Editors Picks Taking Priority in the marketplace, in some case dominating top 7+ pages of Category

Discussion Forums General Zazzle Discussion
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I love covers, have done since they arrived - just want to make this clear before proceeding.

I wanted to share my observation that the main pages are currently showcasing the editors’ picks as a priority. To mention one category ‘mugs’ - I went 7 pages deep and they were almost 100% all editors picks. Covers weren’t prioritized in this broad search. Though I can see covers that are also editors picks were dominant for other more niche searches.

Editors picks, followed by covers which are also Editor’s picks are taking the spotlight away from most sold/popular.

I hope Zazzle can understand that this shift can be a bit disheartening, especially considering that we were previously told that factors such as sales, marketing, tags, and descriptions would play a significant role in determining our visibility on the platform. However, it now seems that even a great cover photo may not be enough to secure a prominent placement without being chosen as an Editor’s pick.

One could say ‘create a better design and it will be picked’ … I’m wondering what the odds are with 100,000’s of products of them being seen by an Editor. I have many products that for whatever reason never see the light of day and have all but been forgotten by me too, this is one such store that despite being my favorite is neglected Storybook Invites and I am wondering what the point of adding covers would be when they still have to overcome the Editors pick hurdle?

I recognize that Zazzle’s team works super hard to make the platform as user-friendly as possible and I’m sure sales are up as a result and hence I am tentatively making this suggestion:

As you are already prioritizing covers over factors like sales and popularity, could you consider not including editors’ picks in that priority positioning?

I had thought we could maintain our position if we add a cover but if there is another level added to that re it being an Editor’s pick, then I’m wondering if the work involved re covers will be worth it ultimately, especially as the market becomes saturated with them. I believe that it would be fairer to those of us who have earned our visibility through hard work and proven sales, rather than through the arbitrary selection of an editor.

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and for all the work that you do at Zazzle. I hope that we can find a way to work together to make the platform a success for everyone.

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@CreativeLeahG  

You made some very strong points, I agree, the possible direction this is taking is disturbing and disheartening. Also frustrating.
 About  Editors picks, it may not be a human doing the editors picks, it may instead be an algorhythm and themed promotion scenario, that’s my theory.

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From a different perspective… editors picks and cover photos have finally allowed some of us little folks who aren’t full timers, been established for years and already platinum sellers to actually get some exposure and the resultant sales… 

Thanks Zazzle for spreading the love a bit.

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Wait.  Do we know that this is true? :worried:

“As you are already prioritizing covers over factors like sales and popularity”

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I’m pretty sure that’s not the case.

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I feel editor’s picks which naturally garner more exposure (previously maybe 1-2 spots first on a page) and the vast other ways Zazzle features newcomers etc. is appropriate. For those who earned those spots from blood sweat and tears and for whom their entire livelihood depends upon it, should not have the rug pulled overnight. Especially when as noted, perviously we were promised, the hard work, self-promotion, great designs, tags, descriptions etc. would win the day. I never hit the ground running, I have spent best part of 10plus hrs a day for 10yrs to reach this level. And I am NOT suggesting anything too grevious, just 7 pages plus (I didn’t look further) makes the whole idea of adding a cover to increase visibility somewhat unhelpful

I know there are Zazzlers who resent higher sellers, which baffles me. No one should resent others for earning money from their own efforts. These badges weren’t given they were earned.

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@Caprice  

From this post—-

<https://www.zazzle.com/creators/playbook/learn+about+cover+photo>
…Our site experience will now begin to favor products with Cover Photo, which includes features in our landing pages, access to special programs, as well as ranking in search. We believe the Cover Photo update will be a welcome change for customers searching for inspiration on Zazzle while at the same time, rewards Creators who put effort into their listings on the marketplace

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I don’t resent you… I just see the irony that you clearly don’t in you complaining about it being difficult to get marketplace exposure… 

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Well, right - I just figured cover photos would simply be added to algorithm…meaning sales/popularity would still matter…yet you’d be placed even higher in the search results if you HAVE a cover photo.

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You’re absolutely correct, Caprice.

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Not only do we have humans reviewing products, but some of them do marketplace searches and then sort by Newest. We’re doing our best to look for quality content from Creators both new and old.

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Is that correct? Many have noted that their top ranking items have disappeared from view in favor of covers and my searches show a field of editors picks. Am I mistaken?

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Can we expect then that the editors picks will continue to dominate the front pages? In which case surely the filter needs to be amended as it will not perform the function the user expects. Re most ‘popular’. And covers will in fact not influence marketplace position if editors picks (with covers) take priority over those? It is important we know the answers to these questions so we can focus our efforts more productively. As an example, my rabid bid to add covers can take a back seat while I try to focus on affiliate marketing.

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HI CreativeDesign,

Thanks for taking the time to leave us this feedback. Happy to pass it along to the team.

Having done a few searches for mugs, funny mugs, and father’s day mugs, I also see that there’s a lot of Editors’ Picks appearing quite high. I’m not very close to the search team but I can say that their job is not easy. There’s a LOT of attributes and variables that are balanced, re-balanced, and re-balanced again throughout the year based on site performance and test results. Our marketplace search performance is vital to our health, and decisions are not made lightly.

And, Caprice is right. There’s a LOT of factors, variables, and attributes that we take into account when ranking products. For example, seeing three people mention that their products have dropped in marketplace placement isn’t enough information to draw conclusions from.

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“Seeing three people mention that their products have dropped in marketplace placement isn’t enough information to draw conclusions from.”   If editor’s picks have gone from 2 a page to filling the entire page it is safe to say, it is more than 3 people affected, it will be everyone who filled those spots before an editors pick filled it. I went further on mugs beyond page 7 and never actually came to a page that wasn’t filled with editors picks. This is quite a leap.

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It might say in pro guidelines we get exposure when we reach platinum, but how do you think we reached platinum? Not with a leg-up in exposure, and those levels now are out dated. I am not sure what the perks are.

Talented newcomers are definitely recognized now (in ways that didn’t exist many moons ago) by Zazzle and I love seeing them in the features, the special blog Zazzle has which many feature on, the creators picks (different to editors picks) and more. it is all good and I do envy their talent, but I support it whole heartedly as anyone who knows me knows to be true.

I also do a great deal myself to boost the profiles of other designers and help them with any aspect they need help with. I am a long way from not wishing to see people succeed whatever level they are at. This is about editor’s picks suddenly appearing like a sea of stars … where did all those stars that earned their shine go? I am not even referring to myself here, as I wasn’t on those top pages in many cases. It is merely a concern and something I need to know how to navigate going forward as to where to focus my efforts as I have many balls in the air. Affiliating is my current focus (and adding covers, hence wondering if I need to be doing so) and I need meanwhile to be able to download those covers.

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@Scott  Thank you Scott for the confirming reply. At another previous POD, they used an algorhythm, so it’s good to have confirmation.

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What about if editors’ picks got the first 1-2 rows and were rotated out on a regular basis (daily/weekly/whatever works best after testing) rather than filling up the first 5+ pages. Or maybe the first row is a carousel and you can scroll through the editors picks? Just throwing out ideas! 🙂

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I’m freshly back from doing a search, randomly typing in “birthday mugs.” There were, I believe, around 8 or 10 editor’s picks in the top rows, and then there were a lot of the rest, which didn’t include that many mugs with covers, and those with covers were scattered through the listing.

It’s possible, @CreativeLeahG , that by clicking on mugs without running a bit deeper by doing what a customer might do, which is to search for more specific mugs, you ran into what might be a flaw in the system because ALL the editor’s picks bubbled to the top.

Colorwash's Home

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I do indeed hope that is the case.

I just did Birthday mugs and out of 60, there are 27 editor picks so close to 50% at present, this is more than I noted previously. I am concerned this could be a development we have yet to be advised of. But I am also spending far too much time in front of the screen and will probably be seeing little yellow stars while I’m asleep. I’m going to focus on affiliate marketing. I can’t keep up with the changes on the storefront anymore, it’s just too vast and ever-changing and for me tp say that … that’s well … I am defeated.

Yet, I could be worrying about nothing, and I hope that’s the case. 

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