Its sellers can quickly offer products that respond to a news event, such as “Notorious RBG” coffee mugs, or that riff on a viral sensation, such as “Tiger King” birthday cards and temporary tattoos. The speed and on-demand manufacturing that helped make Etsy a mask champion could be used to attract customers in other ways. Some other categories that are key for Etsy, such as paper goods for weddings and decorations for parties, should strengthen at the point when the need for masks recedes. Home goods and furnishings have long been one of its core businesses, and those categories have experienced a broad surge in pandemic-related demand as people outfit their spaces for remote work and put money toward redecorating projects that they might otherwise have spent on vacations and entertainment. The company says just 7% of the buyers on its site in the second quarter purchased only face masks, suggesting that many who came for masks were lured into buying other things. Whenever that happens, it won’t be too big a blow. Of course, the boom in Etsy face mask sales won’t last forever either the market for them will become saturated, or, more optimistically, the public health crisis will wane. The difference suggests that Etsy sellers - 95% of whom operate their small businesses out of their homes - were able to reap rewards from being fast and flexible in a way that bigger players with global supply chains couldn’t quite match. sold $130 million of masks in its quarter ended Aug. By comparison, clothing industry behemoth Gap Inc. More than 110,000 sellers sold a total of $346 million in masks through Etsy in its June quarter. There are some emblazoned with a picture of the “Golden Girls” cast, others with sports team logos or hand-embroidered birds. There are listings on the site for gingham masks, satin masks, and kid-sized muslin ones. They answered the call, in the most Etsy of ways. In the early days of the Covid-19 crisis, CEO Josh Silverman put out a call to sellers urging them to crank up their sewing machines and make these in-demand items. This was evident in how the site became a go-to place for face masks.
The pandemic, though, has put a spotlight on another strength of Etsy’s model: The ability of its army of small sellers to speedily change their merchandise selections. Also, while those mega-stores are efficient places to knock out errands, Etsy stands out as an appealing digital destination for those who take pleasure in browsing and shopping for the sport of it. People don’t come to it for commodity products like diapers or laundry detergent, so it doesn’t compete directly with the core businesses of giants such as Inc. With its macramé wall hangings and chunky-knit throw blankets, it has a unique merchandise assortment.
Some of Etsy’s advantages in the crowded e-commerce business have been evident for years.
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