A while back, Zazzle introduced an interim product page that appears in some circumstances when someone clicks an outside link direct to a Zazzle product page. This interim page (which is being commonly referred to now as the "landing page") has few details and a big button to click to "View Product Details". Clicking that takes you to the regular product page. This page and concerns it raises have been discussed in-depth in a number of threads:
Yikes...I hope what I'm seeing on the product pages is just a mirage (9-16-2022)
Other designs from this category is Hurting Sales (3-14-2023)
Why Do Our Pinterest Marketing Efforts (promoter 2 prog.) result in 65 products via other Designers? (10-12-2023)
Zazzle Sales, Zazzle Affiliate Referrals and How This May Be Affected by The Choice Paradox (10-21-2023)
With much speculation and no definitive answers, @fiorenzo and I did some real-world testing to try to find some.
First issue was the seeming randomness of when the landing page comes up and when it doesn't. Keeping in mind the old adage about exceptions to every rule, our experience was that any type of product page link out from Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter always resulted in getting the landing page regardless of being signed in to a Zazzle account or not and regardless of whether it was your first visit during a browsing session or not. You could click the same link over and over and each and every time it opens to the landing page.
With links out from your own website, it's a different story. Whether one gets the landing page or not depends on the type of link you've used. For regular links, with or without an RF attached, you'll get the landing page if it's your first visit to the Zazzle domain. After that, you'll not encounter the landing page again until/unless you clear your cookies.
If you've used the short PID format link or an API format link, no landing page even if it's your first visit.
The other concern has been if/how the landing page effects referrals, especially for those in the Promoter Program. We tested this using links out from a personal website and confirmed that:
1) - a clean link to your product page: If the user gets the landing page, it does not matter if they click "view product details" to continue straight to the full product page, or if they browse around and view other suggested products first. Either way, if they buy the product you get your 35% referral.
2) Short-form PID link to your product page (zazzle.com/PID#): These do not produce the landing page. If it's a clean link, you get your 35% referral; if you've included your RF ID you get the 15%.
@JimCarnicelli
3) API links to your product page: These do not produce the landing page, and whether it's a clean link or includes your RF ID, you get your 35% referral if they buy your product.
Summary: If you're really bothered by the landing page coming up, promoting from your own website using PID or API links is the way to go.
Note: regardless of link style and landing page or not or Promoter Program or not ... the regular cookie rules still apply so there's never a guarantee you'll get any referral.
We tested this using links out from a personal website and confirmed that ...
A couple nights ago I posted a referral link to a product page on my FB page and despite of course getting the landing page and despite all the parameters FB added to the URL, I did get the referral. I have no reason to believe this would be any different for PInterest or other social media site. So I think it is safe to say that regardless of when/where/why one encounters the landing page, it is not stripping out referral data.
The original testing/post focused on doing your own promoting and links you can control.
Would like to add that products links in Google search results also open to the landing page (same "rules" apply re being first visit or not).
Another interesting thing I stumbled on last night after I found myself clicking on a link to a item on Wayfair:
Their set-up is almost identical to Zazzle's in that you get a "landing page" with button to click to view full details and a host of other options below suggesting things like 'other similar designs' and 'often purchased together' and etc. Like on Zazzle, you can then click the "view details" button to view the actual product page.
