E-commerce project

  • Thread starter Michelle Wenick
  • Start date
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Michelle Wenick

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Hello everybody,

An appeal for help I'm sorry, especially on my first forum post.

I'm studying web-design and for my summer dissertation for my e-commerce class next year I have to write a report comparing different e-commerce sites. I want to try and do it on specialist shops and found this site whilst looking for shops on the cycling site from the same family.

If you are willing to help can you tell me if anyone here has tryed any of the shop sites? Either ones listed on this site or others.

Which do you use and why? I'm trying to understand what is good about the sites from a web-design view both good and bad points if you see what I mean.

Thank you very much.
 
C

Carp Angler

Guest
An easy to use layout is essential, but the most important aspect of any online shop is

..........the price
 
C

Chris Bishop

Guest
Not to mention stock availability - I've lost count of the times I've ordered things expecting them to arrive in a day or two and had to wait weeks.

A lot of people like being able to shop globally for lures, rods, reels etc you can't get in this country - only problem here are the import taxes.
 
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Michelle Wenick

Guest
Thanx for help Carp Angler and Chris,

Can you tell me guys and anyone else what is most important for you in an e-commerce site from a web design perspective ie not price, range, brand or other business things:

In no particular order:
> Speed
> Pictures
> Descriptions
> Easy navigation
> Graphic design
> Search
> Other - if so what?

Could you rank them please? I am very grateful for your help.

Also which shop sites are good and which are bad please? Any reasons are helpful.

Thanx
 
A

Andrew Thomas

Guest
Speed is vital, the boredom factor is important here. Graphic design is well down the list provided product description and site navigation (which should include a search engine) are good. Accurate pictures help but most people who shop on the net know already what they want and are after the lowest price (from a reliable source.)

The ability to print the final order page and immediate email confirmation of the same is crucial.

Most of the leading CD online retailers exhibit these characteristics.

Delivery times , within reason, are immaterial given the right price. The ability to nominate a delivery address is a major plus , in my opinion.
 
C

Carp Angler

Guest
Easy navigation and search facilities are the most important, followed closely by speed.
The search facility would also need to be accurate and flexible (Boolien?)

The site has got to look nice and not have a cluttered front end.

Being on ADSL, graphics and shockwaves are just slightly annoying, when I was on 56k, they were a bloody nightmare.
If a page doesn't load within 3 or 4 seconds, then I'm hitting the 'back' button.

Pictures and indepth descriptions of products should be an informational button or thumbnail on the side.

I'll go back to price again, as a site without prices won't get my business.

If it says phone for best deal or such like then they've lost out.

Most of my surfing is done at silly times and if I want to buy something now, then why shouldn't I?
 
G

Gerry Castles

Guest
Descriptions
Easy navigation
Speed
Good telephone support
Search
Graphic design
Pictures
 
G

Gerry Castles

Guest
Two well laid out sites are www.cabelas.com and www.dlst.co.uk. Both contain high levels of information about the product.
If you are selling by internet (I do) customers do not have the benefit of picking up the product and examining it. Therefore more than anything else, good descriptions of internet/mail order products are vital. I regularly deal with www.summerlands.co.uk, but their website is a good example of a badly designed website. My site at
www.london-lettings.uk.com is simplicity itself (at least I hope people see it that way)
 
C

Chris Bishop

Guest
In no particular order:
> Speed - important, minimal banners and pop-ups to speed loading.

> Pictures - crucial especially with things like lures.

> Descriptions - honest is best

> Easy navigation - easy not to lose your place in a complex catalogue every time you buy something

> Graphic design - not so voital really. The flashier it is, the slower it is.

> Search - quick

> Other - if so what?
 
T

Tony wainwright

Guest
In order of preference:
speed.. depends on your set up but too much advertising is both annoying because it slows everything down and the ads become very irritating after a short while.

Descriptions.. as was previously stated this is very important. You cant examine the goods so a good picture is essential. Not everyone knows what they want exactly.

pictures.. as above

easy navigation.. if you get lost regularly on a site you go somewhere else.

PRICE.. I know you said its not what you are considering but as the Carp Angler stated if there is no price quoted then I'll look somewhere else. Why bother with a phone call when you are on line? Anyway, who would answer at 11pm on a Sunday night?
I am not alone in surfing at strange times such as this.

In short, keep the site simple, uncluttered, easy to navigate and with plenty of information on the products offered.
 
D

David Will

Guest
Speed , search,(bolean) photos/desriptions.
Good example is (was) Leslies of Luton bad example is Bennets of Sheffield.Also an early indication of whether payment can be made by debit card as well as credit card.
Another nice feature is a totting up of what you have selected with the collective costs , better than in some cases having no idea until the very end of the proceedings.
 
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Gerry Castles

Guest
David, what's good about Leslies of Luton. For over a year they've had 'predator' and also 'flyfishing' on the home page and yet neither of these pages have ever been completed.
 
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Stuart Dennis

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Wendy, please don't take this the wrong way, but if you truly are writing a dissertation on web design and e-commerce then I'm hapy to help you out. You can get my direct contact details through www.mymovies.net via the company section. Give me a call or send me an email and I'll put you in the picture and steer you in the right direction from a consumer and a retailer point of view over the web.
 
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Richard Drayson

Guest
One very important thing about websites is that they should be kept up to date.
In my view, this should mean weekly at the very minimum.
 
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Wendy Perry

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Stuart LOL i never said i was i didn't even start the thread hehehheh
 
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Stuart Dennis

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Bugger! I didn't mean Wendy, I meant Michelle! I'll start again....just goes to show you Wendy, that whether its day or night, I just cant get you out of my head....
 
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Stuart Dennis

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In starting Again...
Michelle, please don't take this the wrong way, but if you truly are writing a dissertation on web design and e-commerce then I'm hapy to help you out. You can get my direct contact details through www.mymovies.net via the company section. Give me a call or send me an email and I'll put you in the picture and steer you in the right direction from a consumer and a retailer point of view over the web.
 
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Wendy Perry

Guest
it's doing just great now i'm out fishing everyday now, trying to learn lots of things but still end up with the basics lol
Had a great session yesterday morn caught about 30 fish in 4 hrs :eek:)

Michelle i've bought lots of items of the fishing web sites and as a lady i find them very easy to use the only problem i have is if there isn't a pic of the item then i don't know what it is . So i would say there needs to be pictures.
 
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Wendy Perry

Guest
P.s Stu i had a look at your web site pretty cool actually !!
 
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