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Start your zazzle journey to success with this free “nail your niche" worksheet
In today’s post, we’re (Jen and Elke) breaking down the differences between Zazzle and RedBubble. These are both print-on-demand companies where shoppers buy things that, before they’re purchased, only exist digitally. Once someone buys an item, then they become physical products to fulfill the order. This is a great business model because the seller doesn’t have to deal with things like producing or shipping the item or even the customer service aspect of it.
So, let’s go through the criteria that you can use as a potential seller to decide whether Zazzle or RedBubble is the right platform for you to use in running your business.
The first set of criteria is the ease of use. For this one, RedBubble is the clear winner. It’s a very easy platform to sell on, as you can upload a design once and apply it to many products. It’s very simple!
On Zazzle, it’s a bit different because the platform is known for its uniqueness and customization. The cool part is that you create products that are different using the same design, but it’s not quite as easy to bulk upload items as it is on RedBubble. However, the flip side of this is that there’s more earning potential due to the variation you can offer customers.
The net set of criteria is the number of potential clients. Again, RedBubble wins for this one. In February of 2022, the site had 24 million visitors on the platform. In the same timeframe, Zazzle had 14 million visitors. That’s obviously a difference, so there’s more potential to reach people on RedBubble since the site receives more traffic overall.
However, there’s no data to use in proving that even though there are more viewers on RedBubble that it equates to a better sales conversion. Obviously, what it really comes down to is sales numbers.
The type of market is the next criterion we examined. RedBubble, as a platform, is a bit more well-known, but it doesn’t have the same ability for customization that Zazzle does. On Zazzle, shoppers can completely customize a product, and that’s what drives people to the site. On RedBubble, you can only purchase graphics and art that already exists as it’s designed on the site. This website is known to be a bit more trendy and artsy.
The ability to customize things on Zazzle means that people will come there if they’re looking for a monogrammed or personalized item. It’s also a great platform to buy things for occasions and parties for this reason. This customization aspect helps increase income and revenue on the platform and it spreads out the depth of product inventory.
The next criteria we discuss is searchability. This is based on the bottom line of selling more which, of course, is your ultimate goal. As we mentioned, RedBubble has more visitors and the feature of an easy bulk upload. This means that each of their products doesn’t have customized tags and keywords in many scenarios.
On Zazzle, sellers upload items individually and assign more relevant tags and keywords to each item. That makes these items more searchable and presents a heightened ability to sell, simply because items can be more easily found by shoppers. This provides an enhanced ability to bring more people into the marketplace, which is why Zazzle wins out for this specific category.
This comes back to customization, which we’ve touched on a bit already. Again, RedBubble doesn’t allow customers to personalize products. This is a con for RedBubble, but a pro for Zazzle because it allows shoppers to customize things completely.
On Zazzle, customers can design things with the easy-to-use design tool and can see what things will look like with the elements they add, which is very helpful. It’s also cool that as sellers, we can inspire customers to create their products sometimes. Although what they create may end up looking completely different than what the seller has in their storefront, the royalty will still be paid to the seller because they clicked through their product to make the purchase.
This unique and personalized experience for each customer serviced on Zazzle is definitely a pro of the platform.
RedBubble limits product types on their platform, so Zazzle very much outperforms them in this category. There is a better wealth of physical products on Zazzle, and customers can even transfer their designs to so many different products with ease thanks to the design tool. This is actually a passive way for sellers on Zazzle to increase their income, as even if a customer moves a design that originated from a storefront to another product, that original seller will still be paid the royalty.
Zazzle definitely wins in this category, because you have to look at it from a long-term point of view. We’ve been selling on the platform for 14 years, and we made some products 12 years ago that still sell and generate income today. While RedBubble is more about “trending” designs and items, they may not sell in the long term. Thus, there’s not the same opportunity on that platform to make once and sell often.
Zazzle allows for more consistent sales of products over time. Jen has a great example of this, as she designed a save the date postcard about 10 years ago. It probably took her an hour to design at the time, but she’s since sold over 400,000 copies of it. Wow! That’s because it’s a customizable product, and she’s made a lot of income off of that one hour of work she completed years ago.
The endless potential for passive income on Zazzle is huge, and it’s an amazing feeling to create a product today and know it can sell for years to come.
There are definitely more pros on the Zazzle platform from a business standpoint. While RedBubble has pros associated with it, Zazzle is a more versatile platform that has more potential for passive income, so start taking advantage of it today to really change your career and life.
To deepen your understanding of how Zazzle stands against other popular print-on-demand (POD) platforms and to help you decide which platform might be the best fit for your online business, we’ve curated a selection of in-depth comparison articles. Explore these resources for a comprehensive look at the unique advantages and challenges of each platform:
For insights into how Zazzle compares with Etsy’s marketplace and community, read our detailed analysis in “Zazzle vs Etsy.”
Discover the differences in design focus and artist support between Zazzle and Minted in our “Zazzle vs Minted” comparison.
Learn about the market positioning and product ranges of Zazzle and Society6 in “Zazzle vs Society6.”
Evaluate the creative possibilities and fabric options by comparing Zazzle with Spoonflower in “Zazzle vs Spoonflower.”
Each article aims to provide you with the knowledge to make an informed decision about where to invest your time and creativity for the best possible returns on your online business venture.
Thank you so much for reading!
Be part of our community where we can continue the conversation on these topics and tools. Join our Facebook group!
We love it when we make new friends. Connect with us on Instagram, @msjenclarke, and @elkeclarke.
Share on IG. Tag us @msjenclarke and @elkeclarke, so we can send some love to you and get to know you.
If you’re ready to take the first steps in starting and scaling your own Zazzle store, join The Profit by Design Academy® Coaching Program today!
Official Website: https://jenandelkeclarke.com/
Jen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msjenclarke/
Elke’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elkeclarke/
Creative and Ambitious Entrepreneur FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/ElkeClarkeZazzleExpert
The Profit by Design Academy® Coaching Program: https://elkeclarke.com/startandscale/
There are definitely more pros on the Zazzle platform from a business standpoint. While RedBubble has pros associated with it, Zazzle is a more versatile platform that has more potential for passive income, so start taking advantage of it today to really change your career and life.
Thank you so much for reading!
Be part of our community where we can continue the conversation on these topics and tools. Join our Facebook group!
We love it when we make new friends. Connect with us on Instagram, @msjenclarke, and @elkeclarke.
Share on IG. Tag us @msjenclarke and @elkeclarke, so we can send some love to you and get to know you.
If you’re ready to take the first steps in starting and scaling your own Zazzle store, join The Profit by Design Academy® Coaching Program today!
Official Website: https://jenandelkeclarke.com/
Jen’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Elke’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Creative and Ambitious Entrepreneur FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/
The Profit by Design Academy® Coaching Program: https://elkeclarke.com/
Jen and Elke Clarke are a mother-daughter duo that empowers women entrepreneurs to make money online. Through courses and coaching, Jen and Elke help women (and men) become successful creative entrepreneurs on Zazzle and e-commerce. Combined Jen and Elke have sold over 15 million dollars-worth of products, and earned over $1.5 million combined through their businesses on Zazzle. Jen and Elke have influenced and transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide with their free content, paid and private coaching.
They are international, award-winning authors. Click the links to purchase their books through Amazon: Earn Around The World and Create Online and Grow Rich.
Jen and Elke Clarke have been featured in Yahoo Finance as TOP 5 e-commerce coaches.
If you want to see how Zazzle can change your life, gain more free time, work from anywhere, and have uncapped income potential — join now.
