Assistance Needed with Collection Thumbnail View for Products

[Aisha]

Hello Zazzle Community,

I’ve noticed an issue with how my product thumbnails are displayed in collections. On the main product page, when I upload a video via the Product Media Manager to showcase my product (e.g., a 360-degree spinning mug), the thumbnail view on the collection page automatically changes. Unfortunately, it often defaults to an unflattering center angle, which doesn’t prominently feature the main part of the design.

I love the idea of adding videos to better showcase my products, but it’s frustrating that this also alters the collection thumbnail. Is there a way to select or control the thumbnail view specifically for collections so that it highlights the most important part of the design?

Any guidance on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and support!

[Cat · Accepted solution]

I'm not sure, but here are a few things to try.

First, when Zazzle first introduced the ability to upload videos, the instructions were that you should not use the video as a primary cover. Some folks on the forum have indicated that they have done so without issue, but I always upload a jpg or png static image to use as the primary cover and put the video in second place. You could try that - maybe even just save one frame from your video as a jpg and upload it to use as the primary cover.

Also, there is a long-standing bug with the thumbnails that are shown in collections when you don't have a cover. The thumbnail in the collection will show the default view no matter which one you've selected in the product merchandising section. There is a workaround though. First you choose the view you want (edit details > product merchandising), then you have to add the product to the collection from the products page in the store back end - NOT from either the individual product page or on the post for sale page when you first create it. If the product is already in the collection you have to remove it from the collection, then add it back in from the products page in your store and that will make the correct view appear in your collection (sometimes it takes a day or two for it to index.)

So... it sorta sounds like if you have a video but no static cover, you get the same bug as if you didn't have any covers at all. So you could try making sure that you choose the Zazzle thumbnail that you want and then remove it from the collection and add it back in from the products page and see if that fixes it.

Hope that all makes sense, and hope it helps! 😀

[Aisha]

Ohh my gosh Cat, you are magnificent! Thank you it worked!. I did as you suggested, removed the products from collection and re-saved them back to the collection from the products page (on the back-end of the store). It solved the problem immediately! Thank you so much!

[Cat]

You're welcome! I'm so glad it worked!