Why does the D&D website hide its merchandise store?

[ferratus]

A few days ago, I complained that WotC was not selling its merchandise on its website. Then I looked on the front page a few days ago, and found an ad for D&D T-shirts, and I thought it was about time.

But then I saw a blog post that shows that WotC has had a merchandise store since February. Now I visit the D&D website nearly every week, and I don't consider myself that unobservant a person, but I had never seen the store before.

So I looked around to see if I could see it outside the blurb on the current events page... and I couldn't. You would think it would be up among the menu at the top of the website with "Daily D&D" "Community", "Playest" etc. but it isn't. There is a place alongside the website in their space for temporary promotions, but not permanent buttons like lair assault, the character builder or D&D encounters.

It just seems odd that their store is so low key.

 

[Jacob Marley]

Is it their store or are those just links to other companies' stores? I don't know if DnDMerch.com is a part of WotC or not? I know Gale Force 9 isn't.

 

[Sunseeker]

Is it their store or are those just links to other companies' stores? I don't know if DnDMerch.com is a part of WotC or not? I know Gale Force 9 isn't.

Even if it isn't, it still seems odd that it's so obscure on their own site, wizards gets paid for advertising for those folks.

Gamers certainly like to buy more than books and some basic dice(which is about all I ever see advertized on there). Look at the crazy profit places like Think Geek make in basically selling us junk.

 

[Libramarian]

WotC's D&D site is a nightmare in general.

 

[RangerWickett]

WotC's D&D site is a nightmare in general.

I'm curious. How easy is it for you to find the books that E.N. Publishing sells on this website?

 

[Libramarian]

I'm curious. How easy is it for you to find the books that E.N. Publishing sells on this website?

Easy enough if you're looking for them, but I probably wouldn't have seen them otherwise. "Things We Make" is a little vague to be clicking on for no reason. I think War of the Burning Sky and Zeitgeist should be somewhere on the top level of the menu bar, just because they have cool names.

"Things We Make" isn't as bad as the "Story" menu item on the D&D site though. I mean what does that mean, lol.

 

[the Jester]

WotC's D&D site is a nightmare in general.

I think the problem is less to do with their online store and more to do with their overall web design skills.

I mean, have you ever tried to find ANYTHING on their site that you don't visit frequently and had it be easy? I haven't. I pretty much only follow link to their site now- I just can't find anything with a reasonable effort:results ratio.

 

[Jester David]

I think the problem is less to do with their online store and more to do with their overall web design skills.

I mean, have you ever tried to find ANYTHING on their site that you don't visit frequently and had it be easy? I haven't. I pretty much only follow link to their site now- I just can't find anything with a reasonable effort:results ratio.

Looking for old articles is pretty terrible and heaven help you if you need a particular adventure.
They need to get some interns in and tell them to tag everything.

 

[MortalPlague]

Looking for old articles is pretty terrible and heaven help you if you need a particular adventure.
They need to get some interns in and tell them to tag everything.

Agreed. It took me a while to figure out how to find "Dragon's Eye View" and "Wandering Monster" without being linked from the discussion threads over here.

Hint: You click on Daily D&D, they're on a bar on the right hand side

 

[variant]

I can't stand Wizard's website. i don't even like browsing it.