Zazzle is the Best POD for consumers and I wonder if more can be done to let customers know

[CreativeLeahG]

I know you have a wonderful team behind you but I do believe Zazzle's best assets need greater highlighting.

Here are some suggestions for how Zazzle can let customers know as soon as they visit that they are in THE best place for their print-on-demand needs.

Firstly, we need to understand how customers shop and what their priorities are when looking for products and services:

The things in order of priority a customer looks for when buying things can vary depending on the individual customer and the product they are buying. However, some of the most important factors that customers consider include:

• Price: Customers want to get a good value for their money, so price is often a top priority.
• Selection: Customers want to have a variety of options to choose from, so a wide selection is important.
• Quality: Customers want to buy products that are well-made and will last, so quality is another important factor.
• Shipping speed: Customers want to receive their orders quickly, so shipping speed is also important.
• Customer service: Customers want to be able to get help if they have any problems with their order, so customer service is also important.

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Zazzle has some unique selling points that are currently not front page or central to their promotions, ads nor their front page details to let customers know how they excel in these areas.

Price - Zazzle's prices are often more competitive than they first appear due to their frequent sales often up to 50% off. 

Selection: This is Zazzle's largest unique selling point. They have the LARGEST selection of print-on-demand products compared to any other single provider BUT most importantly, the largest selection in ANY NICHE. There is only 1 potential significant competitor in this area, but that competitor is host to sellers/makers it is not responsible for the making/shipping/customer service for the items it showcases. As such those variables cannot be guaranteed regarding service delivery, whereas to a high degree Zazzle's can.

Shipping speed

Zazzle has Zazzle black, low subscription for FREE shipping (terms apply)

Quality and service - I can't comment on how Zazzle compares as a relatively small consumer of these but reviews mainly suggest positive results and I can't compare to other service providers. 

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What else does Zazzle have that NO other print-on-demand has?

• FREE Live Designer who will assist customers in modifying their designs, existing templates and in the creation of new ones.
• Transfer Function

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Based on the above, my suggestions:

• Highlight Zazzle's wide selection of products. Front page news and headlining ads and promotions - " LARGEST selection of (xyz) you will find!!"
• Highlight the Free live designer service. This can be done by making it more visible on the website and in ads and promotions.
• TRANSFER option - have this highlighted front page and in ads, that MOST designs can be transferred easily to one of (several hundred) different products.

As a customer, I'd want to know these things when I am shopping 'around'.

Meanwhile there is a further recommendation re assisting customers when they arrive on Zazzle to find what they're looking for.

• Improve the accuracy and functionality of the filters on the Zazzle website. This includes making sure that the filters are accurate and that they return the results that customers are looking for.

Finally a rather odd suggestion but possibly the most important one

Use a leading AI to discover what the 'world' thinks is the case with Zazzle re customer and designer satisfaction/pricing/quality etc.

Currently it is NOT accurate. One query on BardAI (as a single example) informed me designers report that Zazzle takes 50% commission! This is wholly inaccurate. One of many inaccuracies I suspect. The problem here is  if people , (bloggers, journalists, marketers, consumers) turn more to AI when researching which company to use, what to report, it is worrisome if the (reportedly fairly reliable) 'answer machine' is inaccurate.

As such the AI needs 'feeding' more accurate information. So Zazzle might want to do some press releases  (allegedly AI doesn't read website information) to correct any misinformation that these popular AI sites might be throwing out to 'whomever' asks.

I have already done my bit:

ME:  

Ai your information regarding what Zazzle designers are paid is wrong. Independent Designers set their own royalty

AI

You are correct. I apologize for the error. Independent Zazzle designers set their own royalty, which can range from 10% to 99% of the sale price. The standard royalty rate is 15%.

I am still under development, and I am always learning. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will try my best to provide accurate information in the future."

Still inaccurate, and a small example  - but if you ask AI what's what with Zazzle, you'll note the areas the information is 'off'. Just some food for thought. 

AI will feature more and more in consumer decision-making.

So this is a future-proofing need.

I hope this helps. a bit,

[KeegansCreation]

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. I want to add in customization to a unique selling point. Ok, CafePress has customization too but adding it as a designer is so arduous and buggy that most designers don't. Customers can do it even if designers haven't but then they have to build the design from scratch and with fewer add-ons (like icons and backgrounds) than are available to a customer using the design tool in Zazzle.

I think that customization is what has allowed Zazzle to expand so far into the wedding and business niches. Now Zazzle is competing on two fronts. They are competing with other PODs but have a larger product selection and also customization. But they are also competing with standard business print companies. Those companies do it cheaper but also have fewer premade templates to choose from (especially in the wedding niche) and also fewer products. They will do business cards, and business swag like tote bags and mugs and pens but if you want your business swag to be outside the box, then Zazzle is the place to go. Some ads in wedding magazines and targeted at small businesses would be good. Maybe they already do that.

Also, good point about the chatbot AI spitting out incorrect info about Zazzle. Press releases would be good. The chatbots just pick up info from the web as is publicly available as text. They may have gotten their info about Zazzle from blogs- those many, many blogs that have "which POD should I put my art on?" posts that give POD rundowns that often aren't accurate. I absolutely agree that people will be turning more and more to AI chatbots for consumer info because googling isn't streamlined enough.

[CreativeLeahG]

@KeegansCreation 

Doh, I am a dummy, yes of course Customisation Front and Center!!

Thank you!!

[CrazyMermaid]

I have a feeling the Zazzle marketing team is aware of all of this including AI. I also think they do a great job of ensuring top placement in the search engines. It may not be as splashy as television ads on the Hallmark Channel, but I think it is very effective in capturing people who are ready to buy. Then there is their daily email campaign. I smile every time I get one of these - or a text message. 

[LMGildersleeve]

Google is right now using AI for their normal influxes of inquiries. It's already here and functioning. Once again, Leah is on top of that one 😘 and I'm sure Zazzle is too.

@KeegansCreationI've never really thought of how many fronts Zazzle is competing on. Wedding, business and also personalized gifts. Those are huge and I now realize how much Z is juggling for the first time. Just think of the juggernaut company that is Zazzle now. 😮

[Roberta]

Hi @CreativeLeahG 

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and suggestions with us. I'll pass this along to our team for further consideration 📝

Roberta 🌷

[CreativeLeahG]

@Roberta  Thank you 🌹

[Cherie]

I detest Artificial Intelligence

I typed that into the Google search box and got so many good articles to read. Try it. It is always good to see the pros and cons to it, whatever it is being used for. 

I detest Artificial Intelligence

[CreativeLeahG]

Thank you!!

.

[TShirtfort]

I watch videos while working and every single video I see starts with a zazzle ad for wedding stuff. I guess they are trying to be known as only for weddings. I know they make money from it but I can't excited about designing for weddings and I am not planning a wedding so it feels like zazzle is only for 27 year old brides to be with super cliche tastes and not for the rest of us.