First of all: Great forum! We don`t have anything like this in Norway.
I have just started a retail jewelry business, and advice/critique from you people would be very helpful.
The idea is that the simple clean design should be in tune with the product - diamond jewelry. Using a picture of yours truly is meant to convey trust, and navigation and path to action (purchase) is easy and fast. (I hope).
Although the site is in Norwegian, it should be easy to comprehend.
Honestly? Its just too plain. Too plain.. and too plain. Don`t mind me though. I`m thinking of instead of making your site as a clean design concept because of the fine jewelry, why not make it something more elegant, after all rings and other jewelry is some sort of an elegance in itself.
Change the rubber stamp .... it does not fit into the look you want. I like the whitespace, and the overall approach, but it is almost too plain, as was mentioned. It`s like it doesn`t have a "boundary" to keep the eyes focused on the page.
Change the rubber stamp .... it does not fit into the look you want.
Good advice! The point was to make it stand out because it links to a page that tells the customer that it is safe to shop with us. Anyway, I agree with you and will try to find a symbol/pic that goes with the look of the site. Thanks again!
Terjeg;
I have a question, why is the (for lack of a better word) "about us" page in english, yet the rest of the pages are not?
It`s been a decade or so since I traveled, over there, but as I recall most everyone at least understood some english, yet potential customers in nearby countries most probably do not understand norwegian. why not switch to other pages in other tongues, clicking on the english tab brings me to a english version, or as many products here in the usa do, put the titles in multiple tongues. open your market to local countries.
also some pages you have photos, others just words, which ever you do, do it the same on every page don`t make me learn so many times.
just a thought
Hi there, Terjeg :-) Welcome to Startup Nation, where the whole world has citizens of the entrepreneurial community. No passports required, everyone`s welcome.
I took a look at your site and it reminds me of another jewelry site developed by a merchant in the Middle East. I can`t remember the topic, but what I remember is that all the white doesn`t help. At least, not in my opinion.
Diamonds are the most brilliant of jewels, turning white light into more rainbows and colors than anything else. Other than the presumed investment value, people buy diamonds for the romance of their story and for their luster.
They don`t buy them for their shape, and likely not for their specifications.
The photos you have on your site are really excellent, but they don`t have the emotional appeal. In the store, physically, right there, people can see all sorts of wonderful things. But online?
I`d suppose the two reasons people would buy a diamond online would be because they`ve already found what they want in a physical store and they`re price-shopping. That, or they`re in a place that doesn`t have fine jewelry stores.
So: Who`s your target market? Who specifically are you trying to sell to, and how do you imagine their mind and emotional condition to be when they click on your site?
Thanks guys
for taking the time to look at my site, and provide constructive criticism.
Stan: Good point about the English section. We had
planned to have the whole site in English as well, and “English” was meant to
be the entrance. Anyway, that plan is on hold now as we are focusing on the
local market, so I will change the menu to something else, and utilize that “prime
space”. Thanks for pointing that out.
Point also taken for lack of consistency in the use of
pictures.
Craig: Your comments about the presentation
of jewelry and lack of emotional appeal: As you know it is extremely difficult
to take good photos of diamond jewelry. You can photoshop them and make them
glitter and spark more, but in my opinion (at least for Norway), you should try
to be as truthful and “neutral” as possible in the presentation of diamonds.
If you check out the "best in class", Bluenile.com you will see that they also have a "matter of fact" approach to their presentation.
Anyway, I totally agree with you about why people buy their jewelry, and we are
planning to use video on the site, both to present ourselves and educate, but
also to show the jewelry. Hopefully that will add some spark (no pun…) to the
presentation. Just need a some more cash first…
I also think you are spot on when you say “..people would buy a diamond online
would be because they`ve already found what they want in a physical store and
they`re price-shopping.”
That is also why most of our jewelry is bread and butter and therefore easy to
depict for the potential customer. They will go to a shop to see a solitaire
ring, and will recognize it at our site, see that we are cheaper and hopefully
buy from us. Also, I do believe that our main market is men. When women have
money and are ready to buy, they love to browse physical stores, try on their
rings and flaunt. Men, on the other hand, hate jewelry shop. They want an easy
and safe transaction, and of course they want to find a good bargain.
Thanks both
of you for your comments. Highly appreciated!
We have a major jewelry company advertising around here (Chicago area, US), specializing in diamonds. Their main advertising and branding position is twofold. The Jewelry Exchange.
The first is that they not only offer high-quality, certified diamonds, but they guarantee those certificates.
The second is that because they guarantee the lowest price anywhere, they also guarantee to buy back the diamond at the original appraised value, no matter what.
As you can see, this particular part of their overall strategy is to directly go after price-shoppers. Maybe you can do something like that?
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