Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hi Cherie, :-)
Good point on the grandparents! So here`s another thought: You just wrote a fine summary introduction for the featured product. It was personable, sales-oriented in that it showed the main benefits, and it was interesting to read. How come it isn`t on the site?

I find that this happens frequently in the forums.  People write a great bit of marketing copy in the post explaining that that`s what they are trying to get across on their site.  :)

Cherie, to return to the subject of design, you are right that a simple, clean style is often a good thing.  But that doesn`t mean that good design is void of color, typography, shapes, etc.  You explain that you dislike overly colorful and complex sites.  That`s fine and you don`t have to do that.  Your brand should reflect you and your preferences.  And I understand that you cannot go with a professional designer at this time.  A lot of us are in that boat!

However I find that your site actually lacks a sense of design, regardless of it`s simplicity.  Many of the elements like the navigation links, the categories, your logo, the main copy and photos seem to float randomly on the white background.  There is no STRUCTURE to the placement of these things.  This is what I am talking about more than flashy colors or fancy graphics.

For example, on your product pages, you alternate between the photo being on the right and left of the description and buttons.  This makes browsing difficult and while you probably did that on purpose, it seems almost random.  This is why I suggested looking at other e-commerce sites.  Having photos lined up with descriptions and prices all in a common structure on the page is a comforting way to browse online.  Forcing the eye to move around out of a natural flow can hurt your sales.  Highlighting prices in a color for example, is a great way to break up the visual monotony.  There are simple things you can do to improve the web experience for your visitors without compromising your stylistic preferences.

It`s funny that you say you are wordy, and I agree there are way too many words below the fold, but above the fold it`s not even a complete sentence.

I think you really should look at your copywriting and marketing and try this again. You`re falling into some of the traps outlined in this copywriting article.

I think that you are completely not even getting across why I should buy your products. What are you offering me? Why should I even make it past the first few lines? What`s in it for me? Drop the "Welcome to" part. Try something more like "Studio Cherie: Easy, Portable Style for New Moms". Okay, not that totally, but you get the picture.

You also have a lot of wasted white space at the top. It`s driving me nuts, sorry. The whole page needs to move up.

All of the words are the same size. Nothing gives your eye a sense of movement or direction. If you`re not leading the reader, you`re losing the reader. And I`m someone who might even be interested in your products, being a mom myself ... I`d imagine you`ll hold the attention of a non-mom even less. The product descriptions are pretty boring as well ... take an example from the J Piederman catalog (if you ever watched Seinfeld) and write me a story about how we`re going to go on great adventures, my baby and I, while never missing a beat with our stylish diaper bag that make me look good but is also functional and roomy enough for all of my daughter`s million things that have to come along.

If you are going to use a template, use a template ... don`t freehand it yourself. At least a template would be built by a designer who knows how to follow standard rules. When your site breaks too many standards of the trade, you tend to lose people in the design.

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Warm Regards,
Cherie

Quality accessories for you and baby, made in USA
Studio Cherie

Actually, one of the problems I see in building Web pages is this bypassing the paper-and-pencil stage. People sort of jump right into the application or template, start making things or writing things, and believe they`ll make things up as they go.

A classic way to set up a layout is to sketch it first. Just use blocks of scribble for text, and rectangles for images. Label the blocks so you know what you`re doing, then experiment on an 8x10 piece of paper. It helps not only with the overall layout, but also to know how many columns to use in tables, what sort of margins around objects, and where to use headlines.

Studio Cherie, where babies poop and parents are prepared (not an actual slogan-just warming up)

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Warm Regards,
Cherie

Quality accessories for you and baby, made in USA
Studio Cherie

I think you should hire a pro developer to redesign the website. In order for people to fork over their credit card info online, they better trust your company and know you are real. In order to do so, you need a professional looking website, with categories, a shopping cart, phone number and more.


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My site: www.entreplanet.com

The community for entrepreneurs!

I really appreciate Craig, Nikole and Steve for actually looking at my website and giving relevant commentary.  It is that level of professionalism that makes these forums work.

I took the week-end off with my family, but now I am back to work and getting to better layout and copy.

Studio Cherie - better baby baggy burpers (not an actual slogan)

 

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Warm Regards,
Cherie

Quality accessories for you and baby, made in USA
Studio Cherie

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Warm Regards,
Cherie

Quality accessories for you and baby, made in USA
Studio Cherie

Is this your tagline?  It got me thinking about your "brand" because I didn`t quite get it.  I mean I understand what you are saying, however here is why I don`t "get it".

First, in the line above, you are comparing a product (diaperbag) to a company (Studio Cherie).  Diaperbag is the problem and Studio Cherie is the answer, right?  But people KNOW what a diaperbag is.  On name along, they don`t know what Studio Cherie is.  Furthermore, a "studio" is a place or an organization like a company.  It`s a bit confusing.

It seems to me that the answer to the diaperbag problem should be your products, not your studio - if that makes any sense.