A Look at How Etsy Blends Creativity With Commerce

The name Etsy is synonymous with all things handmade, custom, vintage and unique. This one-of-a-kind community is a global marketplace for people to come together and make, sell, buy and collect unique and creative goods. When the widely popular international brand entered the Indian market three years ago, the man at the helm was Mr Himanshu Wardhan, Managing Director-India, Etsy. 

 

Over the past three years, Etsy India has empowered indigenous sellers to follow their dreams and create what they love, all while putting their unique products out there for the world to shop. And this is merely the beginning, as according to Himanshu, they have just “scratched the surface” of the Indian market. Cosmo India spoke to the man heading Etsy India to find out more. 

Cosmo India: Can you tell us about Etsy’s vision for 2021?

Himanshu Wardhan: “Our endeavour is to ‘Keep Commerce Human’, and we’re committed to using the power of business to strengthen communities and empower people. We will continue to work towards mobilizing the creative community here and help them find global audiences for their products. “

“We’ve had a very hyper-local, grassroots approach to introduce new sellers and craftsmen to the platform. India is the only market where Etsy has set up an acquisition team that connects with sellers offline. We have a team that is focused on supporting our seller community. We also have a team set up that offers step-by-step guidance on how to start an Etsy shop, add product listings and write descriptions. It has helped hundreds of sellers optimize their shops, and the team is committed to continue working in this direction.”

Cosmo India: How do you think the market will change post-pandemic for sellers?

Himanshu: “The pandemic brought life to a standstill and the world is facing unprecedented, challenging times. But while on the one hand, there has been a pall of gloom and uncertainty, on the other hand, the current situation has also presented us with an opportunity to leverage our strengths to cope with the crisis. This time also removed the psychological barriers that small sellers faced, and made it much easier for them to think about online selling. In fact, 65% of sellers on Etsy started their shop as a way to supplement income.”

Cosmo India: What can we look forward to with your Small Talk with Etsy Collective initiative in 2021

Himanshu: “The objective of Small Talk is to engage with creative audiences and provide small sellers with inspiration and encouragement. We organised more than 60 such virtual webinars in 2020. We had changemakers from different spheres share their thoughts on this platform, including Cosmopolitan’s Editor—Nandini Bhalla.”

“The sessions are also a platform for encouraging creators to think about global buyers and interact with the seller community on Etsy. You can look forward to many more interesting sessions this year as well.”

Cosmo India: Your initiative, Small Talk with Etsy Collective, is going great in India, inspiring so many to be part of Etsy. Tell us a little about the series. 

Himanshu: “We’ve always stayed connected with the creative community and sellers - through seller-focussed events, digital media and our standalone offline property - The Etsy Collective - which is a weekend meetup that brings together creative makers from a different city, every week. Besides interacting with a local seller in a more 1:1 format, the Etsy Collective also celebrates the spirit of creativity with a fun DIY activity that also gives everyone a chance to interact.”

“While that is no longer possible, we’ve still kept the conversation going by moving to a virtual format. We’ve broadened the scope of offline events to include more external speakers, tastemakers and experts who provide our creative community with insights and inspiration. Rebranded as Small Talk with the Etsy Collective, this series of curated webinars take place every week, to offer multiple sessions on exploring digital opportunities. I feel that sellers are ready to explore global opportunities - currently, we have more than 2.9 million items listed from India and the numbers are growing every day.”

Cosmo India: “Would you like to share with us any of your favourite stories from the lot— something that you personally found hugely inspiring?”

Himanshu: “I always tell my team - the best part of my job is interacting with the amazing sellers on Etsy every day. I have been inspired, awestruck and even spellbound by the creativity that you will find on the platform.”

“Every seller has a unique story and it’s inspiring for me to know that they could explore entrepreneurship on their own terms on Etsy, and do something that they really wanted to do - follow their passion. Many of them have overcome financial difficulties and other hurdles but that hasn’t stopped them from making Etsy their home as an outlet for their creativity.

Cosmo India: Etsy is the world's most imaginative marketplace! What do you see as the USP of Etsy, especially in India, both for the sellers as well as buyers?

Himanshu: “I think it is the sellers and the buyers who are the very reason why Etsy is the world's most imaginative marketplace! We strive every day to empower our creative community. We connect with them, listen to their challenges and provide them with multiple tools so that they can focus on their creative business.”

“Etsy can help sellers provide meaningful income and can help buyers find things they need and care. You can connect with the person on the other side of the sale and make human connections. During this time of isolation, facilitating human connection through e-commerce is proving to be a strong differentiator for Etsy.”

Cosmo India: The world is waking up to support indigenous artists - designers, artisans, makers, creators, across categories - and a lot of platforms are promoting #local talent, like Cosmo's #Shoplocal. Keeping that in mind, what does Etsy have to offer in India. What kind of sellers can one find on Etsy, and what are some creative products that one can find on it? 

Himanshu: “That’s very true and Cosmopolitan’s #ShopLocal is a great initiative supporting homegrown brands and makers. At Etsy, we are focusing on supporting small businesses, in fact, 97% of sellers on Etsy run their shops from their homes and 65% started their Etsy shop as a way to supplement income. We have sellers from all over the country and you can find different categories of products - all things handmade, vintage and craft supplies. It’s heartening to see traditional artisans exploring Etsy as the platform to sell globally.”

“There is a global appreciation of ‘Made in India’ products and you’ll find a great mix of contemporary as well as traditional items from India - from handcrafted jewellery, personalized home and living items and bespoke art pieces. You will find many personalized and customized items on the platform - ‘personalized gifts’ was the most searched term on Etsy in 2020.”

Cosmo India: And how are you ensuring the various local craftspeople, even homepreneurs get their place under the sun and find a spot on Etsy? 

Himanshu: “Our Seller Success team is focussed on supporting our seller community and enabling them to create successful shops. We’re providing one-to-one support to anyone who is interested in exploring Etsy as a platform to sell their items.”

“Sometimes traditional artisans, particularly those in rural areas, are not very digitally savvy, so setting up an online business seems like a daunting, complicated task. Our team provides step-by-step guidance on how to start their shop, add product listings and write descriptions. This team has helped hundreds of sellers optimize their shops. There are enough resources on the Etsy.com website (like the Etsy seller handbook) that guide to open a shop. Any creative maker looking for some assistance can simply fill the form on our Instagram (@etsyin) page and the team will get in touch.”

Cosmo India: The brand is gaining huge popularity in India. How are you making sure there is even more awareness about the brand and more recall value?

Himanshu: “We’re focusing on building awareness of Etsy in India, through our digital community, owned events as well as like-minded partnerships. The Etsy Collective has been a standalone property that has not only helped in building brand awareness, but also in bringing the right audience to the platform.” 

“We have a thriving digital community on Instagram (more than 580K followers) and we’ve also focussed on a visual storytelling format to demonstrate the richness of our heritage and the wealth of items made by our sellers. Our campaign, ‘Discover India with Etsy’, took viewers to different parts of the country to discover a new art/craft form. Another campaign, ‘Desi for Pardesi’, helped Indian artisans and creators think about reaching out to global audiences. We also believe in forging like-minded partnerships with people and organisations. We’ve worked with the Dastakari Haat Samiti on a photography enablement workshop in which our team organised a product photography session for a group of artisans from different parts of the country. We’ve also collaborated with Dastkar to organise a panel discussion with eminent designers to discuss the opportunities for artisans.” 

Cosmo India: Any other interesting trivia or information you'd like to tell the readers about Etsy in India?

Himanshu: “It’s been three years since we set up our office in India - and it's been such an exceptional journey. More than 80% of our sellers are women and 97% run their shops from their homes. We have sellers from every part of the country and have only scratched the surface of the Indian market!”