Non-vegan items showing in vegan search results.

[Marmalady]

I received a 1-star review due to a cake "advertised as vegan but contains eggs".

I do not advertise this cake as vegan. The word vegan is not mentioned anywhere in the listing -- not title, tags, description etc

But when I investigated and did a search on "vegan cakes", filtered to shop location UK, I was horrified to find this cake on page 1 of search results! This should not be possible.

So why did the algorithm think it is vegan? And how can I prevent this?

This could have dangerous effects on anyone who is allergic to eggs / dairy and thought it was safe to eat

(I do already have a full list of ingredients and an Allergen list in the description but it the buyer must have missed them. I am now planning to add the information into a photoslot too)

[luxcrafter]

The search returns results matching any of the words entered. You can't prevent or control the terms that customers might use to search.  It is up to the customer to read the descriptions too.  You should not be blamed for how Etsy has configured its search algorithm.

[Marmalady]

So you are saying it is fine for all cakes to be shown under a search term of vegan cakes just because of the word "cake" ??

If searching for something as specific as a vegan cake, then for the algorithm to deem all cakes to be a match is ridiculous

And yes, whilst I agree that the buyer should have read the description more closely the fact remains that it is a totally wrong search result

[digitaldoodlebug]

^^^ This. It's one of the drawbacks to smart machine search. They will show you what they think you're searching for vs what you actually searched. It's been an ongoing issue across sites for years which is why we see irrelevant results across searches, and is only getting worse and they lean more into AI. 

No one is saying it's fine. But that's the way it is. If someone searches for "waterproof stickers" etsy will likely show them my non waterproof stickers if there aren't enough search results or more likely if it's something more specific, as they will happily match 3 words out of 4. 

[Marmalady]

But it isn't a case of "filling up the space" due to not enough more relevant results.

Even as far as the 5th page of results, most of the cakes shown start the title with "Vegan ... " so should have been far more relevant than my cake that does not mention vegan anywhere but was shown in the middle of the first page

[digitaldoodlebug]

Filling up space for small searches is only one reason. Clearly your history, popularity of a mainstream item, photos, and yummy cakes ranked your items higher than vegan ones (and/or location). Numerous factors. It's buyer take caution with these AU (artificial unintelligent). It's something sellers have complained about for years and will put more and more buyers off as well. JUST SHOW US WHAT WE SEARCH FOR. 

[cindylouwho2]

@Marmalady "Even as far as the 5th page of results, most of the cakes shown start the title with "Vegan ... " so should have been far more relevant than my cake that does not mention vegan anywhere but was shown in the middle of the first page" - Etsy search no longer shows the listings with the most relevant keywords at the top. You are seeing yourself rank well due your listing quality and shop scores.

[SmudgePlant]

I think I might screenshot that search result and see if Etsy will remove the review since you didn't advertise it as vegan.

[cindylouwho2]

@SmudgePlant @Marmalady yes, a carefully-written appeal of this review should be able to get it removed. Keep it short but show the evidence of the search issue. 

Publicizing this more widely may help as well. Can I please write about this? Feel free to email me on my website if you want to chat about it.

[Marmalady]

@cindylouwho2 

I have messaged you on your website -- thank you

I will try appealing the review

[bradgoodell]

I know it is upsetting, but yes it isn't a surprise, that is how search engines work.  I just searched "Vegan cake" on Amazon, and while most listings said "vegan" in the title, non-vegan cakes came up too.  I've had the same thing happen when searching for leather belts or green socks or pretty much any search.  I will get leather belts, but in the results will be pleather belts.  Green socks will bring up socks of other colors too.  

I'm really sorry your buyer didn't bother to:  1-Read your listing 2-Contact you first.  

On the more suspicious side, maybe she knew exactly what she was buying but figured leaving a review like that would guarantee a refund.  Honestly, this would be a brilliant way to get free foodstuffs, because everyone is concerned about allergies and intolerances.  

Regardless, I'm really, really sorry this has happened to you.  Have you contacted the buyer?  What did she say?  

[Marmalady]

I contacted the buyer last night to say that I am sorry s/he was disappointed but that I did not advertise the cake as vegan and that there is a full ingredient and allergen list in the description which both list eggs and dairy.
I have not yet had a reply.

[bradgoodell]

I'm so sorry this happened.  I do like your idea of putting a list of ingredients in a photo slot.  

Could it be the buyer was looking at your vegan cakes and simply assumed all your cakes are vegan?  Hopefully your buyer will realizes it was her mistake, not yours. 

Good luck getting this cleared up.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

"On the more suspicious side, maybe she knew exactly what she was buying but figured leaving a review like that would guarantee a refund.  Honestly, this would be a brilliant way to get free foodstuffs, because everyone is concerned about allergies and intolerances. "

Not only that, but they'll also assume they can keep it because sellers probably don't require a buyer to return perishable food (except Walmart, but that's another thread lol).

[Marmalady]

Doing a similar search within my shop only brings up my two cakes that are actually vegan, none of my non-vegan cakes. So if the distinction can be made within my shop, why not in the general search results?

[BagmakerSupply]

@Marmalady: "So if the distinction can be made within my shop, why not in the general search results?" Because site wide search feels obligated to return as many possible results as it can and most likely uses a different algorithm. Searches within a shop are probably still much more literal than general search.

[MinnieMaudsAttic]

@Marmalady    I'm sorry that this has happened to you.  At least the buyer should have contacted you first.  Doing a general search for vegan cakes in the UK, there are indeed lots of non-vegan ones.  

Maybe the description & title needs to say 'not suitable for vegans'?  It seems ridiculous but it's like the sign on coffee that says (something like) 'this is a hot liquid'.

[Marmalady]

@MinnieMaudsAttic 

But then the algorithm will pick up the word vegan (even if used with the qualifier non-) and be even more convinced it is correct to show my cake in a search for vegan cakes

[MinnieMaudsAttic]

@Marmalady   I thought that might be the case but at least it would be really obvious (and, let's face it, it needs to be for some people).   Possibly someone out to cause trouble?

[SmudgePlant]

@MinnieMaudsAttic 

Maybe "Carnivore Cake"? ; )

[OneEyeCatStudio]

@Marmalady   Etsy (I assume) has put not one but two tags, the Explore Related Searches ones, on that listing that say "vegan".

At least that's what I see on that listing.

[cindylouwho2]

Ovo-lacto vegetarian cake might work better than adding the word "vegan", which I agree is good for customers but bad for showing up in the wrong searches. "Contains eggs and milk" may also work. 

I agree that using a photo slot to communicate the animal products can help, but I would honestly avoid the word "vegan" there as well, since Etsy can pick up the text in images.  

[DragoninKnots]

An ingredients infographic is not a bad idea. It would be tedious to do on a shop-wide basis, but Etsy is throwing you under the bus.

I'd expect a Carnivore Cake to contain at least three types of meat, lol.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

MMMMMMMMmmmmmmm chicken cake!

[screamprops]

I don't think there is anything you can do. The search will pick up the word cake and show the customer cakes of all kinds.