I’ve noticed that when customers click a direct link to a Zazzle product (from Pinterest, a blog, or anywhere else), they now see a large block of “Other designs you might like” before even reaching the actual product details.
From a customer experience standpoint, this is problematic:
Baymard Institute research shows that distractions and unnecessary options can reduce conversion rates by up to 60%.
Psychology studies on choice overload also confirm that too many competing options often lead to no purchase at all.
Customers clicking from an external link are already warm leads — they came for that exact product. By distracting them with other options, Zazzle risks losing the sale completely.
A cleaner product page (with the design featured first and “You may also like” shown lower on the page) would almost certainly improve conversion rates, build trust with customers, and reward designers who are actively bringing in traffic from outside sources.
In the long run, this could mean more purchases for Zazzle overall — not fewer.
Would Zazzle consider testing a version of the product page where the featured design is shown first, with recommendations placed further down? I think it could benefit both customers and designers.
I’d really love to hear your comments on this — the more voices, the better chance Zazzle will take notice.
I think the heart of this issue is making sure Zazzle values designers as true partners. When we bring in outside traffic through our blogs, pins, and social media, we’re doing work that benefits the whole platform. It would mean a lot to see that traffic protected so the customer journey is clear and trustworthy.
Excellent post and recommendation. I totally agree with your reasoning for a test as you described. I left a store today on Etsy, that I buy from often for graphics, for this very reason.
Thank you so much for sharing that example — it really highlights the risk. If loyal customers are leaving Etsy stores because of this kind of clutter, that shows how damaging it can be to long-term trust. I think Zazzle has a real opportunity here to build stronger customer relationships by making the product page cleaner.
Thank you so much, Fiona — I really appreciate you taking the time to pass this along. I think this small change could make a big difference for both designers and customers. Hopefully others here will continue to share their experiences too, since it seems to be something a lot of us are noticing.
Thank you so much for highlighting this @dotellabelle ! This concern has been brought up a few times in the past but not with studies showing how this affects the potential customer. If you think about it, it makes complete sense!
I know this has come up before in different threads, which really shows it’s a long-standing pain point for many of us. What got me thinking this time was how it impacts not just designers, but the overall customer experience…and ultimately Zazzle’s sales too.
If customers land on a page and feel overwhelmed, they’re less likely to buy anything. And it’s important to remember, they clicked that link because they were already interested in that specific design. By showing them dozens of other options first, Zazzle risks breaking that intent and losing a sale that could have been a sure thing.
If instead the featured design came first (with recommendations placed further down), it could be a win-win-win: a better experience for customers, more conversions for Zazzle, and fairer credit to the designers bringing in traffic…which feels more like a true partnership. After all, without designers, where would Zazzle be?
Curious to hear, @sm_business_car what do you think could make the product page more effective while still giving customers options?
Designers are already giving Zazzle a big boost by bringing in outside traffic through blogs, social media, and Pinterest. On top of that, many of us see 35–50% taken as marketing deductions on our sales. In a way, it feels like we’re carrying the marketing load twice.
That’s why protecting the traffic we bring in is so important. It makes the effort feel more like a true partnership. If the product page showcased the design first (instead of overwhelming customers with dozens of other options), it would build trust with buyers, reward designers for their hard work, and ultimately drive more conversions for Zazzle too.
Totally agree. Every time I click a link, I find myself second-guessing if I’ve landed on the right page. Even though I’m familiar with the layout, it still throws me off, so I can only imagine how confusing it must be for customers seeing it for the first time. Honestly, it feels pretty unfair.
Our products should really have priority on our own landing pages, rather than being buried beneath others. Featuring our products first would not only make more sense but also create a clearer and more consistent experience for our customers and be very much appreciated.
As far as I remember, they introduced this shortly after Promoter Program started. I think the reason is that Zazzle is not interested in you receiving your self referrals, since it’s quite a high percentage. Their interest is to distract the customer away from the originally clicked product, to make them buy literally anything else. I don’t think they will change that, a couple of extra purchases probably wouldn’t cover the referral expense. They always do tests before these kind of changes, must have done that time for this one too.
Thank you for putting it that way. I think you captured exactly what so many of us are feeling. If even we, as designers, find ourselves second-guessing the page, it’s easy to imagine how overwhelming it must be for first-time customers. That kind of confusion hurts everyone.
You’re right. Our products should absolutely have priority on our own landing pages. Featuring the design first would create a much clearer experience for customers and show that Zazzle values designers as true partners in the process.
That’s such an important point… and if that’s really the underlying reason, it feels discouraging. Self-referrals are meant to reward the time and effort designers spend driving customers to Zazzle. Diluting that by distracting buyers away from the original product risks eroding the trust that makes the program work in the first place.
At the end of the day, protecting the customer’s original intent and featuring the product they clicked would not only feel fairer, it would also encourage more designers to actively promote Zazzle. That seems like a much stronger long-term strategy than risking designer trust.
I think what’s coming through in this discussion is that this layout change impacts more than just one designer’s sales… it affects trust across the whole platform.
From a customer perspective , being shown dozens of other designs before the one they clicked feels confusing and overwhelming. Research shows that too many options can lead to decision fatigue, which means customers may leave without buying anything at all. And it’s important to remember: they clicked because they were interested in that specific design. Breaking that intent is risky. I’ve even had my own supporters tell me they feel confused when they land on one of my product links, and honestly, I sometimes hesitate to send customers there because I know it creates unnecessary friction. That’s a missed opportunity, because these are people already motivated to buy.
From a designer perspective , it feels like the effort we put into driving outside traffic isn’t being respected. Many of us already promote Zazzle for free through blogs, Pinterest, and social media… and some, like myself, even pay out of pocket to boost designs on Instagram or run Pinterest ads. When those hard-earned clicks land on a cluttered product page and get redirected to someone else’s design, it’s discouraging. On top of that, we often see 35–50% taken out in marketing deductions, so it can feel like we’re paying twice to market Zazzle.
From a business perspective , prioritizing the product customers clicked on would likely increase conversions and encourage more designers to actively promote their products. Protecting the traffic we bring in would make the effort feel more like a true partnership. And the stronger that partnership is, the more willing designers will be to keep investing our time and ad spend to bring in new customers. That’s a win for Zazzle, a win for designers, and a win for customers who get a clearer, more trustworthy shopping experience.
At the end of the day, without designers, Zazzle wouldn’t exist. Featuring the product first isn’t just about fairness — it’s about strengthening the partnership that drives this marketplace forward.
The way Zazzle has it set up when a product is clicked directly on the platform works well. The “Other designs you might like” option is not overwhelming, and I really like that it includes other styles from the SAME designer who brought the customer there - mixed in with other designers, and the option to see more by clicking the arrow. Simple and effective. If Zazzle wants to include a few more options in the rotating display, then make the images smaller. I feel the designer that brought the customer there should have priority in that display, followed by the additional designers. For a customer to take the action to click through a a design they found on a third party platform shows they are truly interested in THAT design. Show them what comes with it! Make sure they easily see the collections or the other styles from the designer. Reward them for their interest in that designer.
Without all those rows of “more designs” our collections will be visible too, which is great. …not pushed all the way down the page. As a customer I would be thrilled to know that other matching products came with the one I was looking at! How would I ever know if I didn’t even see it? Or I left because I was frustrated?
The setup when clicking through Pinterest, etc is completely overwhelming. It feels like a waste of time to put so much effort into promotion knowing the overwhelming impression is such a turn off to customers. We just want to be rewarded for our efforts.
Finally, there something very attractive and confident about a platform that doesn’t look like it’s trying too hard to get your money. It draws you in.
You’ve nailed it here. The layout and what shows above the fold (before a customer even scrolls) has a huge impact on conversions. When the first impression is cluttered or overwhelming, customers often bounce instead of buying.
I worked in marketing design at Garden of Life, and this was one of our core focus points: what shows first, how much scrolling it takes to get to the intended product, and how that affects purchase intent. It’s the same principle here. Customers clicked for a specific design, and that design should be prioritized immediately on the page.
Not only would that reduce frustration, it would also highlight matching products in collections (which is a natural, trust-building upsell). A cleaner, more intentional layout signals confidence and creates a smoother shopping experience — which is better for everyone.
One of the recommendations is that on newer or weaker pages, you want to link to your better-performing pages as their “link juice” spills over and helps those newer/weaker pages get noticed by Google. That was notable to me because … all those other 60 products below the main one on Zazzle, the ones that are just the same products as seen on the main category pages even though not at all related to the main product design … I’ve complained about those numerous times, not primarily because they are there but because they wouldn’t be of interest to the shopper as they are so different from the main design they clicked into. Assuming as I’ve always done that those products we always see dominating the top main pages are there because they have a good track history of being popular, then I can sort of understand the reason they’re putting them on all these other product pages - so their “link juice” carries over to the other product page. It’s a stretch, but I am striving to see some positive in this arrangement. Perhaps all those Other unrelated but popular products on the page are helping our own do better in off-site searches.
I’d like to see all the other stuff, above & below the fold, go away. I despise it as much as the next person. But realistically, I don’t see it changing as so many other sites besides Zazzle clutter their product pages, too. I don’t pretend to understand everything I read so could be way off base here, but I do believe the main reason for this practice is SEO even if shoppers hate it.
Thank you. I added more. I was having quite a time editing. lol
I’m so glad you see this so clearly.
It’s really common sense. Sometimes when we try too hard we lose sight of the whole picture. The picture really is about the customer if that makes sense. We almost have to be empathic to them. Put ourselves in their place. THIS is what YOU like? Let me show you more of where this exactly came from…
I was having quite a time editing. lol