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Are you wondering how to increase your sales at Etsy shop? Are you getting good traffic but not seeing the sales that you’d like? There are many aspects to increasing sales on Etsy, but you may be overlooking the importance of feedback to converting traffic to sales on Etsy.

Feedback is when the buyers and sellers you interact with on Etsy rate your transaction. As a seller, you are hoping that your customers provide positive feedback. Your shop’s feedback is featured prominently on your shop’s main page, and it is often one of the first pieces of information that a potential custom looks at. Shop feedback has two parts: the number of feedbacks, and the percentage positive. In both cases, the higher the number, the better. Most successful sellers have 100% positive feedback.

The reason that positive feedback is important is that it gives customers confidence that you are an experienced and successful seller. Since buyers can’t meet you personally, or walk into your shop, the feedback is their main evidence that you know how to treat your customers well.

There are six aspects to an Etsy purchase from start to finish that an Etsy seller should pay attention to if they want to get the most positive feedback possible from customers.

First off, you should have good products that are well presented and that customers want to buy.

Second, you should answer as many questions as possible in your shop policies about the nuts and bolts of your business, such as shipping schedules, returns, and refunds, so that customers feel they can buy with confidence.

Third, it is great to quickly and enthusiastically respond to any questions about your products from potential customers, which builds a relationship of trust.

Fourth, once you make a sale, acknowledge it with an email thanking the customer and giving a timeline for delivery.

Fifth, ship as quickly as you can, with attractive and secure packaging. Customers in the internet age want instant gratification, so check your shop daily for orders.

And 6th, be committed to customer satisfaction. If something isn’t perfect, make it right! Sometimes just acknowledging a mistake or flaw can do more to build trust (and future sales) than anything else.

Doing all of these things builds the kind of relationship of trust that encourages positive feedback. They are all good business practices and will form the foundation of a successful Etsy business in time.

But, many times even very satisfied customers don’t take the time to do feedback. It takes a little extra time and effort, and sometimes customers don’t remember. The average feedback rate is actually under 50% of all sales on Etsy.

So, a little extra incentive is key. Here is a secret tip that may increase your feedback rate well above the Etsy average. When you send your email acknowledging the sale (#4 above), offer a discount code for a future purchase to your customer if they complete feedback after receiving their item. The discount can be whatever you like, but if you are a new shop with very few ratings, a nice big discount can work wonders. An offer of a good discount is a powerful incentive to your customers to remember to provide feedback for your transaction. The advantage of this practice is that it also provides an incentive for future sales, so that your shop gains more feedback and more sales as well.

If you take care of all five aspects of a customer-friendly shop, and add on the secret tip for adding feedback incentive to your customers, you will increase your feedback score, build more confidence in visitors to your shop, and gain more customers and more sales.

Karen Kelsky is the artist and owner of Paper Demon Jewelry http://paperdemonjewelry.etsy.com, modern jewelry from Japanese things. She tripled her Etsy sales in one month. She writes about Etsy selling, online marketing, and jewelry making at her blog, Paper Demon Jewelry http://paperdemonjewelry.wordpress.com