Sale ?

Boki
Valued Contributor

Do you have sales these days or is your store "frozen"? 🤔

18 REPLIES 18

waterart
Valued Contributor

Yeah frozen in the ice age

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StyleArtc.com

Jadendreamer13
Honored Contributor

If your sales are “frozen” (I guess that means that you’re no longer making sales) then a better question than “are other folks making sales” is “why am I no longer making sales?”

It doesn’t matter if someone else is making sales. It only matters that you are no longer making sales. And investigating why that’s happening so you can fix the problem is the key to turning this situation around.

And while you’re at it, you might want to ask folks to take a look at your store and products and give you feedback on what they observed.

You are a bronze seller, so you used to make sales. Maybe your designs are outdated and need to be refreshed. Maybe your titles and tags are no longer effective. Maybe the products you’ve chosen are no longer popular. Maybe your designs look like mostly AI designs. Maybe your color schemes don’t appeal to customers. Maybe your designs are overly complicated. Maybe simpler designs will sell better.

These are the issues you need to identify and fix to get your products selling again.

Hope this helps.

Windy
Honored Contributor II

I've been seeing more sales than ever. I guess there must be a sale on at the moment. That's when my store always wakes up again for a little while.

Pinterest and Me. We're a thing again.

Boki
Valued Contributor


Good advice is always welcome, but... I would like to know what experiences other designers have with sales, because I believe that at some point their sales either go well or they completely "freeze", and it should be good considering how much work, effort and time they put into it.
Also, what is their "Linkover History", is it proportional to sales or are they standing still. And that is related to sales, but how? This is the part that we have reached with work and effort, and the sales should be extra good, but...
That's why I think that the mistakes are not, perhaps, in the design setting itself, because something inexplicable has been happening since April 1, when the changes were made on the site itself. I would like to know what it is about and how to solve those obstacles, so that both we and the site, to our mutual satisfaction, would have good sales?

Jadendreamer13
Honored Contributor

I think you’re trying to rely on outside sources (for example, other designers) to help you figure out the issues you are having with sales instead of learning how to rely on yourself to do the research, learn the skills necessary to succeed, or invest in tools or educational resources to help move your business forward.

Other designers are focused on improving their businesses, skills, and sales, not your business.

Thats why I suggested you take an internal look at your store and your products. But it seems from your response that you’re not ready to take an objective look at your store, designs, skills, and marketing efforts to determine the problem.

You have been given much more valuable advice than a simple response that says, “yes, I’m making regular sales.”

Boki
Valued Contributor

Again, thanks for the well-intentioned advice and experience, but... As I wrote, I'm also asking for other people's experiences at this point.
This is not only my job, but basically the job of all of us, so every good advice will serve someone (there are some of us who are already doing it and using those tips, and they will also serve new colleagues).
It could be that I'm wrong somewhere and it's ok to check, but I definitely know that it's not just me, the data and the situation just show that. And that's why I need the opinion and experience of other designers.
And precisely because I am confident in myself and my work and want to progress, I am stating what kind of obstacle I have come across, but I do not see it (because it is most likely not up to us) and I am asking this question regarding sales and "Linkover History".
Because, as you can see, dedication to work, those of us who really try and try to correct ourselves and accept advice, is not always up to us and effective, and then one wonders what else is going on and how is it possible that at the same level of investment of work and effort and design review, sales are not much better?
That's why I can tell you that I go into my stores a lot in terms of work and marketing, because if it wasn't like that (as you wrote that I don't focus), I wouldn't be here and share my troubles with all of you and look for a solution that will bring a good profit to the mutual satisfaction of me and the site.
So I'm still looking for an answer and a possible solution to be written to me, which is definitely not just up to me, but there is a possibility that there are new changes on the site. And if the same thing happens to others, and they are valuable in terms of work and promotion, then should they tell me when and how it happens to them (and the changes that affect all of us are already here and it is possible that they should crystallize)?
Yes,... And "Yes, I'm glad you have a sale".
And if my works were bad, as you wrote, there would be no reviews at all.
Your opinion is OK to state, but not to belittle my work and effort, because I need something constructive.
I believe that I am not the only one who is in this situation and I need help and explanation, not twisting the topic.
Thank you.

Significantly less so far this month compared to last month in my case (1/5 of the sales maybe)..

 

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Badeesie
Contributor III

@Jadendreamer13 wrote:

If your sales are “frozen” (I guess that means that you’re no longer making sales) then a better question than “are other folks making sales” is “why am I no longer making sales?... And investigating why that’s happening so you can fix the problem is the key to turning this situation around.


Sometimes part of figuring out why you are no longer making sales involves seeing if it's individual to you, or to you and others in your same niche, or if it's more widespread than that.

True, but if I remember correctly, the poster was wondering whether the Ambassador Program could be responsible for his drop in sales. That topic has been discussed widely on this forum. And the bottom line, according to those discussions, is that the Ambassador Program has definitely reduced designer’s royalties, but not necessarily their sales.

So, if a designer’s sales have waned, it’s likely because of one of the reasons that I suggested above.

Everyone, of course, is welcome to take what they want and leave the rest.

Boki
Valued Contributor

It was diverted from the topic,... The topic was set: "Do you have sales these days or is your store "frozen"?" - I am grateful for your concise answers.

MadjackGG
Contributor III

Still making sales, but since the new TOS rollout have lost at least a third of the business my stores were doing up to that point. Also greater frequency of dry spells of 2-4 no sales days. Generally selling smaller items now as well.

Also used to see a referral sale about once per month. Now it's one perhaps every two months.

Barbara
Esteemed Contributor

There are so many reasons a person's sales go down or up that it's difficult to pick out which, if any, of the things we're doing or not doing are affecting our results. One thing I've thought about is that my sales went into the dumpster this year, and though they've begun recovering, they haven't risen to what they were. I keep wondering if Zazzle tweaked their algorithms, perhaps putting more weight in particular areas and less in others. For instance, all along I sold a lot of music-oriented design, and this quite suddenly dropped. I will say that my linkovers have risen, and along with them, my sales have also somewhat risen.

But how can any of us know for sure what's happened? One person may think it's this and another may think it's that, but none of us knows for sure. My own thoughts have been centered on the political/financial atmospheres in various parts of the world only because my sales to the UK, Canada, France, etc. dropped suddenly and precipitously, leaving me almost exclusively with U.S. sales. Exchange rates? Tariffs? Cultural changes?

And I've changed, too, having gone back to my original love of drawing and painting, thus not adding much in the way of new products. I tend to spend time first thing in the morning (like now) on the computer, basically checking what's going on in the world, and the rest of my time is devoted to pen or brush, not bothering to scan much of it into the computer because not much of it is suitable to Zazzle.

I guess I can't help, not unless something I've said sparks a realization or new direction for you. I hope you find a way to climb out of your slump.

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Boki
Valued Contributor

It is nonsense that sales are mostly stagnant, and the number of views shows the opposite (I believe that sales should exist and that they should be very good). Does "Linkover History" affect your sales and how?

Barbara
Esteemed Contributor

I just checked linkovers, comparing them with sales. On a day when the linkovers were high, I made a sale either that day or the very next. It would, of course, be nice if the number of sales on a particular day came close to the number of linkovers. They don't, but it would be nice.

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Susang6
Valued Contributor II

The “Linkhistory” only shows total clicks per day no breakdown by product, referrer, or conversion. So if you’re trying to figure out which blog post, pin, X or facebook or email drove traffic (or whether those clicks led to actual sales), you’re out of luck, unless I am missing something in the link history.   

I have sales when my linkhistory is low, then today I had a high linkover history with no sales.   Overall, I think people are just curious when they click the link, they just want to look, they aren’t committed to buying. 

People might be clicking due to the mockups  but aren’t ready to buy.   Who knows maybe some use Zazzle like Pinterest: they click to save ideas, add to favorites, or wait for a sale. It’s traffic, but not necessarily sales.  It just shows that your promotion is getting a response.

Susang6
Valued Contributor II

Yes I have sales, 3rd party and referral...(not as many referrals as before april 1st) but still have sales.  I will say I am promoting more than I did before.   And keeping up with direct link to email (family and off line friends)   Plus I started promoting myself off line by handing out  business cards.   Like the local trim trimmer we hired I gave  him my business card ( as if to say I support you, you should support me) 

 

Boki
Valued Contributor

Yes,... Unfortunately, my sales are almost, unfortunately frozen,... It would be logical that when there are more views, there will be sales, but there are none (sales are terribly rare).
It's nice that they are well promoted, but it would also be logical if sales were close to that number... But, unfortunately, the diametrically opposite is true. There is no logic,... High number of views, terribly bad sales. 🤔

osea
Contributor III

My sales are like stopped from January 2025.

Still understanding what happening (While I'm not a stupid).

Waiting for better times... Life is not a Joke!