nichebench. Open Nichebench
A FEW CLICKS, THEN YOU’RE READY

Your Etsy research starts here.

Install the Nichebench extension in Google Chrome on your computer. No coding or ChatGPT account needed.

Nichebench Shop Capture

Version 1.5.0 · For desktop Google Chrome

Capture shop totals, collect product evidence and bring it into your shared research workspace.

Download extension

Install it once

Keep this guide open while you follow the steps in another Chrome tab.

  1. Download and unzip

    Click Download extension above. Find nichebench-extension.zip in your Downloads folder and unzip it. On a Mac, double-click the ZIP. On Windows, right-click it and choose Extract All.

    Move the extracted folder to somewhere permanent, such as Documents → Nichebench Extension. Keep that folder after installation; Chrome needs its files.

  2. Open Chrome’s extensions page

    Copy the address below, open a new Chrome tab, paste it into the address bar at the top and press Enter.

    Paste this into Chrome’s address bar, rather than a search box.

  3. Turn on Developer mode

    At the top right of the extensions page, switch on Developer mode. This shows the button for installing our downloaded extension.

  4. Choose the extension folder

    Click Load unpacked at the top left. Select the folder you extracted in step 1, then click Select Folder or Open.

    Choose the folder containing the file named manifest.json, rather than the ZIP itself. You should now see Nichebench Shop Capture in Chrome’s extension list.

  5. Pin Nichebench to the toolbar

    Click the puzzle-piece icon near the top right of Chrome, then the pin beside Nichebench Shop Capture. Its icon will stay beside the address bar.

TRY YOUR FIRST SHOP

You’re ready to collect research.

  1. Sign in to Nichebench. If you’re joining your partner, open their invitation link and create your own password first. Use the same Chrome profile where you installed the extension.
  2. Open a shop on Etsy. Click the Nichebench extension icon, choose Read current shop, check the result, then click Save observation.
  3. Bring it into your workspace. Return to Shop watchlist in Nichebench and click Import from extension. Review and confirm the import. Your partner can then see it too.

For product research, open the shop’s homepage and choose Scan & rank this shop in the extension. Keep the Etsy tab active while it runs, then import using Import products from extension in Product watchlist. Large shops may need more than one session; use Continue saved shop scan when offered.

Open Nichebench

Captures stay in your browser until you import them. Imported research is shared with your workspace members. Scans use the public evidence Etsy shows; rankings are estimates of demand, not verified product sales.

Need a hand?

I can’t find “Load unpacked”

Check that you’re in Google Chrome on a computer, at chrome://extensions, with Developer mode switched on. If a work or school computer has blocked extension installation, ask its administrator.

Chrome says it can’t find the manifest

Unzip the download first, then select the folder that directly contains manifest.json. If the first folder contains another folder, open that inner folder and select it instead.

Nichebench can’t find the extension

Open Nichebench in the same Chrome profile where you installed the extension. Check that Nichebench Shop Capture is switched on at chrome://extensions, then refresh your Nichebench tab and try importing again.

My capture or scan has no results

Start on an Etsy shop homepage and keep that tab active. If Etsy asks for verification or limits access, stop and wait until normal browsing works again. Saved partial results can still be imported. The extension cannot bypass Etsy’s access restrictions.

How do I update the extension?

Updates are manual for this downloaded version. Before updating, export any saved shop captures and products from the extension as a backup. Download and unzip the new version, then replace the files inside the same permanent extension folder. Open chrome://extensions and click the circular reload arrow on the Nichebench card. Refresh Nichebench afterward.

Keep the same folder and Chrome profile, and don’t remove the extension; removing it deletes its local captures. Research already imported into Nichebench stays in your shared workspace.