Virtually every day now, I’m getting questions from customers regarding matching RSVP cards, envelopes, etc. for their wedding invitations. At first I thought I maybe I had neglected to put some things in the correct collections, but now I see that collections have all but disappeared when the customer is using a mobile device - at least that’s the case when I tested it using Chrome on my Android phone. There’s absolutely no indication that there is a collection unless you scroll down about 50 pages. I know screen space is limited, and depending on the type of product, collections are not always terribly relevant. But for weddings, this is a pretty big problem, and I think we’re losing a lot of sales because of it. Maybe Zazzle could at least include a small link to the collection somewhere that the user has at least some hope of finding it?
I don’t use my phone a lot, but it’s Chrome on Android also. When I look at your rustic dusty purple lilacs save the date, I only have to swipe twice and I see the collection for that particular item. I see it right under “about this product”. Is that what you are seeing also?
@Windy That’s very interesting, and not at all what I’m seeing. I’m starting to think that it’s presented differently at different times. Maybe based on the product? or the customer? or random? I don’t know.
I was looking at this product because it’s one I’ve had tons of questions about:
https://www.zazzle.com/gold_lace_elegant_white_budget_wedding_invitation-256948371368000800
I see the following:
- Other Designs You Might Like
- The Product in Question
- Other Designs from this category (you have to scroll through 30 of them!)
- About this Product
- THEN the collection
- Transfer this product
- Other products by this store
- Ask a Queston
- …
Maybe it’s because this particular one is a budget invite so it’s designed on regular paper stock instead of the standard invitation stock? Well, anyhow, I’m comforted to know that you’re not seeing the same problem that I am - maybe it’s less universal than I had feared.
I have an iPhone and the list of what you see is the same for me. Except that the very annoying list of “Other designs from this category” is just one line. So it is a pretty straight shot to the collection. I just wish the collection came before other designers’ products.
I do get a lot of requests for help finding coordinating products that are in collections, so customers do seem to be having a hard time finding them.
Product layout pages change a lot on my laptop, when I am logged out. It wouldn’t surprise me if they change on mobile devices. I try not to worry about this too much, because my sales are strong so customers must be finding me!
Cat. I see the collection on first swipe on my iPad. Have not tried the phone Beautiful design too btw
@CrazyMermaid Thanks… that’s more comforting news. I wonder why the iPhone has the list of other products on one line, whereas I had to scroll through 30 of them. I can’t imagine many customers making it to the bottom of such a long list, and I too wish that the collection came first.
I was about to suggest that they add a link to the collection when somebody puts the item in their cart, but I just tried it and it does in fact to that. So I dunno… maybe people are just not paying attention? That wouldn’t be surprising!
Well anyhow, my sales are strong too, so your advice not to worry is sound. I’m also sure that my reaction here is partially colored by the fact that I seldom use my phone, so I feel completely lost browsing anything in that format. It does make me more sympathetic toward customers who can’t seem to figure out even the basics of how to order though!
@Deb Awwww, thanks so much for your kind words. That design/theme was one of my very first attempts at a wedding invite, and to be honest, I’m rather sick of looking at it! It does seem to have “staying power” though!
Anyhow, I’m feeling much less concerned about this than I originally was. I really appreciate all of you guys checking it out for me!
I am looking at your list, @Cat and seeing the same as you report, except for that little aside where it tells me that 10965 people have viewed this design (Congrats!)
I do not know why, but I cannot make the “other designs you might like” show as anything other than one line unless I click on one of the options. And then I arrive at the page of that option and have to think about how to get back to your design. This is NOT GOOD. As a Zazzle creator, I understand what that is, and I don’t mind scrolling past that, but as a shopper, that one swipe might make me give up on the design.
“Other designs you might like” has no place being so high up on the page on a designer-driven POD site. No one should have to scroll through “other designs” before seing everything relevant to the product in question (even if it’s just one line) to find the rest of the wedding suite collection.
Hi @Cat ,
Many thanks for your feedback on this. I’ll be sure to pass this along to our Team for review ✍️
- Emma 🌻
@Windy My “other designs you might like” (the one that’s up top) is just one line. It’s the “other designs from this category” below the product where you have to scroll forever before you get to the collection. At any rate, I’m much less worried than I originally was, and really appreciate you taking the time to tell me how it looks from your end.
@Cat sure thing. I see NOTHING from “other designs in this category”! I wonder if that is something that’ s only for the eyes of the store owner.
@Windy That’s interesting. I’m not signed in on my phone, so it doesn’t know that I’m the store owner/designer. Maybe it’s random?
@Cat that would have been my next question, are you signed in.
Have you been signed in on your phone in the past? Haven’t tried to replicate it on phone but signing out on desktop does not REALLY sign me out and bar me from seeing private areas.
I feel that some of my customers are having a problem seeing what’s in the rest of my collection as well. I’ll get a business card sale, then I’ll also get a sale of the business card being transferred to stickers, aprons, notebooks, etc. But I already have all those products made in the collection the business card’s in. And it’s not that the collection is extremely huge or anything. Maybe people just don’t read/scroll? It worries me though, because sometimes I wonder what their finished, transferred product looks like as opposed to one that I carefully & intentionally designed. I just hope they’re happy & I don’t get a return!
Something else to think about: I think there are at least four different ways once could be viewing things on a mobile device. One could be using the Zazzle app, which is different for iPhone than for Android. Or one could be accessing Zazzle via their web browser, where you can choose to view either the mobile version or desktop version of a site. I have mine set to show mobile version by default but sometimes I switch to desktop version if I don’t like how that is (such as my blog). And then there’s whether they have rotated device into landscape or portrait position, how zoomed in they are, and then possibly differences due to device type, OS, or even browser. There are so many variables on the user’s end you can’t control it’s surprising web designers haven’t given up and just gone back to simple blocks of text with maybe one picture in the middle LOL.
Ok. For me, using the Zazzle app (Android version) as a guest shopper or logged in, it’s bad news - Collections don’t appear anywhere on the product page.
Accessing Zazzle via Firefox for Android and signing in, i see Collections as the second or third thing under the product in both desktop and mobile mode, the presentation is just different. If I am not signed it, it’s bad news. At the very top of the page, before even the product, I see a “other designs you might like” scroll and then down below the product I see what @Cat sees - an “other products in this category” section which is not a scroll box, it’s row after row after row of products. If I scroll my way past all that, there is a Collection scroll towards bottom of page.
(Can post screenshots tomorrow if anyone wants.)
P.S. - I’m typing this from my phone and there is no option to preview before posting, hence the edits afterwards.
Lol Cat… I cannot tell you how that rings true for me as well.. by the time I’m done fleshing out a full collection I am So sick of the design I could cry.. hang in there.. 