I’ve noticed a significant challenge that many Zazzlers—including myself—are facing when it comes to earning referral and from the Ambassador program: the issue of third-party sales overwriting our ambassador, referral and direct links.
I spend an average of 6 hours each day sharing Zazzle products across social media, blogs, and emails, hoping to gain a potential customers to click and buy from my ambassador and referral links. Despite this effort, I consistently see my sales categorized as third-party, meaning I lose out on the expected royalty. From what I understand, the issue stems from how Zazzle tracks referral clicks—favoring the last-click attribution model.
I appreciate the exposure Zazzle’s advertising brings, but this system makes it almost impossible for ambassadors to receive the full benefit of their promotional efforts. Since online shoppers frequently browse multiple sites before making a purchase, many of them unintentionally pick up other referral cookies—even though my link originally led them to Zazzle. Unfortunately, there’s no realistic way for me to ask customers to clear their browser cookies before clicking my links.
I genuinely believe that Zazzle values its ambassadors, and I would like to see a fairer tracking system that gives us a stronger chance of earning from for the traffic we bring.
Here are some possible solutions:
- Extending Cookie Duration – Ensuring the ambassador’s original referral holds weight, even if the customer clicks another link afterward.
- First-Click Attribution – Prioritizing the initial referral that brought a customer to Zazzle, rather than the last one they clicked.
I think that with small improvements, ambassadors could continue driving valuable traffic to Zazzle while being fairly compensated for their efforts
