Big Data in Practice

20 ETSY How Big Data Is Used In A Crafty Way

Background

Etsy, the online marketplace which connects sellers of handmade and vintage products with buyers from around the world, was founded in 2005 in a New York apartment. Over the past decade, it has risen to become a leader in the market for peer-to-peer trading, enabling small-scale manufacturers and retailers to make millions of sales each month. All of this has been achieved by optimizing and streamlining the process of both buying and selling, to provide users, regardless of how tech-savvy they are, with the most comfortable experience.

What Problem Is Big Data Helping To Solve?

Sellers range from professional craftspeople to hobbyists, many of them operating their business as a sideline in addition to their full-time income. Its success at attracting so many is down to its simplicity – anyone can sign up for an account and start selling immediately. This form of peer-to-peer trading also takes place on sites geared to more commercial retailing, for example Amazon and eBay. But Etsy has built a name as the place to look for “individual” or “unique” items, which are often given as gifts. With over 32 million unique items available on the site, helping customers find just what they’re looking for – whether it’s a handmade baby blanket or a moustache mug – is the big challenge.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, John Allspaw, Etsy’s senior vice president for infrastructure and operations explained: “Because of the uniqueness, ...