Black Friday and Cyber Week are over. I hope you put together a good campaign and things are looking great - but if it's not booming, you are also not alone. Time to talk about
Final Push, BFCM Takeaways and Fresh Etsy Leadership
With Etsy's BFCM weeks behind us, it's a good moment to reflect on how they went, how to time December cut-offs this year and what we are looking towards in 2026.
1. Ride your BFCM momentum but don't forget to time your cutoff date
This year we've had some impressive growth for shops with strong seasonal targeting. Congrats if you are seeing double-digit growth - that’s good prep, well rewarded.
We’re still seeing strong December demand, but don’t let the holiday rush sweep you away. Set your Christmas order cutoff and communicate it clearly. This year, many shoppers will buy up until Dec 19, especially with local or express shipping.
If you are shipping overseas, the key to timing your cutoff right is delivery time. You can offer express shipping as your default shipping option this month so you can tap into the last-minute rush.
If you are shipping local, ideally you want to gear up for orders well into the final week. Being the last one standing in your niche can win you a lot of orders on giftable items.
Pro tip: Create a “Ready to Ship” section. If you can offer 1-day or even same-day processing, that’s your December power move.
Communicate your cutoff:
- In the first 2 seconds of listing videos
- In your banner and shop announcement
- On listing images if you can
2. If your BFCM campaign was underwhelming... you are not alone
We’re seeing polarized results. Some shops saw big jumps, others flatlined or dipped. Why?
- Economy-wide pressure + tariffs
Yes, the market is tighter. But many sellers still run on “list it and leave it” - and that strategy is hitting its limits in a competitive environment. We've onboarded shops this quarter with -50% YoY drops, not because something broke - but because they just did nothing.
If you’re holding steady around last year’s revenue levels, that’s actually a sign of strength right now. It means your shop is staying afloat despite the economic headwinds and all the changes in the Etsy algorithm - and it hasn't fallen behind while the tide is shifting. Which gives you the solid footing to ask yourself - what can I do to win over market share from my competitors who are slowly losing ground?
If you are affected by tariffs, e.g. shipping overseas - check the other shops in your niche. What's their tariff set-up? Etsy recommends DDP prices and while there is nothing official, there is speculation that non-DDP shops may have limited visibility in the engine.
- The power of seasonal marketing
This BFCM we saw the strongest results from stores with strong holiday season offering and communication. This means:
- holiday-themed products, bundles, etc;
- holiday-themed photos and product visuals;
- holiday-themed promotions, banners, shop layout;
- holiday-themed email marketing.
Real-time SEO provides solid targeting to capture the traffic that Etsy is driving to the platform through TV, search and social media advertising. All these extra visitors are coming here for the holidays - and you want to give them what they are actively looking for.
Any combination of the above will serve your customers well and is proven to bring strong results. And now amidst a competitive economy, this gives us even stronger showcase of what a difference strong seasonal focus can make. The seasonal surge is here and even if the shop is flatlining or even down 50%, seasonal targeting can totally change the trajectory of the store.
If your offer wasn’t fully tuned to the holidays, you might be missing out, especially now that Etsy’s pushing hard with their own holiday ads. A tight market is the best time to stand-out and win market share from the competition. And if you need any help with visuals or email marketing, the Creative Team is here for you.
- Etsy AI titles + search glitches
Let’s call it what it is - the Etsy AI title tool was a rush job. It ignores SEO logic and even suggests phrases that lead to deactivation. This tool is not optimized for any of the other search algorithm systems on Etsy and seems to be a last-minute half-baked effort by the outgoing Etsy CEO. Some shops have experienced big slumps following AI titles usage and unfortunately recovery can take months.
There is also an on-going search engine glitch since early November that's causing store listings to get silently delisted from search results (no deactivation, just no longer showing up). Stores affected by this are aware from the sharp drop in sales. There have been plenty of reports in the Etsy community and everyone is expecting fixes from the Etsy developer team.
3. What's next? New CEO, new playbook
The Etsy AI titles are just a symptom of what seems to have been going on with Josh Silverman over the last months. Since Nov 2024 Etsy's outgoing CEO has been selling massive amounts of Etsy stock. Pre-planned and seemingly in line with legal requirements.
However, commitment to Etsy performance and 2025 campaigns has felt somewhat lackluster during this same period, culminating with the announcement of his stepping down.
That said, during Josh's tenure at the helm of Etsy since 2017, the platform's total sales grew 400% and it took a firm hold as one of the top ecommerce marketplaces in the USA and in the world. Plus 8 years is a long time and everyone deserves a break, especially in high-stress positions.
That's why we can't wait to see the new energy and initiatives coming with Kruti Patel's leadership. Looking closer into what we can expect from her, it looks rather optimistic:
- Kruti has been on Etsy since 2011 - she is a long-timer and knows the roots of the platform;
- Kruti just had a 3-year "break" from Etsy to gain fresh vision and perspective - from 2022 until Apr 2025 she served as head of Depop, one of Etsy's acquired marketplaces over in London, UK.
- Kruti delivered amazing growth at Depop - achieving almost 300% growth in total sales since 2022
It feels like the change in leadership comes right on time and Kruti might be able to bring fresh vision for Etsy's growth. But this is just to aid and amplify your own efforts - even in the tighter economy, Etsy's total sales are around $1 Billion every month and your goal is to take away as much of this as possible and win your niche in every market situation.
Wrap-Up: Your December Action Plan
Lock in your cutoff strategy and shout it from every corner of your shop
Keep momentum going with holiday-ready photos and fast shipping
Use the time after the cut-off to rest and recharge and get ready for Valentine’s and Spring Gifting. Your Q1 starts now.
And… be kind to yourself. This is the busiest time of year, and showing up consistently is already a win.
