Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello blog viewer,

So I recently decided to diversify my web design portfolio by creating an
e-commerce solution that will be called
www.teesontheweb.com ; (Its my tshirt company that will launched soon).
I figured since my web design
skills have increased in stock since my last 2 posts that I go ahead and
tap into the ever-expanding goldmine of online retail.

I went online and started researching different online retail websites to
see what I was going to be up against only to find out how hard it was to
actually buy products from a majority of online retail stores, especially
some of the online giants. Too much flash, crazy navigational schemes
that made me scared i might be hallucinating from speed, meth or acid
(not that i indulge) , excessive and distracting graphics. In my opinion,
They all totally missed the point of what an online retail store is supposed
to be. In our increasingly impatient and fast paced society there is no
time for me to see what some flash happy designer can do with graphics.
I just want to buy my products in 2 or 3 clicks, have it shipped to me (if
possible for free) and get on with my day. If i wanted to see graphics
jumping at me i would go to Cedar Point amusement park in ohio and pay
10 bucks to get scared by animated characters.

I promise you my dear reader that when www.teesontheweb.com is done
it will
have the neccesary elements that give you a pleasant shopping
experience. I have listed below some of those elements that in my
opinion constitute a good ecommerce website.

1. An easy, straight to the point interface with navigational schemes that
wouldnt confuse you.

2. A user friendly website that wouldnt make you head for the exit button
after 10 seconds on my website.

3. A website that lays emphasis on the products that are on display and
not my ego as a designer.

4. Quick access to price comparisons, Concise information about the
product and Great quality service.

I guess we will have to wait and see if these goals for my online clothing
store can be truly achieved, in the meantime please flashy ecommerce
solution designers
leave your egos at the door because there is one fundamental rule to
consumerism, which is:   THE CUSTOMER IS KING
and you want satisfy the KING and not confuse him.

If you have any comments feel free to email me at info@folaolumofin.com
or just post them.


Thanks for hearing me out.

Fola Olumofin

-------------------------

folaolumofin.com web design studios

One of the things I`ve learned after doing a number of e-commerce sites is just how well Amazon has it done. They built a mega-business on customers being able to find what they want with just a few clicks, but also being able to browse easily to find other things that might take their interest. Note how they personalize the site for the user based on earlier purchases, and how they email you with product ideas based on those same purchases, or, if you request it, you can be notified when a product that`s out of stock coms in. It definitely works, as their business has grown exponentially and kept on growing right through the dot-com crash.

You`re quite right about clothing sites, though, at least the ones I`ve seen and particularly those geared toward younger consumers--all the Flash and other stuff meant to keep the kids interested long enough to buy something. Trouble is, you can never find what you want--the site is geared more to trying to keep you there looking at what they want you to see (the high-margin items) than about what you went for in the first place. I abandon sites like that pretty quickly. It`s just not worth my time, and I suspect even the kids leave, at least those who are looking online. Just because it CAN be done, doesn`t mean it SHOULD be done.

I would be interested to see how your site fares once it`s in action... I can see that you`re keeping it pretty simple and straighforward, so keep an eye on those metrics and let us know how it does... as with any site, you`ll make changes as you go and keep an eye on whether it increases traffic or you start losing it, and always have a place for folks to contact you and let you know what they like and what they don`t like. I also create a custom 404 ("page not found" error page, for those who aren`t webmasters) for the sites I create (where possible) with a short form on it so the visitor can let me know if they encounter a problem. This is especially useful with a new site, folks let me know if there`s a page missing so I can fix it. And always make sure you answer these--taking the time to answer is important--then try to fix asap.

I had one negative experience with a site recently, where I signed up for their newsletter and because it uses iframe content, it would set off my antivirus every time one arrived (had to do with an audio setup in their template page). I let them know, stating that there may be others who had the same problem. They replied telling me they would look at it and the first newsletter I received after that, it was fixed. The following newsletter it was back again, though, so I let them know... and was told that only myself and one other person had coplained about it, and it was "just too much trouble" for them to clean it up every time. Hmmmm... I think it`s just too much trouble for me to make any purchases from them, then. And how many people WEREN`T complaining because they didn`t know what was going on? BAD attitude, so I unsubscribed from their newsletter and will not bother with them again.

Bad news travels faster than good news, and spreads 10 times faster... it`s a popular site from what I can tell, but with that attitude, I wonder just how popular it COULD have been had they been more customer-oriented?

Good luck with your tees... hope you do great!

Great initiative - over the years in my "day job", I`ve led the creation of many eGovernment site-building efforts, all resulting in what we call "intentions-based" navigation and content classification schemes for government websites - aimed at allowing constituents quick, easy access to government services unencumbered by excessive graphics, advertising, distractions, etc.  Sites like nyc.gov, irs.gov, delaware.gov, maryland.gov, etc. This includes addressing accessibility and browser compatibility requirements.

Ecommerce sites should continue to absorb lessons learned from the Federal and State governments` efforts at providing egovernment services to citizens, at least from the minimalist, crisp site design, navigation and taxonomy perspectives.

i agree with dadministrator on this one -> it`s such a hassle trying to shop online these days

-------------------------

Like the sound of Origami Roses?   |   visit http://www.yeemi.com   |   our roses are carefully hand-folded, perfect for gifts/home decor   |   We also sell bulk origami roses for events such as weddings and conferences. Even restaurants and hotels come to us for origami ideas!

Yeh totally agree, but you could also lose a lot of custom having a bland website.. It could look like you dont really care about it. The more effort you put into the design and layout, the more presentable it will appear and more professional.

You would walk past a shop in the high street with no window display and no real internal style because you would expect the content to be of lower quality and value. You are much more likely to enter and buy merchandise from a shop with a great display and layout even though it`s selling exactly the same content.

 This said, it still shouldnt be over the top. Flash is perhaps unneccessary. But design and creativity are essential.