. Emphasis should be placed upon gift ideas, decor, and options for entertaining. Shoppers are already planning and searching for holiday-themed gifts: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Now is also the time to get ahead of the game by listing your 2012 calendars.

BOSS’S DAY: From the sophisticated to funny, there is a wide range of products that would make ideal gifts for the boss (and also work as gift ideas for coworkers throughout the holiday season).

Trending Topics:

HalloweenCelebrity references, film and pop culture reinventions, clever costuming plays on words, pet costumes, baby costumes, group options, last-minute ideas, vampire themes, folk and vintage decor, photobooth props, and the classic color combinations (orange, black, yellow, white, red, green, purple).
Wizardry, magic, owls, and mysticism with the release of the final chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Vampires: They’re back on the radar with shows like HBO’s True Blood and November’s premiere of Twilight: Breaking Dawn.
Personalization: Gift ideas with monograms, initials, text, numbers, zodiac, constellations, portraits, custom labels, stamps, fingerprints and family trees.

Sports: Football, baseball, and horse racing (in Australia) are in focus this month.

Weddings: Handmade and vintage variations on the wedding dress, engagement rings, creative invitations, save the dates, and signage are on the rise.

Fashion: Fall and winter accessories, vintage boots, patterned leggings. Sheer layers, lace sleeves, brocade, trenches, tailored jackets and blazers. Bright solids paired with black, platform pumps, cocktail rings, tribal and native references.

Garden Preservation: Canning, jams, preserves, and stocks.

Culinary TrendsDIY culinary kits are on the rise. Classic cocktails, home brewing, beer and wine accessories, herb infusions and kits, garden to table.

Designer Vintage: Authentic fashion, collectibles, bikes, and auto accessories.

Letters, Numbers, and Symbols: Large vintage signage letters, letterpress blocks, monogram housewares, and typewriter keys.

Natural HistoryWoodland forest themes and animals, namely birds, owls, squirrels, hedgehogs, chipmunks, bunnies, butterflies, feathers, nests, eggs, acorns, leaves, trees, branches, woodgrain, and natural colors.

  • Lockets, secret hiding places, skeleton keys, arrows, diamonds, paper cuts, silhouettes, fortune cookies, wishbones, constellations, fortune telling.

  • Large scale vintage and handmade paper maps, botanical and anatomy charts.

  • Upcycled lights, lamps, exposed bulbs, and chandeliers.

  • Creative gadget cases, docking stations and accessories.

  • Bike caddies, baskets, and creative accessories.

  • Shabby chic decor and accessories

  • Video game-inspired references

  • Writable chalkboard surfaces

  • Feather hair extensions

  • Wall and laptop decals

  • All things steampunk

  • Vintage cameras

  • Braided hair

  • Mermaids

  • Peacocks

EVENTS IN AUGUST:
  • October is Breast Cancer Awareness, international drum, and vegetarian awareness month.
  • October 1-3: National Day, China
  • October 2: Daylight Savings (Australia)
  • October 12 – November 5: Spring Racing Carnival (Australia)
  • October 3: German National Reunification Day
  • October 3: Oktoberfest winds down
  • October 7-8 Yom Kippur
  • October 10: Columbus Day
  • October 10: Thanksgiving Day, Canada
  • October 14: Winnie The Pooh published, 1926 (UK)
  • October 12-19: Sukkot, sundown
  • October 17: Boss’s Day
  • October 24: United Nations Day
  • October 26: Deepavali
  • October 30: Switch to wintertime (France)
  • October 31: Halloween
  • October 31: German reformation day

*** Special tip: Tagging your Treasuries with a single word, or multiple word that is meant to be a multiple word, will help us find your lists. Tagging with multiple words that do not relate to one another might be detracting your list from being found.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Wednesday Item Challenge - herblueyestudio

Okay guess who can't keep track of the days of the week? This guy! Yeash!

I'm super excited and oh so apologetic for being a day late, to announce this weeks Saturday Theme Challenge Winner! It's herblueyestudio with the awesome treasury "Come One! Come All! It's The Last Hurrah!". Such a great title! Congratulations!




This screen shot is a live, clickable version of herblueyestudio's "Come One! Come All! It's the Last Hurrah!" treasury. You can click on any of the images above to be taken to each individual shop!

This week we'll be featuring herblueyestudio's Vintage Faceted Czech Glass Bracelet. It's time to think Fall Weddings everyone!
The Rules:

You must include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - use the sidebar on the blog for a list of team shops.

1. Please follow our blog.
2. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of your treasury. This helps other people find the challenge and enter.
3. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury.
4. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
5. Tag the treasury "etsyteamtreasury"
6. Tag the treasury "fall weddings"
7. If you tweet, tweet your treasury using the hashtag #EtsyTeamTreasury
8. Include the featured item in the first three rows of your treasury.
9. DUE DATE: Wednesday September 7.
10. Have fun!

Wednesday Item Treasury Challenges feature one item from a shop - the item must be included in your treasury. The featured Wednesday item is picked from the winning shop of the Saturday challenge. If the winner doesn't have a shop on Etsy, they will get to pick an item of their choice! Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all. These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Saturday Theme Treasury Challenge - The Last Hurrah!




Grilling!  Games!  Goodbye!  As the summer begins to wind down we do have one last hurrah to plan for - Labor Day Weekend.  In the states and in Canada we celebrate Labor Day, (and Labour Day with a 'u' for our Canadian friends!) the first Monday in September.  It was created due to the labor movement and all of the economic and social achievements of workers.  Ok, history lesson is over.  


For this week's challenge curate a Treasury that represents how we may be spending our last hurrah for the summer.  Etsy is promoting this theme by showing how we will spend time outdoors, sipping cocktails and getting back to school.  Click here to read the entire Etsy Fins email titled, '3 Day Weekends' 

There is always a photo used to express the theme but this item does not have to be included in your treasury.

The Rules:
1. Include at least 8 Curation Nation team members. 
2. Tag the treasury "curationnation" 
3. Tag the treasury "etsyteamtreasury" - if you tweet, tweet your treasury using the hashtag #EtsyTeamTreasury.
4. Tag the treasury "3 day weekend".
5. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury - your treasury will not be judged unless you have posted it below in the comments. Your shop could be chosen as the winner to be featured on our Wednesday Item Treasury Challenge.  
6. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of the treasury - this helps others find the challenge and enter. 
7. Please follow our blog. 
8. DUE DATE: Tuesday, August, 30. 
9. Saturday Treasury Challenges are the only challenges that get judged.

Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all! These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members. Remember to try to include team mates you haven't used before.  These challenges are meant to build your treasury making skills, promote the team and make Etsy connections.  If you deal in vintage it's a great time to promote your vintage goods by making the old new again!




Thursday, August 25, 2011

September's Merchandising Plans & Treasury Tips

Pumpkin Cheesecake Lollipops - Set of 6 from VintageConfections


Happy ‘September” Curation Nation teammies and faithful followers! Here are the targeted merchandising points for the month of September - they are straight from Etsy’s Merchandising Desk. These specifics are what Etsy will be looking to showcase on the front page. It’s a great guideline to use to create items for your shop or for the vintage shops to be on the hunt for. When you curate Treasuries using these merchandising tips, remember to tag them with these words and themes as well.
                 
ETSY’S central merchandising will focus on autumn, Halloween, and preparing for the holidays ahead.

SEPTEMBER’S  BIRTHSTONE: Sapphire (my note: traditionally blue but sapphires come in ALL colours except red which is a ruby)

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS: Libra (August 24 – September 23)Virgo (September 24 – October 23)

COLORS: classic color combinations (orange, black, yellow, white, red, green, purple). Pantone’s color trend report for for fall 2011 includes quarry, cedar, and teal greens, nougat and coffee browns, orchid and phlox purples, bamboo mustard yellow, honeysuckle pink, and ember-glow coral. We’re also noticing interest in turquoise, rustic fall colors, jade greens and mustards.

CELEBRATIONS AND TRADITTIONS: Look for references to the activities classically surrounding Labor Day, the U.S. Tennis Open, Oktoberfest, weekend cookouts, family gatherings, references to sports, beer drinking, festivals, and German traditions.

BACK TO SCHOOLWe’ll be wrapping up back to school promotions early in the month, with a heavier focus on fashion and office gear. Think organizational essentials, gadget and computer accessories, notebooks, writing utensils, cases, book bags, backpacks, satchels, lunch carriers, and fall fashion.

HALLOWEEN: Halloween searches are in their prime right now. Particularly popular at this time is decor, party supplies, full costumes and accessories (both baby and adult), jewelry, pumpkin decorating ideas, DIY kits, treats and treat alternatives, and the darker side of Etsy. Get in the game by listing your full Halloween line now.

AUTUMN: Seasonal shift in weather, colors, and activities. Think autumn home decor, entertaining, woodland motifs and nature’s symbols. Harvest themes encompass fall planting, preserving the summer garden’s bounty, rustic farm references, and fall food favorites. Tagging tip: “Autumn” is a more global seasonal association than the more American-based “fall” term; try including both as descriptive words.

FALL FASHION: Entering the height of 2011 fall fashion in clothing, accessories, and jewelry. More specifically, key basics, layering elements, the introduction of winter accessories and outerwear components, thick fabrics and rich leathers, autumnal tones, vintage boots and heavy-weight all-weather bags.
WEDDINGS: Coinciding with our Halloween promotions, unconventional approaches to pulling off a creative event will have their time to shine. Don’t forget to stay a step ahead for brides currently planning and shopping for 2012 winter and spring weddings.

THE HOLIDAYS: That’s right, now is the time to list your full holiday focused line. Emphasis on gift ideas, decor, and options for entertaining.  
central merchandising will focus on Back to School, Intros to Autumn, Halloween!!! (those exclamation points are mine), Wedding Season, Preserving the Summer and Outddor Activities.

While emphasis will be placed upon the seasonality of the Northern Hemisphere, it’s important to remember that the Southern Hemisphere is preparing for spring. Maintaining seasonally appropriate options year-round is good practice for boosting international and overall sales.



Trending Topics:

Halloween:  Celebrity references, film and pop culture reinventions, clever costuming plays on words, pet costumes, baby costumes, group options, vampire themes, folk and vintage decor, photobooth props, and the classic color combinations (orange, black, yellow, white, red, green, purple).

Wizardry, magic, owls, and mysticism with the release of the final chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Vampires: They’re back on the radar with shows like HBO’s True Blood and fall’s approaching premiere of Twilight: Breaking Dawn.

Feather Hair Extensions: Still going strong.

Sports: The U.S. Open this month brings attention to athletes and tennis while the start to NFL and college football seasons brings on the football and tailgating fever.

Weddings: Handmade and Vintage variations on the wedding dress, and engagement ring along with creative invitations, save the dates, and signage on the rise.

Fashion: Plaid, polka dots, tribal and snakeskin patterns, and lace embellishments. Feathers, menswear, blazers, vests and jackets, maxi skirts, gray basics, tailored and wide leg pants, patterned leggings and opaque tights, oxfords, vintage boots.

The Local Artisanal Shop and the Speakeasy: The butcher, baker, ice cream shop, patisserie. Barware of mixology, nightlife, live music, and secret passwords.

Garden Preservation: Canning, jams, preserves, and stocks.

Culinary Trends: Year of the homemade pie, whoopie pie, and macaron. DIY culinary kits are on the rise. Classic cocktails, home brewing, beer and wine accessories, herb infusions, garden to table.

Designer Vintage: Authentic fashion, collectibles, bikes, and auto accessories.

Letters, Numbers, and Symbols: Large vintage signage letters, letterpress blocks, monogram housewares, and typewriter keys.

Personalization: Monograms, initials, text, numbers, zodiac, constellations, portraits, custom labels, stamps, fingerprints and family trees.

Natural HistoryWoodland forest themes and animals, namely birds, owls, squirrels, hedgehogs, chipmunks, bunnies, butterflies, feathers, nests, eggs, acorns, leaves, trees, branches, woodgrain, and natural colors.

Lockets, secret hiding places, skeleton keys, arrows, diamonds, paper cuts, silhouettes, fortune cookies, wishbones, constellations, fortune telling.

Large scale vintage and handmade paper maps, botanical and anatomy charts.

Upcycled lights, lamps, exposed bulbs, and chandeliers.

Creative gadget cases, docking stations and accessories.

Bike caddies, baskets, and creative accessories.

Shabby chic decor and accessories.

Video game inspired references.

Writable chalkboard surfaces.

Wall and laptop decals.

All things steampunk.

Vintage cameras.

Braided hair.

Mermaids.

Peacocks.



EVENTS IN AUGUST:
September is known as National Honey, Classical Music, and Self-Improvement month

August 29 – Sept 11: U.S. Tennis Open Tournament, NFL and college football seasons begin.
September 1-4: Ethical Fashion Show (a Parisian-based show featuring ethical trends and designers)
September 5: Labor Day
September 5: Back to school day for primary and secondary students (France)
September 7: Brazil’s Independence Day
September 10: Sewing Machine Day
September 11: 10th Anniversary of World Trade Center attacks
 September 11: Grandparents Day
September 12: Harvest Moon Festival, Mid Autumn Festival
September 16: Mexico’s Independence Day
September 17 – October 3: Oktoberfest
September 17- 18: Hello Etsy Summit
September 19: Talk Like a Pirate Day
September 23: Autumnal Equinox
September 25: International Rabbit Day
September 27 – October 5: Paris Fashion week
September 28 – Conficius’ birthday  September 28 – 30: Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown
September 29 – October 2: Art Forum Berlin, biggest international art show in Germany

*** Special tip: Tagging your Treasuries with a single word, or multiple word that is meant to be a multiple word, will help us find your lists. Tagging with multiple words that do not relate to one another might be detracting your list from being found.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Wednesday Item Challenge

So because we didn't have a Saturday Theme Challenge this week I've decided the Wednesday Item Challenge is going to be a bit different. Instead of featuring an item all week we're going to feature a location instead! Best idea ever right? haha!

The rules are going to be a bit different so make sure to read carefully. For example you will not be required to include 8 CN teamies in your treasury like normal. I know this is goes against the general rules for the team but this way we can feature some of our fellow Etsians, give our team some more exposure and perhaps even drum up some more participation for our weekly challenges. Anyone can play after all, not just team members. So....

Rules/Instructions:
1. Below is a list of all CN team members and their locations (found in their shops).
2. Pick a team members shop and therefore their location (eg. craftedbylindy = Calgary, Alberta as the location)
3. Go to the Etsy home page and click on "Shop Local" on the left hand side.
4. Type in the location you want to search and start curating! 
5. Include 1 item from the team members shop you got the location from (eg. one item from craftedbylindy's shop)
5. Tag the treasury "name of location you're featuring (eg. "Calgary Alberta")"
6. Tag the treasury "shoplocal"
7. Include a link to this post in the comments of your treasury as well as an explanation of what the challenge is all about (eg. "The Curation Nation treasury team is having a Shop Local treasury challenge this week. All shops in this treasury are from Calgary, Alberta, Canada").
8. If you tweet, tweet your treasury using the hashtag #EtsyTeamTreasury
9. DUE DATE: Wednesday August 31.
10. Have fun!

Promote, promote, promote.....tell all your friends about our challenges. Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all and are great way to get some extra exposure for your shops. These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members.

Locations - I apologize if any of these are wrong or incomplete. If you need a change made to your location please let me know, thank you! It looks like we have 9 shops from Canada, 11 shops I classified as International (not Canada or U.S.) and 62 shops from the U.S!

 US -