Black Friday

Comments (Archived):

1. Gotta love Etsy.If only they sold artisanal wine (that’s a joke!)A great holiday to all! What a terrific community this is.

   1. Etsy would be a great venue to access limited run foods.

      1. Perishables are an entirely different market with a completely new set of challenges.To date no one has cracked wine online for a bunch of complex issues.

         1. Our portfolio company LaRuche has built a large business in Europe in perishables. Organic wine is a big category for themYou can see the service in the English language at https://thefoodassembly.com/en

            1. Thanks Fred.Gonna take on helping someone in Europe create a festival driven DTC model.

            2. This is a super cool idea.Farmer’s markets in NA – you would think – would be very interested to have this platform, no?

            3. Ha – the USV tentacles reach everywhere. They just opened a market near my home. I have not been to it yet but should take a look.

         2. I was thinking non-perishables: Aunt Minnie Pickled Onions, etc.

   2. Tipsy.

2. shocking

3. Hope everyone was able to spend time with their family and friends yesterday.

   1. We did and it was wonderful. I hope yours was too

4. Of all your portfolio companies, Etsy gets the #2 spot in mentions in a post title: 21 times. Can anyone guess who gets the #1 spot with 58 mentions in an AVC title? And there’s even one post that mentions both of them in the same title :)Third trivia: which other company actually beats both of them as being mentioned in an AVC title 77 times?

   1. Twitter?

   2. Google, not an USV company. 🙂

   3. 3: Apple?

      1. no. Google and Twitter.

         1. Well – I am shocked! 🙂

   4. Twitter #1 in the Portfolio, Google or Apple #1 overall.

      1. Yes, but Apple got 25 results, so #2 in non-portfolio.

   5. Maybe Fred is just reflective of consumers at large?Etsy is in the top ten most mentioned brands in social media of all public companies…

      1. My guess is that most of mentions are from sellers or are autogenersted.

         1. They are. Very different numbers when you drill down to purchase intent

            1. So not so much consumers at large (compare with ad age et al)Look up dynamic linear model – nice algo for forecasting

      2. https://ycharts.com/compani… I think this is why ETSY is “popular” on social media.

      3. You would know!

   6. Google is #1? Twitter is the top portfolio company?

      1. Yes! I used this query syntax on Google: (I couldn’t find the DDG equivalent)site:avc.com intitle:Twitter

5. Unique gifts for the unique people in your life.They need to punch up the tag line a bit.Great theme tho.

   1. Punch up means make it crisper?

      1. Think Etsy Think Unique

         1. That is a good briefing line for a creative team, but not a tag line. Too abstract.The question to answer is Why Etsy?The answer is Etsy = Unique gifts for Unique People.The conceit that reflects a key trend is that you are shopping for people that are unique. You want to make the link from unique producers to unique gifts to unique people.Millennials are faced with having less material success that their parents. The obvious choice is to do smaller things and build more meaning into them. Therefore, buying smaller run items from small producers on Etsy taps that trend.I can do this stuff drunk Rich ;-)https://www.youtube.com/wat…

            1. But…the purchase is about feeling good about oneself

            2. As Don would say, ads exist to make people feel good about themselves and what they are doing.You are thoughtful (i.e., better person than most) when you buy a Unique Gift for a Unique Person from the site with Unique Producers….Etsy.Its 7:10 Mountain, not Thanksgiving here in AB…but I may go down and mix a martini just to close the loop on this vibe.

            3. we can be unique without having to buy something from some lame internet site

         2. Too Apple-ish…

      2. Yes. Shorter, more focused = more impactful.The theme is great because it is so true – it is why Etsy exists and it is what Etsy does.Cutting through to the mainstream consumer requires a clear position and a powerful tag line….and then this ad really works for them.

6. More mindless consumerism? Do me a favour. What kind of legacy do VC’s really want to leave for their kids? Shouldn’t you be putting your skills to solving life’s bigger problems? Come on you boys from NYC – get a move on. Time’s running out for planet earth, and for your kid’s kids.

   1. People still will always need the ability to create and share. Consuming in itself isn’t the problem — consuming high-quality goods that last longer is important, and doing it in a sustainable, non-violent way.

   2. Mike – cool website, no idea what you do.FYI – your comment comes across like spiteful loser-ism. You could learn a thing or two from Etsy….its one of the great online communities and not just a marketplace.

   3. I disagree with this sentiment. Here is why. Anytime any business can operate, service customers, earn revenue from servicing those customers, they are doing something for planet earth. They are creating value for people. They are employing people so those people can create more value for more people. Etsy is really cool because it opened up a market for individuals to sell direct to consumer. Capitalism lifts more people out of poverty than anything else.

   4. Hardly mindless. And better yet, not soulless.Look at the bigger picture of what Etsy’s about.

   5. In a world where Facebook can increase the number of organ donors and voters, Twitter fuels revolutions in Tehran and Tahrir Square, and impactful civil rights movements start with a hashtag (#BlackLivesMatter), I think many people underestimate the impact of VCs and their companies.That being said just because problems exist in the world does not mean everyone else should be denied their diversions and entertainment. Fun is not a crime.

7. hahaha. Happy Holidays to you. Make sure you fuel yourself for the battle with SimpleMills.com

8. I did a lot of shopping at Etsy the last few years, especially jewelry for my wife. However this year we are doing the experiences not stuff holiday and spending Christmas week on a warm sunny island. Not shopping is liberating – hope I can convince my wife to make this the new norm.

   1. As some who’s tried to go down that road with their wife… it’s a dead end. Turn back now.

9. Black Friday Sext:”My pants are 99% off”

   1. Hot Pants! That’s pantsy stuff

10. And yet another great reason to become a USV portfolio company.(Even post-exit benefits)

11. so are the Americans in this community all on holiday today?

    1. With Thanksgiving being on Thursday many places of work also give today off, but if they do not then it is typically the case that people will take it as a vacation day.

12. Etsy is amazing and for a myriad of reasons a great choice for holiday shopping.This is mind, I have asked the following for the last few years, inspired by Rev. Billy Talen and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir. Today is Black Friday. Don’t shop. Don’t buy anything. The fridge is full of leftovers. Friends and family are in town. Take another day and spend time with your loved ones. Don’t spend a dollar. Not a penny.Tomorrow, when you are back at it, Etsy is where to go. Support artisans and craftspeople. Today, though — no shopping.

13. perfectly on-brand

14. Yup you are correct.Etsy is all about finding cool stuff and having fun doing it.Lianna used them a month ago for the first time. She went bonkers on it for a few hours.We all shop. We all like the artisanal market. Finding shit and having it easy to get to you is hard.That is the joy of the platform.

15. it should be about how it makes them think, about the materials used, their source, the environmental impact, et.c. et.c.