Navigating the Waves of Change: A Guide for Zazzlepreneurs Amidst Product Visibility Shifts
Like fellow Zazzlepreneurs, I have also been faced with products created using the Quick Create tool being hidden. There has as such been a lot of opposition to this change as frustrated creators have seen their stores take on a dramatic shift from 'populated with products' to seemingly empty!
The advice from Zazzle is the same as for other hidden items which is to optimize and republish. And to reassure that only items that have never been sold are being hidden. This is different to other hidden items which have not been viewed with a set timescale ( 15 months?).
Given some stores are seeing many thousand products hidden, this is a massive concern given the time it will take to address all these hidden items. As such this is a situation that calls for a little zen and a lot of savvy, so let's dive in and explore the ways you can keep your shop flourishing and your head from spinning!
Understanding the Change
Zazzle's Quick Create tool was a lifesaver for many, allowing shop creators to design, upload, describe, categorize, tag, and set commissions for a selection of products in one fell swoop.
The Reasons Behind the Curtain
Server Integrity
Enhancing Quality Control
Improving Customer Experience
The Path to Visibility
Zazzle suggests optimizing hidden items and then using their tool to make them public again. While this seems straightforward, many of you have shared that the sheer volume of hidden products creates an unmanageable workload.
Steps to Regaining Your Spotlight
I will begin by saying that if the products have never been sold I would suggest you're not losing anything immediately aside from the possibility they view one item but buy another from your collection. The other issue of course is that items shared by affiliates or yourself will now redirect to a main page on Zazzle and not your product or store. That for me is a bigger issue and perhaps those links could at the very least redirect back to the creators storefront.
As such I have proposed to Zazzle if technically possible they make this change.
This is a good idea for several reasons:
Improved customer experience: When a customer clicks on a product link expecting a specific item, landing on the Zazzle main page instead is frustrating. This redirection wastes the customer's time and hinders their ability to find the desired product.
Boosted sales for creators and affiliates: By directing customers to the creator's storefront or profile, they are more likely to see similar products or other creations by the same person. This can lead to increased sales for both the creator and any affiliates involved.
Reduced friction: A smoother customer journey translates to a better overall experience. When links seamlessly take customers to the intended product or creator's page, it reduces frustration and keeps them engaged in the buying process.
Valuable data for Zazzle: By analyzing traffic directed to a creators storefront or profile, Zazzle can gain valuable insights into customer preferences and buying habits. This data can then be used to inform future product creation and marketing strategies.
While technical limitations may exist, the potential benefits for customers, creators, and affiliates make this a worthwhile idea to explore.
My first piece of advice as such would be to focus on those with views only for now.
I myself have always chosen to hide those unseen unsold items because doing so can raise your zrank and your sales (not always but I've often found it to be the case) so you could adopt a 'wait and see' approach and see if this is the case for you! I call it 'housekeeping' and at times of unproductivity I might choose to unhide and republish (re-sharing at the same time) those previously hidden items.
Another step I would take is to see which product types you sell the most of and then focus on those regarding which products you want to remain visible.
You can update by mass changing tags or a single tag and republish (240 at a time).
While this action by Zazzle seems like drastic measures and is hugely frustrating it is to ensure the integrity of the server and to reduce lower quality items which while not the case for all is the case for a great many items created using this tool. Your republished items will reappear eventually. It does takes days, couple of weeks. If this is not happening I'd post to Zazzle's technical forum or contact Zazzle directly.
Commentaires