Jami Gibbs has a worthwhile take on an interesting ThemeForest controversy: the gamification of the top themes list.
ThemeForest themes have a tendency to stay at the top once they reach the top. It’s hard for new themes to break in. The developer of the X Theme hosted a webinar, then gave away a copy of the theme to each webinar attendee. The bulk purchase skyrocketed their ranking, therefore making them unseat Avada as the top theme.
X was already a popular theme; but this was new tactic to get past Envato’s built-in safeguards of self-purchasing.
Clever marketing versus devious tactics aside, it’s got Jami (and likely others) bummed out, afraid that there is no room for those without big budgets or fancy marketing tactics. I get it.
Maybe Envato could do more to encourage buyers to look beyond top sellers. One thing is for sure: Envato, like WordPress.org, is in a huge position of power as such a popular website and marketplace.
When people’s livelihoods are on the line, it makes it very difficult to make any change without affecting someone, and that’s a position I don’t envy.
