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.

[Barbara]

I just spent time searching the marketplace for the odd guys, the hobbies of which there's a plethora in this world. Just to see what would happen, I tried "hobby" where I found mostly the usual suspects such as golfing and knitting, but I saw more stuff that could hardly be called a hobby. Okay, I thought, let's try "artisan," but that brought up artisan-made products. To find all that's in the marketplace, you have to be very specific about the hobby. Zazzle can't possibly have categories set aside for nearly all that's out there.

This is just one example. There are plenty more such things in every arena, and the only way customers can possibly find such things is to type in the exact names for them.

For Zazzle to have categories, sub-categories, sub-subcategories, and beyond would be going back to how it was when I first started here. The list was so long that it was nearly impossible to find the precise notch into which your product belonged. They got rid of this, but they swung so wide in the other direction that they ended up with only the usual suspects, most of them involved in the idea of gifts and events.

And thus we have "Other," which is certainly the easiest way to do it, and this is fine with me as long as shoppers aren't funneled into spaces they're not looking for. I hope they continue to allow titles and tags to be the rule of the road, making sure customers know to use the search box.

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[TAngelone]

Sorry Barbara you misunderstood what I was trying to say.  Please allow me to clarify. I did NOT say Zazzle needs to have an endless stream of categories and subcategories that goes on into infinity with every last search term no matter how obscure. 

10 main categories with just a couple of subcategories nested under each is more than sufficient and should NOT be that hard to implement and will make for a streamlined and more user friendly experience for shoppers and designers alike. 

I see that Zazzle is trying to streamline and simply there navigation system. However cramming everything under events and occasions is not working. 

Designs defaulting to the abysmal OTHER - No Clear Purpose or Intent bin because the Collections Tool only has categories and collections types that cater to certain events or occasions is counterproductive and counterintuitive. Meaning it does NOT work and will NOT work. 

It will only limit Zazzle's ranking and reach and restrict what we as creatives can create for collections. 

Furthermore shoppers most certainly will end up having to navigate funnels with products that are of little to no interest to them should they be forced to search the Other - No Clear Intent or Purpose bin. Sorry but that is the reality. Shoppers will get confused and overwhelmed by the multitudes of products and product designs and just bail from the platform because there are too many of them crammed under OTHER - No Clear Purpose or Intent. 

Welcome to the Zazzle jungle of millions of beautiful products with no clear purpose or intent. Good luck finding and locating what you are looking for. If you can find and locate it. 

Other - No Clear Intent or Purpose is just a miscellaneous section where anything that is NOT event or occasion based will be housed temporarily. Zazzle really needs to rethink Other - No Clear Purpose or Intent as I have stated previously. 

That wording alone is enough to dissuade shoppers from browsing that section in the first place.  

Ask yourself would you want to browse a section of a site titled: OTHER - no clear purpose or intent? 

Finally the Collections Tool needs more flexibility as I and others have stated repeatedly. I am sorry but it does. 

I have made my frustration known about the Collections Tool and the infuriating OTHER - No Clear Purpose or Intent bin which will decrease designers/artists' visibility and sales.

Titles and tags will be the standard on Zazzle and indeed the internet until some other search and navigation is invented. With that I will close. 

Thanks again for your reply. Sorry but that is the reality. I am off. 

[TAngelone]

Sorry for the typo: I meant to say that Zazzle is trying to simplify their navigation system NOT simply there navigation system. Again the time for me to edit timed out. No way to delete. Sorry. 

[TAngelone]

Let me NOT contradict what was stated in an earlier reply to Barbara. I stated that 10 Main Categories with 2 maybe 3 subcategories nested underneath each would be sufficient. 7 is the benchmark for web designers and developers alike according to tested tried and true studies by leading SEO experts like Cyrus Shepard who has worked directly with one of Google's former CEOs on SEO related matters in the past. 

So there could be 7 main categories with 2 to 3 subcategories nested under each. Seven by three is twenty one.

Again not very hard to implement and will still make for a streamlined shopping experience. These are merely suggestions to make the Collections Tool more flexible and search engine friendly while increasing Zazzle's ranking and reach on Google and even Pinterest.

Said categories and subcategories are a viable alternative to the OTHER - No Clear Purpose or Intent bin which is essentially Print on Demand Nowhere Land where there are millions of products crammed in one place that shoppers do NOT have the time or desire to trudge through. 

And some will wonder why they feel invisible on Zazzle and get little to no sales and have no reach. You may want to have a look at the OTHER - No Clear Purpose or Intent bin. Perhaps your products collections may be lost and found in there on page 100. 

Somebody please correct me if I am wrong. Thanks. I mean no disrespect here.