Etsy Tests "Top Buyer" Badge, Nudging Sellers To Prioritize Customer Service For High Spenders
Etsy is testing a "Top Buyer" badge feature, highlighting higher spending shoppers on the site and encouraging sellers to give them priority customer service.
The new badge has been spotted in recent days by sellers when reading their messages, with Etsy encouraging them to prioritize responding to Top Buyers in the US while also reminding them they are still expected to respond quickly to all buyers.
Sellers say when they receive messages marked as being from a Top Buyer, there is a pop up which explains the new badge:
Only visible to you, We're testing this badge to help you prioritise messages from the top 15% of US buyers by spend in the last 12 months. Keep in mind, your message response rate is based on your replies to first messages from all buyers, not just top buyers.
Opinions about the test were mixed in the Etsy community forums with some sellers saying they appreciate the feature and see it as a way to differentiate themselves and keep shoppers who are more likely to make a purchase engaged.
Others cautioned that because the metric goes by "spend" rather than number of sales, these buyers may only make a few high value purchases a year, so being a Top Buyer doesn't necessarily mean they are any more likely to buy than anyone else and it also doesn't mean they are likely to be a "good" buyer in the sense of not leaving unwarranted negative reviews or frequently returning purchases.
And some sellers speculated this test could be related to recent changes to the Etsy Insider buyer loyalty program. Etsy Insider is a subscription-based service with a monthly or annual membership cost and is not directly tied to the amount a buyer spends on the site, though the shipping discount benefit does now have a $15 order minimum to qualify.
But just because Etsy Insider membership doesn't require minimum spending levels, that doesn't mean the benefits don't favor those who spend more on the site - in fact the recent changes do exactly that with 5% credit back on every order to be used on future orders, while also promising members "personalized offers and special savings."
Liz Morton
So the Top Buyer badge may not be directly tied into Etsy Insider membership and some Top Buyers are likely not also Insiders, but it's possible there may at least be some overlap.
And on this week's Q3 earnings call, Etsy said one of their top priorities is to "retain and reward our most valuable customers" with one slide from the presentation suggesting Top Buyer perks go beyond sellers being encouraged to prioritize messaging and customer service and may also include targeted offers.
Chief Growth Officer (and soon to be new CEO), Kruti Patel Goyal also highlighted these efforts during the earnings call, making it clear that while Top Buyer and Etsy Insider may be separate programs, they're both part of a broader initiative to reward the platform's "most valuable customers."
Turning to our most valuable customers, starting with our buyers, we see strong opportunity not only to deepen loyalty with our top buyers, but also to nurture customers with the potential to become them by making shopping on Etsy easier and more rewarding.
In the near term, we're piloting targeted offers for our most active buyers and launching the latest beta iteration of the Etsy Insider loyalty program, reimagined with our top buyers in mind so they feel rewarded every time they shop with shipping discounts and 5% back in Etsy credit on every purchase, all while seeking to deliver sustainable economics for Etsy.
What do you think of Etsy's Top Buyer badge test? Will you respond faster to Top Buyers or do you give all potential customers the same level of service? Let us know in the comments below!
