Different PODs sales

[MasterpieceCafe]

I find it interesting that I have a design on Zazzle and another POD. Here I've sold that shirt a dozen times, over there I've sold it well over 100. Basically the same price point.

Zazzle is by far a bigger and better POD, yet my shirt sales there are much better.

I wish I knew why.

Just thinking out loud.

[KeegansCreation]

I think it's different customer bases. My weird artsy designs rarely sell here but they do on another site. The other site has quite a bit of weird, artsy stuff but no customization so they are locked out of the event market which Zazzle has squared away. 

[Windy]

Does this happen with multiple products? Or is this the only case? Maybe an affiliator with a big following has featured your product there.

[MasterpieceCafe]

Every shirt I've checked on that other site that outsells my shirts here. By a significant amount. I just checked another image sold over 20 times there and zero here.

I guess it could be as simple as the customer base of the two PODs.

[DM]

"Zazzle is by far a bigger and better POD". I'd say that's debatable. It may be that to you. It isn't for me. There was a time when Z was my number one POD. Now it's a distant third. Like you, I have the same designs at multiple PODs. They invariably sell better elsewhere. Also, remember that Z is trying to be a place for greeting cards. Type in "father's day gift" in the search, and you get a bunch of cards. Cards aren't gifts. Type in "graduation tshirts" and select "class of 2022", and only 9 out of the first 60 shirts on page 1 have anything to do with the graduate. If a customer types in what they are searching for and can't find it, that doesn't make Z a better POD by any stretch.

[Connie]

I think it definitely has to do with the target markets of the respective POD sites. Zazzle may be much bigger and better than that other site as far as traffic and products and sales volume overall, but if your particular niche is popular with a segment of the population who shops on the other site rather than Zazzle, for you personally, that other site is bigger and better as far as sales.

[Windy]

It would be super interesting to know how traffic to each of the POD sites has been changing over the past several years. 

[shellifitz]

Besides the difference in the customer base it could also have to do with more effective search function on the other site. 

[MadjackGG]

Zazzle's user demographics skew female and older, with 28% being in the 25 - 34 age bracket and over 50% being older than 34. I don't know what site you're comparing Zazzle too, but they may attract more youth.

Also, although you mentioned a comparison at the same price point, Zazzle is expensive when it comes to clothing. For example, a basic printed tee on Z costs about $40 AUD while Redbubble sells at $25AUD. Unless the customer is looking for a customized option, it's hard to see how that's competitive.

[InsideOut]

High shipping costs could also be a factor.

Since Zazzle seems to be focused a lot on party and event planning I'm guessing it's why they offer Zazzle Black - for repeat customers with disposable income who can afford to purchase custom invitations for their event along with matching plates and napkins, but I feel that doing that probably also narrows their customer base. First time buyers, for example, who might just want a shirt, button, sticker, etc that they found through a google search are most likely not going to choose between spending an outrageous amount for shipping or signing a contract with a company they know nothing about, so they go elsewhere looking for the same thing, and that could be the other pod where you're selling your shirt or from a site selling your stolen design at a much lower cost.

Another shipping issue I just noticed has to do with checkout. I don't shop on Zazzle ever so I decided to add a button to the cart just to see what shipping came to and was shocked to see $12.99. I looked everywhere on that page for the option to change shipping and didn't see it, so I went back to the product page and that's when I noticed the "shipping options" dropdown link. Since I did that as basically a first time shopper I can see how a lot of people could easily miss that and be confused when they don't see shipping options on the checkout page and just leave.

In the past, to help bring in what I consider a lost demographic, I suggested Zazzle offer free shipping for first time buyers and then hit them up with Black when they come back, and with current economic conditions it might be something they should look into, but I also know Zazzle likes to do things their own way.

Just my 12 cents (inflation lol). 😁