New Collections Questions for August 2023

[TAngelone]

I have some New Collections Questions for August 2023. 

Should collections (product suites) be separated by gender? The reason I ask this is because some of the products I am designing for (leggings, high waisted capris, bags, jewelry -(i.e. earrings, necklaces etc.) are obviously for women. I also have other collections products that are geared for men, women and kids. This is true of many artist/designers on Zazzle. 

Should a collection with the same or similar designs be organised by gender? Meaning should one include both Men's and Women's apparel in the same collection or should one separate collections by gender (i.e. Women and Girls, Men and Boys) even if said apparel and accessories have the same or similar design and aesthetic and are unisex or designed for both genders. Can we expect a unisex collection type for apparel in the future? 

Can collections be set to private while one is working on their storefront and collections? We have the option of setting individual products to private. Can collections still be set to Private or Hidden? 

Is there an ideal number of products to include in collections and if so, how many products should we aim for? 

Should collections be based upon product designs/art/themes or the product themselves (i.e. apparel and accessories, school and office, home etc.?)

Should apparel and accessories exist in the same collection as school and office supplies -*if the art and designs are the same on all products? Should our collections be product or design and art based. 

*Not all of us design for specific occasions or events. Some creatives like myself have products and product designs that cannot be niched down to an event or occasion such as (Weddings, Baby Showers etc.). 

Finally I have a couple of new collections type suggestions: 

Protest Fashion and Accessories 

Women's Empowerment

Awareness and Activism 

Souvenirs *(I myself am based out of the Witch City aka Salem Massachusetts USA and have many product suites that contain custom Salem Mass souvenirs. Salem Mass is a major tourist hub that sees millions of visitors year round not just Halloween). 

Thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to answer my questions. 

Please do NOT leave rude or unhelpful comments or responses. I have been on the receiving end of a certain amount of flack just for posting valid and pointed questions regarding collections. It is very frustrating and discouraging when one is still learning and has to contend with this. 

I post my questions with the hope that they will NOT only benefit me but also others who browse the Zazzle Forums looking for answers to their own questions.

Again my questions may seem "newbie" and trite. However if one does NOT ask how will they learn. 

Thanks again. 

[hilary47oo]

I have looked at that new collection setup before.It is still buggy and not fully developed.I have some collections already set up, and they are niched based.I mix both male and female items there.Variety will make your collections interesting to customers.I only put sold items in collections.

So you can open a Salem collection, since it is your niche.You can put "other" for your Salem collection, if it has no match in the "event and occasion" part.

Some people put collections based on niches or sub niches; which might comprise of art, theme / colours, products etc.Everybody is different.It depends on you to decide.You can find out what works for you.

Most times people's advice lead to confusion.Person A's collection advice would be different from person B's collection advice.At the end you have to make a decision and stick to it strictly.Most times your initial idea always ends up being the best for you.

Collections can be set in private, if you don't want them to be seen by people.I have some that I used to complete tasks to get up to a Zrank of 4.

The new collection setup is still buggy and I believe the developers are working on it.

Don't be afraid to be ask questions anytime.Its part of learning.People would be ready to help.No question is stupid.Everybody's way of understanding is different.God created us that way.That is why its good to share ideas for better results.Thanks and keep up with the good work.

[orientcourt]

Great questions re gender products! I think there should definately be a unisex option re department for apparel! This is normal advertizing in most department stores! Next question yes we can set our stores to private! Tricky question re apparel and accessories in the school and office supplies! But yes you can Zazzle has so many products especially in the accessories dept re school shirts, reward stickers, socks, awards, folders,clocks and more! Someone might reply to your other questions ! 

[Barbara]

I'm now working on a few collections each day, and in so doing, I've come up with the same and similar questions, my biggest one being whether or not our collections that have been categorized as "other" will nevertheless be displayed beneath our products. Parsing Zazzle's words, it appears that Other isn't going to be featured by Zazzle, but they didn't say they'd cease to be shown on product pages. Otherwise, wouldn't they tell us to stop doing niche designs?

Colorwash's Home

[hilary47oo]

Yeah you have a point.They need to come and clarify the "other" part.

[KeegansCreation]

You can re-categorize to similar style/theme (but different products), different style theme (but same or similar products) or gift (the theme is who the intended customer is). There is no reason to keep any collection in Other just because the auto-migrate put it there. 

[Barbara]

Here's my biggest problem @KeegansCreation : My "circle of fifths" designs for music theory are usually placed on only two products--posters and clocks. Thus, I can't create a collection for just two products for each variant of the circle, so I have a large collection for circle of fifths clocks and another for circle of fifths posters. The answer might be right in front of me, but I don't quite understand the terminology Zazzle has used such as Cross Sell and Similar Style/Theme. My interpretation is that Cross Sell would be a product that could sell in, say, both business and home decor, which is maybe what I have. Or is it similar style/theme?

Would my individual collections of vintage Mother Goose illustrations on five to seven products be similar style/theme?

I've been avoiding any number of collections like the ones mentioned above, mostly because of terminology.

Colorwash's Home

[KeegansCreation]

I went to your store to see the collections and get a feel. All three you have cited I would put in Similar Style/Theme>Home and Living. The themes are Circle of Fifths and Vintage Mother Goose. I have many analogous collections: something thematic unites all the products so Similar Style/Theme is the closest fit. I saw in your store a collection of aprons with disparate themes but they were all aprons. That would be Different Styles/Themes. I also have analogous collections.

From Zazzle's examples and from googling the term "cross sell" I am gathering that Cross-Sell collections are collections of things that are intended to be purchased together. In the various articles I googled, it is contrasted with "upselling" where a customer buys a single product but with expensive additives, such as adding a frame to a poster.

Zazzle has a multitude of cross sell sub-categories which mainly focus on parties but there are some which I swear weren't there before like Political/Election and Retirement. There is also Home and Living so it is plausible that a bed+bath collection where everything matched would be cross-sell> Home and Living because people could buy matching pillowcases and duvet covers same as they buy matching invitations and paper plates. There is also Business in cross sell for people doing branding where everything ought to match.

But for various variations of Circle of Fifths clocks, you wouldn't expect people to buy two clocks but they certainly share the same theme so Similar Style/Theme is best fit.

[Barbara]

@KeegansCreation, thank you so much. I was having the worst time trying to figure out what went where, ending up being the proverbial deer in headlights.

Colorwash's Home

[angelafuller729]

I get what you're saying - I have entire stores that are "niche".  I don't think separate collection categories are needed because all the examples given (and the vast majority in my own stores) fall under "Home & Living" .  Also I create entire collections for a specific destination (Austin, NYC etc). ,  use the most popular products for my collection cover photo (a 4-pack of t-shirt, tote bag, mug and pillow) then  list the collection under Home & Living / Similar.  

Gender is tricky - just keep in mind that while certain things may be "traditionally" male or female, your buyers may not see it the same.  So while you might create a "Gifts for Women under $100" collection  (list it as gifts category), you could also have a collection of "Workout Gear"  that includes t-shirts, leggings, tote bags, water bottles, etc. - not specified to a particular gender, and listed under the collection category of Home & Living / Different styles.

[Barbara]

If we consider "similar style/theme," and just looking at it from the point of view of art, a style would be art nouveau or cubism or pointilsm, but a theme would be loneliness or summertime or motherhood. A single style could have any number of themes, and a theme could be rendered in any number of styles.

Does Zazzle mean it can be one or the other? Or could they mean both as in a particular style with a particular theme? Or is Zazzle thinking about such things in an entirely different way from what I'm thinking of?

It reminds me of those tests they used to give in school. What do these 3 or 4 things have in common? You think of all kinds of things but not necessarily what they want you to be thinking of.

Colorwash's Home

[Scott]

I didn't yell at you, or at least I didn't mean to. I did ask that you avoid using ALL CAPS in your posts, and I appreciate that you've been accommodating of this. However, generally, the post was locked since it mentions feedback and questions that we've received a few times already. https://community.zazzle.com/t5/new-collection-types-information/new-collections-types-questions/m-p...

We don't have a ton of guidance to give in every single area of Collections just yet, and I wouldn't jump to any conclusions with how Other will appear on the site. Collections can take a LOT of different forms, but we may be starting with events since we know much more about customer behavior there. I am sure that in time the Other category will be ironed out and expanded a bit more. As I've said before, it's early days and we have to start somewhere. Best to start now (in early August) and build things over time rather than to roll it all out at once in October.

[TAngelone]

I just wanted to thank all of you for your replies to my post regarding New Collections Questions. That stated I am going to focus on my keyword research and product descriptions and media for the products I am looking to sell on Zazzle. I need to apologise for certain statements I made in earlier posts as they were reactionary and due to a lot of misplaced anger. For this I am sorry. I fully intend to revisit the forums and read all of the replies I have received which are valued, needed and appreciated. Seriously. Thank you all. Cheers. 

[Stargazer]

I have been absent for a long time. Can anybody tell me please, if it is possible to see new collections on Zazzle marketplace, or they are hidden? Where to click to view collections of Zazzle designers? New ones and best selling ones... Like it was a year ago. Is it worth to try to create new collections if they art not about wedding and the like? Just feel completely lost.

[KeegansCreation]

It is being tested and only gradually being rolled out. So far what shows are certain events such as weddings, baby showers and some birthdays. 

Is it worth creating new collections if they aren't event based? Absolutely! They are just rolling out (some of) the events first. But now collections are sorted into types. There are 4 types. You can see full details in Creator News (News and Information dropdown at the top of the forum) but in short here are the 4 types:

1. Cross Sell- products that are bought together, events and business branding (and possibly also matching home goods)
2. Same Style/Theme- products that have a similar aesthetic or theme (e.g. being minimalist or being about dogs). The products are different. The aesthetic or theme is the same.
3. Different Style/Theme- the aesthetic or theme is different but the products are the same e.g. a collection of all your iphone X cases but they are all unrelated designs
4. Gift- collections that are meant to be focused on gifts for a particular sort of person. a golfer, a cat lover, a skier, a mathematician etc.

Types 2,3,4 aren't yet visible in the marketplace in the new format but it is assumed they eventually will be. So it is worth your time going into your collections and sorting them into the proper categories so they will be well placed when the time rolls around.

[Stargazer]

Thank you very much. I used to advetise a lot of other designer's collections in the frames of Promotional program. But I cannot find them now. How do customers can see them? How can I find something to advetise?