Change in Attribution Removal Wording Has Now Gone from Bad to Worse

[Saints_Aplenty]

I've just come from working on some postcards and greeting cards and noticed that the attribution removal box is now labeled "Remove Independent Creator Credit".   In my considered opinion, Zazzle has just made things worse--much, much worse--for designers who use their own attributions.  Quite frankly, the move seems calculated to discourage the practice of using our own attributions entirely.  Paying the 5- or 10-cents will not remove a designer-generated logo or attribution causing the customer to wonder just what it is their paying for.  And, the designer will be blamed for including their logos. 

This is/is becoming an ongoing issue between Zazzle and designers.  Customers should not even be made aware of it with this nickel-and-dime charge.  Please take the attribution box off the listing page altogether and put it on the Post for Sale page rolling the removal cost into the overall pricing of the cards/postcards.  That way designers have control over how to market their creations and customers are oblivious to the process.   Unless, of course, Zazzle really is trying to force designers into abandoning their own branding. 

I didn't think it possible, but for me, the whole attribution thing has now gone from bad to worse.

[Windy]

Twin Bunnies Postcard

[SORS]

I'm wondering why Zazzle couldn't put the text "Remove QR code".   Wouldn't that make it easier to understand? 

[CrazyMermaid]

It makes it sound like putting the QR code on is our idea - not Zazzle's. It is far worse. 

[Saints_Aplenty]

@SORS   --  "Remove QR code" wouldn't work for me as I have my own QR-Code on my card backs by design (and with, as I recall, my referral code embedded in it).  Why your suggestion wouldn't work for others as well was mentioned in another thread here:  https://community.zazzle.com/t5/ideas-suggestions/please-change-the-wording-in-the-option-to-remove-... 

BTW...  Congrats on making Gold!  (I won't live or be here long enough to even make Silver!)

[BKMuir]

Perhaps change to "Remove automated attribution"  ???

[ColsCreations]

Here's what an an old post card of mine looks like. (I published it with #1 showing because removing it also removes the divider line and the "place stamp here" box and I didn't really mind the faded Zazzle showing.)

We as Designers/Creators know what #1, 2, and 3 are and how to deal with them.  But a shopper is met with this:

 They don't know what these things are and "independent creator credit" is very abstruse. The only way to figure out what you're paying to remove is by checking & unchecking the box and watching for what comes & goes on the preview image. And if they don't happen to be on the preview that shows the back of the card while doing this, they won't see any difference. They'll be left scratching their head as to what this option is for.

I get that the Zazzle attribution(s) is in a constant state of flux.  Both the wording on the product page and the size, style and position of the branding on the product could change tomorrow, next month, next year, or five years from now.
The wording on the product page can easily be changed with every new iteration of the branding with no real consequences other than confusion on the shopper's part if it's not worded clearly. The actual branding on the product however, causes, as we all know, havoc on the design and its saleability.

My #1 questions is - why is Zazzle doing this? Is it because
A) they really need the extra $0.05 - $0.10 per item
or
B) they're more interested in establishing better name recognition for Z thus it's the branding and not the $ that is the priority here
?????

My opinion is that if it is A, the option to add/remove the branding should be removed entirely from the product page where it is in the shoppers' hands, and placed instead on the post-for-sale page where it becomes something the designer chooses before publishing. Just like being able to set something to a certain size, orientation, shape or color, or being able to choose not to let the shopper have access to the design tool to edit the design  - this should be something left up to the designer. The choices would be 1) "no branding" which would automatically increase the price of the item to the customer by that $0.05 or $0.10 and there would be no option on the product page to confuse customers and/or interfere with the design. I believe 99% of Creators would choose this option so Zazzle would still be making the extra cents, but without the confusion to customers and destruction of designs. The second option would be "allow branding" which would reduce the base cost by that $0.05-$0.10 in return for allowing Z branding on the product in whatever current or future form it might take. Designers might possibly choose this option if they think the $0.05 - $0.10  price difference gives them an edge over the competition in their marketing. In neither case would the option be left up to the customer on the product page. If the Creator chooses "allow branding" they would be making a conscious decision to deal with whatever consequences current/future branding has on their design in favor of a slightly lower advertisable price. And again, I believe 99% of Creators would choose the "no branding" option so it's guaranteed Z gets the extra cents, with no hassle to the designer or customer.

If Zazzle's main motivation here is B (establishing better name recognition) then it still shouldn't be an option, not for the shopper or the designer. It should just be. As a subtle, non-destructive brand mark applied consistently & professionally to like products with a clearly designated area in the Design Tool marked & locked as "reserved for Z branding". Then provide the ability to edit existing designs on products affected by changes to the branding.

And now a related question:
We know now that the current QR code leads to the Creator's store. Cool. But what happens when the Creator has their store(s) set to Private so that their store(s) aren't visible even though you can still find the products in the MP? Where does the QR code lead to in that case?

[Saints_Aplenty]

@ColsCreations --  If I could, I would give you kudos and a round of applause for your expansive, well-reasoned post!    

[Pádraig]

Hello all,

Thanks for your thought and feedback on this. We'll look into it.

All the best, 

Pádraig 🙂

[Windy]

@Pádraig With regard to Col's images, Please note that the left most Zazzle appears on many of the older postcards. I believe this must be an oversight.

I run into that left most Zazzle all the time when I choose postcards for my POD Postcard Blog--combined with the QR code you have meant to apply.  It appears on many cards, but not all. As you are looking into this issue, if you check ten or fifteen cards, you will find quite a few that have that old left most Zazzle attribution. I feel sure that the removal of this older left-most Zazzle attribution was overlooked in the process of instituting the QR codes. I think Zazzle needs to figure out how to remove that left-most attribution.

That left-most Zazzle just creates clutter on the card. 

[Fiorenzo]

Let's clarify:

1. The customer may pay extra to remove the "Zazzle(/Independent Creator) Credit QR Code" - check the box, look, it's gone, uncheck, oh!, a QR code with Zazzle branding and a tiny unreadable something at probably 1.5 point size (on a 5x7 card) underneath shows up.

2. My dedicated "Branding (or Independent Creator Credit, if you prefer)", when added, the customer can remove within the designer for free. It is totally unrelated to the "Remove Independent Creator Credit" checkbox.

My suggestion:

[X] Add Zazzle QR Code (save $0.10)

Simple, clear, correct & "customer-friendly" (save cash instead of pay extra cash)