How to get and retain repeat buyers

Knowing your audience is the first step in building a loyal customer base.
After you've made some sales, you will have an insight into your customer profile. Use this to tailor your future items and modify some other things (like your about me and the look of your homepage) to please them.

In my shop, 75% of buyers are female, so I give the items I am creating lately a feminine touch. What do I mean by that? Instead of making AI art of trucks, I try to make AI art of baby bears.
You have to create what customers want, not what you like. I know this is the opposite of being an artist, but we all do it for the money, right?

You also start to know what products are selling better than others. Focus on creating on creating items in the best-selling line.
This even has a double advantage: you already know they are selling well, so future items will also sell well. And, when you have created enough items in the same trend, you can put them into a bundle (Why you need bundles in your Etsy shop?

An outstanding customer service can turn a (potential) one-time buyer into a loyal customer.
Answer questions and inquiries quickly and have clear shop policies to avoid any misunderstandings. Provide clear and helpful instructions on downloading and using your digital product.

Everyone likes to be treated with kindness, and when you show your appreciation to your customers, they will not forget you (and come back or buy).

When you sell physical products, it is easy to stand out by paying lots of attention to the packaging.
With digital products, this is completely different; you only send out non-tangible downloads.

You can't do anything about the download, but you can make its content memorable. Of course, the item you created is already worth a lot, but you can also add some nice attention for the buyer. In my case, I add two extra items.
The first is a pdf-format note to thank them for their purchase.
The second is an extra item. Let's say the customer bought an item containing 25 sunflower clipart, the download contains 26 clipart files, and the extra one is called 'thank you.'

Everything to make the customer feel happy with their purchase.
A small gesture of appreciation can give great results. And we all love free stuff, isn't it?

A great way to keep in touch with your past customers is by sending them an email. You can introduce new products in the emails you send or a behind-the-scenes of how you create your products.
You can grow your email list with every sale, as getting your customer's email is fairly easy.

Big warning here!
I've spoken to many Etsy sellers, and some of them are using emails to keep in touch with their users, and they say it's working.
But I, I don't use it. Last year, my shop was closed (for no reason), which is why I don't send out emails to previous clients. I am afraid that my shops (yes, I have two) might get closed due to violating Etsy policies.
Etsy has no policy against building your own email list, but the customers on your email list haven't subscribed to your emails. So, you are breaching data protection laws and Etsy's seller policies.

So, if you want to use email lists to promote your Etsy shop, be careful what you do.

This is the one I love the most: everyone loves a good deal. Use discounts and promotions to encourage repeat clients.
According to a survey, 25% of repeat purchases to the same Etsy shop are made during a sale or with a shop coupon. Etsy gives us, sellers, the opportunity to create a 'thank you' discount coupon which is sent to the customer after the purchase.
Besides this 'thank you' coupon, Etsy also gives you the option to send a coupon when a visitor puts something in his shopping cart but leaves without checking out or when someone favorites one of your items.