Quick question about lifestyle mockups are they being phased out?

[Susang6]

I’m hoping someone can help me sort out something I’ve been hearing. A few creators have mentioned to me that Zazzle is phasing out lifestyle mockups or cover images, but I haven’t been able to find anything official to back that up. I’ve searched everywhere I can think of, and so far nothing points to an actual announcement or policy change.

My own lifestyle mockup posts are still up and active, and the official Zazzle YouTube channel still has videos that teach how to create cover images, mockups, and collection visuals. Everything I can see publicly still supports using them.

Because of that, I’m trying to understand whether this is a real update from Zazzle or just something that’s been passed around and misunderstood. If there has been an official statement or forum post about phasing out lifestyle mockups or cover images, I’d really appreciate someone pointing me to it.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help clear this up.

Susan

[Susang6 · Accepted solution]

Okay I did the research...so I am answering my own question. 

From everything I’ve looked into, I’m not seeing anything that says Zazzle is phasing out mockups or cover photos. Their own videos are still teaching mockups, and the Media Manager is expanding, not shrinking. What I am seeing is people saying their mockup didn’t show up in the marketplace and honestly, that usually comes down to the basics. If the cover image is blurry, dark, low‑res, stretched, or just not a great match for the product, the algorithm won’t love it. Same thing if the title doesn’t have a clear keyword, or the description and tags are weak. A good mockup needs to be sharp, bright, properly proportioned, and actually show the product clearly. Pair that with strong keywords and a solid description, and you’re giving the system what it needs. These issues have been around forever and don’t point to any kind of phase‑out.