Product Updated by Vendor with Admin Verification on: 404 errors with no alternative anymore - terrible for SEO

[Sophie-2e]

Bug Description

PREVIOUS BEHAVIOUR before Dokan 3.9: By default, using the existing Dokan settings, it's not possible to receive the "Dokan Updated Pending Product" email notification without enabling the "Edited Product Status" option. Enabling the "Edited Product Status" causes the product to go offline until the admin validates it again, which is not suitable for scenarios where vendors frequently make minor modifications to their products that don't require admin verification (such as modifying stocks, or changing images for example). Also for SEO and SEA, it is terrible to have products going offline as they result in a 404 error until the admin verifies and publishes the products again.

So previously, I would only have to validate the products when they were created, but then if the vendors were modifying something like the stock, indeed I did not receive any notification, but at least the vendors could handle this without having is product pending for review. And, back in the days, here was my request to make this functionality more efficient: https://app.loopedin.io/dokan?idea=64c620761a3e1900271c64d7#/ideas

NEW BEHAVIOURS SINCE Dokan 3.9: Now I don't have any choice on how to handle a vendor's product update as you get rid of the options, and merge it with the New Product Pending Review functionality. So it means that 404 errors will be inevitable, and I already know how badly it will impact not only my SEO, but also the UX for vendors. It is absolutely not practical and not necessary that the admin needs to revalidate a product every time the vendor modifies the stock, changes the price or adds a promotion to it, as examples.

Now I don't have any alternative since you deleted the control option on the Product Updated to merge it with the New Product option. But I cannot let vendors add products without verifying them first, and having 404 errors will kill our SEO. So I don't have any alternative anymore, which is really disappointing and which makes it a bug instead of a feature request now.

This is really a major problem now that you deleted the two options to keep only one behaviour. 404 errors are terrible for SEO.

Step To Reproduce

Enable admin verification on new products published

Expected Behaviour

Explained and added here 2 months ago: https://app.loopedin.io/dokan?idea=64c620761a3e1900271c64d7#/ideas

1. Add back the option of separating the New Product settings from the Product Modified setting. It is absolutely needed and should have been kept. My solution only works with the ability to have 2 different behaviours.

2. Have an Admin Dokan Product Updated notification/ email template sent to the admin once a product is modified by a Vendor which could be enabled in Dokan settings, below the "Edited Product Status" options. With this feature, the product will not go offline when it is modified by a vendor, but the admin will be aware that a modification has been made, so the admin will be able to perform random checks to see if everything is in order. Note that the email notification needs to show precisely which fields have been changed in the Vendor update, which will save time for the admin who will know directly which info needs to be verified instead of trying to guess and having to verify everything, every time. This is so time-consuming and definitely not what the admin wants to spend their time on.

3. So 1 and 2 will already solve the 404 issues. So this might be a feature idea but the best solution would be: When the vendor makes modifications to the product, and then he/she saves the modifications, the old version of the product will be republished, while the new version (with vendor's modifications) is saved as a revision. Then the admin could check and publish the revision once the admin has verified it. This way the vendors will not be able to publish modifications without the admin verifying it first, but the vendor and admin will also not be penalised anymore with 404 errors.

Actual Behaviour

Previously, I was enabling the verification on New Product, but will not enable the verification on Product Updated. I don't have any alternative since you deleted the control option on the Product Updated to merge it with the New Product option. I cannot let vendors add products without verifying them first, but having 404 errors will kill our SEO and the UX for vendors will be very bad. So I don't have any alternative anymore, which is really disappointing.

Additional Information

No response

Environment (please complete the following information)

1. Dokan Version: [3.9]
2. Dokan Pro Version: [3.9]
3. WooCommerce Version: [8.2]
4. Browser [all]
5. Current Theme: [all]

[nurul-umbhiya]

@Sophie-2e I liked your idea mentioned in here, will talk with the PM first thing tomorrow.

[Sophie-2e]

Hello @nurul-umbhiya good to hear. This GitHub issue is a recap of this requested feature. It is absolutely needed now when admins use the verification feature, as you have mixed together the two behaiours settings. I really hope to see it in the next release. Will keep an eye on it here.

[nurul-umbhiya]

@Sophie-2e I suggest using a custom code to set the edited product status to publish. Our Product Manager has informed me that we will be rethinking this feature next year. Currently, we have a backlog of tasks that need to be completed first.

[Sophie-2e]

@nurul-umbhiya ok noted thank you for the update and good to know that it is on the roadmap to be tackled next year ;-)

[Sophie-2e]

Hello @nurul-umbhiya any updates on the release date?

I did add a custom function which published product automatically when a vendor edit a product but it is not working optimally as if a vendor adds a product, and edit the product before the admin as validated it, the product will be published automatically.