Collections Type

[whimsywhim]

Perhaps it might be a good idea to expand your collection types.  Many of us have "types" that are not wedding or birthdays, etc.  Art would be good.  Nature is another one as is Sports, for examples.  I understand you can't have thousands, but at least have "types" that are not just parties / invitations.

[TAngelone]

Thank you whimsywhim. I would like to also add to what you stated by suggesting that Zazzle please add (awareness, political and current events, fashion and accessories and souvenirs to their list of "collections types". Not all creators or their clients, customers are one in the same. I see how Zazzle is trying to help us arrange products into product suites that have a purpose. This will in turn make our products and product designs more marketable and enticing to potential buyers or shoppers as it were. I myself am too afraid to even begin a collection until some of the initial bugs and glitches are sorted out. That stated please do bare in mind the fact that collection types need to include a broader range of niches, categories and types as was stated by whimsywhim. 

[rebeccaheartsny]

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@TAngelone wrote:

I myself am too afraid to even begin a collection until some of the initial bugs and glitches are sorted out.

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I feel the same. I actually just spent the past few weeks creating a bunch of new collections, only to find that they don't fit into this new format, and that the products I created are not the "recommended" products for these new collections. I'm hesitant to go back and redo all of it until some of the bugs have been worked out.

[TAngelone]

This just makes the learning curve and setting up ones shop more daunting and confusing. Frankly I am very frustrated. I myself am working on product tags and descriptions, making Pinterest pins and working on my collections media and collections descriptions until the initial glitches and bugs are sorted out. I too have the same issue as my product lines would fall under Fashion and Accessories, Political and Current Events and Souvenirs as I will be selling souvenirs for Salem Massachusetts which is a major tourist hub that sees millions of visitors annually.  Sometimes you just have to find something else to focus and work on. Hopefully this will all get sorted out in a timely manner. Zazzle did warn that there would be some issues while they beta test and implement the new collections features. 

[whimsywhim]

You're welcome!  The types are very limited right now so hopefully they will be expanded.

[Pixelan]

Really missing fashion and also sports in the new collection types/ categories.

[northwestphotos]

There are the basic holiday categories mentioned. There needs to be more. What about all of the Earth Day products? Earth Day is a holiday and it should be included in the list of holidays as well. Thank you!

[JumpingCat]

Fourth of July doesn't exist under their holidays either!  It used to...

[Connie]

Art and Sports for sure! I'm not sure if Nature is really a category, because you aren't actually selling nature, and nature themed designs can go on home decor, gifts, office, etc.

[TAngelone]

Art turned up 6, 134, 259 search results here on Zazzle on 25th August 2023. Let me expound on this. I again took the liberty of performing searches from some of the posts on this thread with the hope that it will aid developers in deciding what could be viable collections categories and collections types based upon search results from Zazzle's own search engine. These are what Zazzle calls highly relevant in product search. So I am including a few art related search results to further illustrate my point. Thanks Connie. I will also try Sports at some point. Not now. For now here are a few Art related searches that could be subcategories of Art. 

abstract art - 770, 624 results 

modern art - 560, 246 results

retro art - 387, 652 results

pop art - 156, 617 results

realistic art - 11, 354 results

Again I thank all for their continued patience with my posts, questions and suggestions. I hope this is helpful and can expedite the process of getting the collections tool updates so we can proceed with creating our collections and not be stuck and frustrated as I presently am. 

[TAngelone]

Nature could be a category unto itself because it could include various media like paintings and photography of landscapes, plants, wildlife, macro photography etc. So nature could encompass a wide variety of art related subcategories besides home and living perhaps. We may not be selling nature but we are selling art. Just a thought. 

[TAngelone]

Nature - 1, 756, 078 results.

[chericarlisades]

AGREED!!!

[Barbara]

So, what do I do with my Knights Templar collection and, for sure, my reunions? I have a "library cat" who's now a homeless stray. Blank note cards, some with old fashion illustrations, others old illustrations of buildings. The bulk of my designs is Other, which is fine with me as long as the collections show on my product pages. That right there is what concerns me.

Colorwash's Home

[TAngelone]

There should be a category like Vintage which as it just so happens has a whopping 5, 142, 124 results as of 25th, August, 2023. Zazzle's own search engine tangibly proves this. Vintage could include old fashioned as a subcategory. Medieval, Middle Ages would be an ideal category/subcategory for your Knights Templar design. Old fashioned has 8,294 results. I am not going to bog the forums down with screen captures. If you type in "Vintage" or "Old Fashioned" into the Zazzle search bar as I did this is what you will see in search. I am using Chrome on a desktop. Regardless of what browser you should see the same results. Again the Zazzle developers should consider this is as a collections type or category. Thanks again. 

[TAngelone]

Once again most of us cannot proceed with creating collections for our respective shops until there is a broader range of collections categories and types. We are all still waiting for updates to the collections tool so we are NOT forced to place our hard work into the OTHER - No clear purpose or intent bin. When can we expect updates please?!

I myself have taken the liberty of performing a number of searches here on Zazzle to test the relevance of certain search terms here on Zazzle. Why? Because presently there are no categories types with recommended products that I can house some of my collections under. Again I have designed for and would like to market and sell (Leggings, Yoga Pants, Yoga Mats, Tote Bags, Towels, Tumblers) with in a product suite or collection with the same or similar designs and design aesthetics. The same applies to Beauty Products, I am attempting to market and sell (Nails, Cosmetic Cases, Earrings, Jewelry) in one product suite or collection. I do NOT see any occasions that fit these product collections. Moreover I am not aware of any recommended products that match these either. So again I am confused and so I am posting this on the forums again. I am feeling frustrated and lost. 

Today 24th, August, 2023 I took the liberty of performing a few searches for the search terms I mentioned previously. Why? To gauge and get a clearer understanding of what potential customers are searching for here on Zazzle. Please see the screen captures I included where in I circled both the search terms and the search results numbers. *Sorry my Wacom Tablet was not plugged in and the circles on the screen captures are sloppy. 

I feel this will give developers on Zazzle a better vantage point of what is highly relevant or hot in searches on Zazzle and use this to create category and collections types and collections category trees accordingly. All are SEO friendly. Thanks. 

Zazzle is a great platform. And I do hope I myself can be a part of the solution NOT a part of the problems we are all facing with this New Collections Tool. It is now almost September and some of us still have yet to get our collections together due to a lack of appropriate, compatible occasions. Thanks again. I do hope this is helpful. 

[Pixelan]

A collection category for this "Leggings, Yoga Pants, Yoga Mats, Tote Bags, Towels, Tumblers" would be great since I have many collections containing exact these products with similar design. To be honest they haven't sold very well (paid attention to tags, title, description). It's currently in Home & Living for lack of something better as "Similar Style / Theme".

It would be great if a more suitable category would be there and even better if these products and collections get more marketing attention.

[TAngelone]

These items do sell very well. That is where the problem here in lies is that these items are not being marketed properly. That is why it appears as though they ae not selling well. Zazzle does need to include more categories and collections types if their shopkeepers and designers are going to have lucrative and successful stores. As it stands right now there is no point in attempting to create a collection when the Collection Tool itself does NOT have suitable, compatible and appropriate collections types. 

It's currently in Home & Living for lack of something better as "Similar Style / Theme". I am unclear as to what you mean. What is under Home & Living? Are you speaking of products? If so which ones? 

I did see your previous post where in you asked if clothing sells. It most certainly does, Sometimes it takes a bit longer than we would like. But yes clothing does sell and it sells well. Zazzle knows this. 

In closing I will continue to post suggestions about possible collections types and categories with the hope that it can help the developers in terms of creating a broader range of collections categories that will generate traffic that translates into sales for all. 

Marketing is key. It is extremely important how products and product collections are marketed. 

Thanks for your reply. I hope Zazzle will consider this and we will see updates and not be stuck. 

[TAngelone]

Please note: In the screen captures the following search terms and their results: 

Beauty & Gifts - 1, 831, 124 Results 

Workout Exercise - 43, 250 Results

Beauty Products - 1, 831, 086 Results

Gym Workout  Exercise - 29, 762

These are just four suggestions for SEO Friendly and Highly Relevant Product Search Terms as of today 24th, August, 2023 for possible collections types. Including the aforementioned products that tie in with these search terms under those collections types and categories will generate traffic that translates into sales for all. 

Thanks for your continued patience with me and the questions and suggestions I am posting. 

[TAngelone]

Souvenirs as some of us do live in places that see a lot of tourism. I am sure that there are other artists, designers and shopkeepers who are selling souvenirs. Souvenirs has 435, 453 results from Zazzle search as of 25th, August, 2023. Again I have an entire section of my multi niche store that is devoted to personalised souvenirs for Salem Massachusetts where I am based out of. Please consider souvenirs as a collection type/category. It is SEO friendly and highly relevant in search. Thanks again. 

[DesignerArtist]

I agree. Many of my Collections do not qualify to the types suggested. It would be really helpful to diversify the collection types. At present, it is more based on party and invitations. For example extension of types to cater for home decor, home accent, garden and patio, scenery/posters, books/stationery, picnics, designer clothing, food/desserts etc.

[TAngelone]

DesignerArtist - Exactly. Thank you. Great point. What you listed would make for great main and subcategories under home decor. And yes you are right about categories and subcategories being limited to parties and invitations which NOT all of us design for or even feature in our stores. Hopefully Zazzle developers will consider this. 

[Barbara]

If they first straightened up departments--for instance, there's way too much packed into Home, and stationery needs to be within a single department with sub-categories rather than spread out--then the categories for collections might fall more naturally into place. Zazzle gives more weight to how a product is used than to what the product basically is. In stationery, for instance, there aren't really all that many sizes and shapes, but there's a huge list for it anyway, nearly all of it designated for specific events, which cuts out so many other events and day-to-day usage.

Colorwash's Home

[TAngelone]

Barbara - That is a great point. Zazzle is trying to streamline their navigation bars and menus. There does need to be better department and category structure that will make Zazzle more search engine friendly and less bogged down as well. I am not sure what the thinking is behind the Zazzle collections structure. Ideally there should be seven main categories that have seven subcategories nested beneath them and so on. Seven is the benchmark that all developers should aim for when building their websites and deciding on site structure. I stated this in my post. Use case versus what the product is. Great point. And yes not all of our designs are seasonal or event based. Some of us do design products for year round and day to day usage. I hope the developers will read this and consider implementing this into their site building strategy. 

[TAngelone]

Thank you both for your responses. I agree wholeheartedly with what you both stated. 

Zazzle developers should have a look at the IKEA website which I have heard has a great SEO and user friendly site structure both internally and externally that they can learn from. Google search engines love the IKEA site because it is structured to be search engine friendly. 

According to Cyrus Shepard a leading SEO Consultant studies have shown that humans can only handle 7 choices on a page. Anything beyond that will send users off of your site because it is too overwhelming and too confusing to navigate. Making the site more streamlined will also make it more web and SEO friendly and help it to function better as well. IKEA has a great internal and external linking structure as well. 

That stated IKEA has seven links that then link to 7 more links that take users through a funnel which will then hopefully lead to sales. So Zazzle could have seven main links for collections categories that then have seven more collections with sub categories nested beneath them with in a category tree. IKEA does this. Again please have a look at IKEA's site and that may give you insight into how to build out Zazzle's site. 

As for recommended products please consider the fact that shoppers do like to buy products in sets or suites as it were. This is particularly true in terms of apparel and accessories as well as home and interiors products. Having cohesive curated sets of products that match and complement each other in terms of use case and also design is what we should aim for when creating our collections. 

That stated Zazzle does need the diversified and broader categories lists to accomplish this. Also I feel recommended and not required products is best. I feel creatives should have the option of choosing the products that go into a collection. 

Finally I see that Zazzle wants to streamline the menus and the navigation structure. Seven is the benchmark and is what developers should aim for. I learned all of this from a WIX webinar I viewed. 

Thanks again. I hope this is helpful. 

[TAngelone]

To further illustrate my point I am including some screen captures directly from the IKEA site. It is clear how IKEA has everything categorised and arranged. Nice and streamlined and easy to navigate and browse. Just a suggestion. 

 

[TAngelone]

As of 27th, August, 2023 

Awareness - 879,876 Results

Inspirational - 647,389 Results

Motivational - 390,997 Results

Sports - 2,920,982 Results - *previously suggested 

Genres -

90s - 27,196 Results

80s - 187,808 Results 

70s - 136,402 Results

60s - 79,344 Results 

50s - 48,324 Results 

All of the aforementioned could be subcategories of the main category Genres. Genres are huge. Particularly the 80s. 

Again these are suggestions for the developers to consider when creating collections category trees. Again I took the liberty of using Zazzle's own search engine and input all the aforementioned into the search bar. The search bar gave suggestions as soon a search term was being typed in. This again tangibly shows the viability of these search terms which could be categories and subcategories for the collections tool. 

Again having a broader range of collections categories and subcategories will help Zazzle to:

Rank higher in search on Google and increase reach and visibility on Pinterest (*another search engine).

Increase visibility of all designers and their products not just a select few while giving all potential customers a wider variety of products to choose from. 

Having broader categories also means making it easier for potential customers to find and locate what they are searching for. 

Please again look at IKEA and how they have structured their site with categories and subcategories that entice you to keep clicking and searching. 

Thanks again. I feel I have made my point with the hope that there will be no need for an OTHER - No Clear Purpose or Intent bin which only serves to exclude a good percentage of Zazzle's designers and artists. 

There should be equal opportunity for all designers and artists to showcase their product designs with in the Zazzle Marketplace. 

The Other - No Clear Purpose or Intent bin is really NOT necessary and is actually far less SEO friendly.

I will NOT be posting anymore searches or results.

[sm]

I made that suggestion here, but either no one liked the idea, or no one saw it.

[TAngelone]

sm I am reiterating what I stated to you directly. I am so sorry I DID NOT see your post which is spot on and illustrates what I am trying to communicate here. Thank you for that. Again I am frustrated and lost. I am merely trying to troubleshoot, learn and problem solve. Zazzle is clearly trying to streamline their menus and navigation system within the collections tool. However limiting the categories, collection types and products with in collections is NOT conducive to helping anyone and is making it impossible for many who do NOT want to have their collections default to the dreaded Other - No Clear Intent or Purpose bin. Finally having a broader range of categories, collections types, products etc. is great for search engines like Google to crawl in turn increasing Zazzle's ranking and visibility along with generating traffic and sales. The developers really should consider this. IKEA's website should be a benchmark for developers who need some inspiration and guidance in this area. Sorry for the long winded response. Will try to be more succinct going forward. 

[sm]

It's all good. It doesn't matter who posted or where, just that we get more of these categories. We are all a bit lost at the moment. I certainly am as I've been on a hiatus for a few years. Even this forum is new and has me lost in it 😅

[TAngelone]

I liked your post and others should too. The Zazzle developers should use it for inspiration and guidance. Zazzle developers should click the link you provided. All of those should be added to the drop down list. 

Please note our posts are meant to help NOT hurt or be critical of Zazzle or it's tech team. 

[sm]

I just put them out at the top of my head. The more the better as it helps customers find what they're looking for.

[TAngelone]

sm Thanks for your replies. I am going to back away from the forum as I do NOT want to congest it with my sometimes lengthy posts. My hope is that all of this will be resolved soon. We just want and need for the collections tool to work with us NOT against us. Thanks again. 

[sm]

@TAngelone I'm cooking up a feast, so don't really have time to read or respond properly. I think Zazzle has cornered themselves with the main heading being "event or occasion" because most of our collections are cross-sell but they are not always an event or occasion and therefore other types of collections (eg. art related), don't kind of fit in with that main heading. But they should fit in when they are cross-sell type collections.

I think the easiest and quickest solution for Zazzle, would be to change "Event or occasion" to "Event, occasion or interest" and that way they can just add more categories for art, sports, comedy, business, etc., that are cross-sell, but not necessarily an event or occasion.  Zazzle seems to be too fixated on the word 'moment' lol. Not every purchase needs to be related to a moment. Sometimes people just want to buy stuff for whatever reason that's not a big deal.

[rebeccaheartsny]

A related issue is being forced to choose one specific event. I have many products which are designed to work for multiple occasions -- a floral design which could be used for a baby shower, or a birthday, or an engagement party, for example. As it stands I'm required to choose just one, and then have to go back to rework the designs to feature that specific event, because it doesn't make sense to have baby shower items in a "birthday" collection.

And for some events, like birthdays, why are "adult" and "child" two separate occasions? A birthday cake illustration works for any age. There are also some birthdays which sit right on the border. Teen birthdays don't fit nicely into either category—I don't want to choose "adult" and add matches or alcohol labels for a 17th birthday, but the "child" collection suggests children's tee shirts and other kid-oriented products that aren't suitable for teenagers.

In addition to more collection types, I'd like to be able to choose multiple types/events for the same collection.

[sm]

I just ran into the same issue with birthdays for adults and kids? I went with kids in the end but it works for any age.  If they want to keep separate categories then they need to add another category "Birthdays".

[rebeccaheartsny]

Agreed! Or at the very least, add a "teen" category. It's really awkward to suggest designing lighters and matches for a teenager, but if you choose the child option, the "guest of honor" shirts specifically have to be children's styles which wouldn't fit a 17-year-old.

Then again, I just finished a baby shower collection and one of the required products is a maternity shirt...which, unless I'm missing something, is a style that no longer exists, so I had to put it on a standard women's shirt instead. Perhaps just using "tee shirt" as a recommended product would be a better option.

[sm]

@rebeccaheartsny there is some ironing out to do but I am taking advantage of their little suggestion box that comes up when you click on other. They clearly want to add more categories, but they're still trying to figure out which ones are best. The marketplace is so saturated, it has ro be hard for them to have a pigeon hole for every design.

[TAngelone]

I hope you enjoyed your feast. Whatever it was.

Zazzle is limiting themselves and us. Most of our collections are Cross-Sell and are NOT for just occasions or events. The main headings of the navigation bar and system should contain one main heading SPORTS for instance then have sports related subcategories nested beneath them.

SPORTS - (MAIN)

- Baseball

- Football 

Gym and Exercise - (MAIN)

- Athleisure & Accessories 

I myself and many others design for athleisure (Leggings, Yoga Pants, Tank Tops) and for accessories like: (Yoga Mats, Bags, Towels etc.). These all belong together in a product suite. Shoppers like to buy products in sets. This is a well known fact. 

That is why I suggested this. Also Zazzle states that they are basing collections products on shoppers buying habits. Shoppers buying habits are ever changing and Zazzle should plan accordingly. 

Not all shoppers who visit Zazzle have something specific in mind and may want to browse to see what Zazzle and their shopkeepers have to offer. Also NOT all shoppers are shopping for a specific event or occasion and may be looking for products that have a specific use case. 

Stuffing everything under events and occasions is seriously limiting Zazzle's reach. It also adversely affects Zazzle's ranking on Google and decreases Zazzle's reach on Pinterest (another search engine). 

It also limits and frustrates designers and artists who do NOT design for occasions or events and whose art and designs are NOT just emphemeral seasonal or in the moment. We need more flexibility with regard to recommended and mandatory products with in a collection. 

In light of worldwide inflation most shoppers are looking for products and product suites that contain items that will have some longevity, are versatile and are for more than just one use case. They want their money to go further and they are NOT solely interested in buying products that will be of no use to them in 6 months. This is particularly true with regard to fashion and accessories, home interiors etc. and many other products which Zazzle offers. 

In closing I am very frustrated and feel my posts are in vein. I don't want to waste my time or anyone else's time writing posts if they are going to be dismissed and disregarded altogether. 

These ongoing issues with the Collections Tool are adversely affecting most if not all of Zazzle's artists and designers for very valid reasons of which we have all outlined. 

Again it is now almost September and we are still stuck and frustrated and have no idea when or if any of this will get fixed and resolved. 

I thank you sm for your responses to my posts. 

My suggestions are NOT criticisms of Zazzle or their team. 

If Zazzle only wants designers and artists who design for events and occasions then please by all means say so. 

With that I will close. 

[sm]

Having just glanced your other posts and activity on Zazzle, I'm guessing your frustration is mostly based on you waiting for things ro be perfect before you open up shop, is that correct? If that is the case, let me tell you that things are never perfect on Zazzle and they are always changing. Also customers hardly ever visit our stores. They shop in marketplace. If I were you, I would release the products you have now and slowly work on your stores and collections as these features evolve.