In August, Etsy, the popular online marketplace for all things handmade, announced it would be launching the ability to give friends and family gift cards to the marketplace. Today, Etsy is debuting the new feature, allowing you to purchase gift cards online here.
Gift cards are available for purchase in the US. Once you’ve completed a purchase, you’ll get a confirmation email, that can be customized in design. You can either send an email to the recipient with the gift card info or print out the gift card. Via the email, recipients can click on the “Redeem Now” button to add the Etsy gift card balance to their account. If you receive a printed card, you can redeem by typing in your redemption code. You’ll also be able to enter the redemption code during checkout.
Certain shops do not accept gift cards on Etsy. To figure out which shops are signed on for the feature, Etsy has created search filters, and added a gift card icon in profiles. Basically, sellers enrolled in Etsy’s direct checkout payments technology will be able to accept gift cards. Etsy says that on average, buyers spend almost $3.00 more on items bought through direct checkout compared with other payment methods. And of all orders processed through direct checkout, over 40% are repeat direct checkout purchasers. Direct checkout is only available to US-based sellers.
Etsy, which just raised $40 million, said that about $525 million changed hands among Etsy buyers and sellers last year alone. As the company gears up for the holiday shopping, gift cards should be another way for consumers to shop and gift on the site.