Etsy provides AI-enhanced curated product collections
Etsy Inc. is combining artificial intelligence and human expertise in its new product search option.
The online retailer is now letting customers browse by curated collections on the Etsy app, based on trends, aesthetics and occasions. These collections, such as “Island Luxe,” “Literary Girl” and “Maximalist,” are initially curated by a team of Etsy experts.
After a collection is identified, Etsy engineers use machine learning technology to expand it from roughly 50 human-curated listings to about 1,000. Once expanded, the company uses large language models (LLMs) to make sure the full collection is aesthetically cohesive, represents a variety of products, and meets its standards for quality.
Etsy calls this blend of human and AI-based recommendations “algotorial” curation. The trends customers see and the items that appear highest within each collection’s feed are based on shoppers’ recent activity, including purchases and viewed items.
According to Etsy, algotorial curation will lay the groundwork for even more personalized, relevant recommendations built on a deep understanding of both individual buyer behavior and its inventory.
“As the product experience matures, we’ll have stronger data to build machine learning models that can better predict a buyer’s preferences,” Nick Daniel, chief product officer, Etsy, said in a corporate blog post. “More engagement will fuel a more curated, personalized experience and vice versa. In tandem, we’re leveraging powerful LLMs to unlock a deeper understanding of the 100 million items in our marketplace, each uniquely listed by an individual seller. So with that, welcome to the next chapter of discovery on Etsy. Your next special find is just a scroll away.”
Etsy focuses on search
Algotorial curation is not Etsy’s first attempt to improve its search experience for customers. The retailer, which also provides set of creativity standards for products sold on its site, optimizes its search results to showcase a broader range of items from more sellers.
[READ MORE: Etsy showcases top products in search results]
For example, a generic search term like “Halloween accessories” surfaces a wide range of items. Since implementing these changes into its search functionality in August 2024, Etsy said it has seen an increase in the number of four- and five-star reviews sitewide while providing approximately 70% of shops on its site with more visibility in search.
Etsy has also launched a search visibility page that provides specific actionable tips, including insights on listing image quality and quantity, return policies, message response times, and shipping prices, for certain seller listings. As sellers make changes to their listings, they will gain the ability to track improvements in real time.
These search improvements followed other previous enhancements, such as incorporating attributes like listing detail, photo quality and customer service track record into the top items Etsy surfaces for customer search queries.
