Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

Inside Etsy’s product, growth, and marketplace evolution | Tim Holley (VP of Product)

Sep 3, 2023

Tim Holley, VP of Product at Etsy, shares insights from over a decade at the company, focusing on navigating corporate culture shifts and adapting during the pandemic. He discusses Etsy's rapid transition to mask production, enhancing buyer experiences, and optimizing conversion rates through experimentation. Holley emphasizes the importance of collaboration in product management and the need for clear guiding principles. He also explores maintaining authenticity in a competitive marketplace while hiring adaptable talent to foster innovation.

01:11:57

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Tim Holley

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Quick takeaways

Etsy experienced a surge in demand for face masks during the pandemic, collaborating with sellers to meet the increased sales.

Small changes in copy on Etsy's platform can have a substantial impact on conversion rates, fostering buyer confidence.

Etsy's success is attributed to its close relationship with sellers and dedication to maintaining the integrity of the marketplace.

Deep dives

Etsy's Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Etsy experienced a surge in demand for face masks when the CDC mandated their use. Sellers on the platform were quick to produce masks, satisfying the increased demand. Etsy put out a call to sellers to make face masks, resulting in a successful collaboration and a significant rise in sales. The platform also worked on expanding the story beyond face masks, emphasizing the variety of categories and items available on Etsy to retain and attract new buyers.

Weekly focus exercise for productivity

01:38

Collaborating Between Functions: Key to Product Success

00:59

Initial Focus on Sellers in Marketplaces

02:07

The Impact of a Text Change and Etsy's Philosophy on Experimentation

02:25

Intro

5min

Career Shifts and Leadership Lessons

9min

Etsy's Pandemic Pivot: Adapting and Thriving

19min

Transforming Data Import and User Experience through Small Changes

2min

Etsy's Growth Through Experimentation

10min

Etsy's Unique Marketplace Journey

11min

Collaborative Product Management

8min

The Power of Weekly Focus and Accountability

2min

Influential Reads and Personal Insights

7min

Brought to you by Productroadmap.ai—AI to connect your roadmaps to revenue | Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments | OneSchema—Import CSV data 10x faster

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Tim Holley is VP of Product at Etsy where he leads the Etsy buyer experience. With a tenure spanning more than a decade, Tim has seen the company through many transitions (both in culture, in leadership, and in growth), and his team’s product changes have had a significant impact on buyer retention, conversion, and global expansion. In this episode, we discuss:

• Lessons from navigating corporate culture shifts

• How Etsy capitalized on the explosive growth of e-commerce during the pandemic

• Marketplace learnings: when to focus on supply vs. demand, optimizing conversion, and more

• How Etsy solves the “graduation problem”

• Tips for hiring product managers

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/inside-etsys-product-growth-and-marketplace

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Where to find Tim Holley:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timholley/

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Where to find Lenny: