I remember people's avatars and not their usernames. Especially if they have a long name or their name consists of common words like "beads" or "designs" or "sweet" or "jewelry". Unless your name is super unique or I talk to you a lot the chances are I won't remember it. Why do I remember you by your avatar and not your name? Because It's easier to remember an image than a bunch of letters especially if it's eye catching. Plus it's a lot easier to search through your favs looking for a photo than a name. So when you change it I can't find you.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that when you pick an avatar it should be something that is constant like a logo, if you have an item on display it should be your signature design or something that is always going to be carried in your shop. (Note: People hate clicking on avatars of a beautiful product and it's not even in the shop!). This way people will be like she/he's the girl/guy that sells ______. It should be something that will help brand your shop and help customers recognize you and what you sell. I know that a lot of people feature their work in their avatars but if you are always changing it people won't remember you. There's a reason you have featured items in your shop. Make use of it.
Your avatar is SO important because it gets seen in your shop, chat rooms, forums and other networking sites you may be on. I have always used the winking bread as my shop avatar and it has served me well. A few months ago my shop name changed from Coonies to TheTinyFig. What helped my past customers and the people who had previously hearted me recognize and find my shop was my avatar. It was confusing for a lot of people at first because they thought that I had stolen Coonies avatar and shop items haha but in the end it worked out to my advantage that I kept my avatar the same because I've had a lot of repeat customers.
So, this is just something you might want to consider before you go changing your avatar.
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GUESS WHO THE AVATARS BELONG TO AND WIN!
These are some avatars on Etsy that I have noticed don't change at all or very often. The first person to guess all 9 of them correctly will win one of these guys from my shop. You must post your answers in my blog comments to count.
So, happy guessing!
