Opinions needed - Free gift to One Respondant

[greenhomeelectronics]

Hi Folks, I have been playing with changing the way my listings look. Trouble is I can't decide what poeple prefer - a wordy listing or just a table of facts. So what I thought I would do is run a little competition -it's very simple. Just compare this listing - http://www.greenhomeshop.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=491

with this listing - http://www.greenhomeshop.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=370

tell me which one you prefer and why. Please post your comments here.

I will give it a couple of weeks and will pick one respondant at random, that person will receive a pair of super high quality Arcam interconnects totally free of charge.

Thanks in advance to anybody that takes a look and makes any comments (serious ones only please). We are always looking for ways to make our site more user friendly, this is one of many changes and updates I am thinking of.
Please note these are just sample listings, the items are not available for sale, they are just to give the idea of two styles of listings.

All the best,Dave.

[snapper]

For me it would be the 2nd one.

http://www.greenhomeshop.co.uk/shop/...roducts_id=370

because I like to read a bit about a future purchase.

In the first ad there is a Features box,maybe you could incorporate a bit of each of them.

I know it's been mentioned before,but I still think you should get rid of the lady at the top.

IMHO

YMMV

[Marco]

Hi Dave,

I vote for the first one - the template advertising the Arcam is tidier. For the type of website you're running and the products you're selling a table of specifications reads better to prospective buyers I feel rather than something wordier. Remember people's attention span reading websites is usually quite short, and as they say, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression!

Hope this helps

Regards,
Marco.

P.S I agree with David about the woman - she makes it look like an insurance or a loan website.

[greenhomeelectronics]

P.S I agree with David about the woman - she makes it look like an insurance or a loan website
Aaaaaaarggghhhh *Dave scampers off to find Zencart book section on changing templates*
Thanks guys, keep em coming :-)

[Mike]

I'd like to see some sort of combination of the two. Some descriptive text thats actually interesting and relevant followed perhaps by a small table of features.

I have no idea what Mrs Schoolteacher is doing at the top either???

Cheers,
Mike.

[greenhomeelectronics]

LOL - yes she is a bit corporate / schoolteacher I am going to remove her as soon as I figure out how to do so. She got embedded by the company that used to host my web site and she can't be removed by the proper method. I can't figure out how they have done it so need to get a proper software person to have a look at it for me. I have a big upgrade planned so I may well work in the removal of Mrs. Strict at the same time.
Dave.

[Marco]

I'd like to see some sort of combination of the two. Some descriptive text thats actually interesting and relevant followed perhaps by a small table of features.

I agree, Mike, but there's a limit to what you can say about an Arcam Alpha 5!

I still say that for this type of product the small table of specifications and brief description shown in the first example is simple and effective. If it were some rare valve amp that was for sale then that's a different matter...

Dave, I think it's unanimous that 'Jean Brodie' is superfluous to requirements if you want your website to be the creme de la creme!

Marco.

[Mike]

Fair point, but I was generalising..... I didn't take much notice of the Arcam as I assumed it was just an example!

[Marco]

You're right about it just being an example but as far as I'm aware it's representative of the type of kit Dave sells

Marco.

[Chris Frost]

We've all agreed so far that Mrs. Corporate has got to go, Dave

If it was me I'd rethink the layout completely. The top half of the page is the most important bit. It's the part of the page they see before scrolling. That's where all your good stuff needs to be. It tells customers why they should deal with you, gives them the tools to find what they want and some help navigating around the site.


Here's some specific thoughts:

* Use a shorter header banner. Then more of what you sell can be seen on the page before scrolling down.

* Ditch 'Home', 'Login' and 'Search' at the top of the page. Home isn't needed if your navigation structure elsewhere on the page is properly designed. 'Login' suggests I've got to register before searching - They'll go to someone elses site before giving you their details. (Use the sales page for returning customers). Search isn't needed twice on the page.

* Remove the grey text categories. You have more useful category links in the box on the left (like the numbers BTW, good idea). Replace that text with the breadcrumb trail (the blue text) and make the text bigger.

* The top box on the left column is good. Now you've got their eye over there you should put the Manufacturer category box below it, then have Search below that. 'Point and click' to find is quicker and more reliable than giving someone the chance to type Merantz or Phillips and come up with 0 results when you know there's stock on the site. (Think about adding all the wrong spellings to your search engine just in case.)

* Right hand column. Top section should be the 'New Products' box. I presume that will cycle through 5 or 6 of your juiciest deals? If not, it should.

* Your Important Links and Information boxes contain some duplicated info. Rethink what's in there. Put customer-centric info into a box called 'Useful Info' - Gift Certificates (another excellent idea), Recommend a Friend, News Letter, Latest Offers mailer, Special Deals, etc. All this is stuff designed to keep customers on your site a bit longer and give them a reason to visit again (offers & deals) or tell their friends about your site. BTW, remove Unsubscribe, put it as an option in the news letter or mailers.

* Next box down is the 'Site Info' box - this is where you put commercial info important to the customer first (shipping costs & del times, warranty, contact details, company background) and then stuff important to you (T's & C's, Privacy, Returns etc). This info could be positioned across the footer bar just as effectively.

* Center column - I like 'Product X/Y' and the nav buttons. Once the site is developed I assume that 'List' will take me to a line list of the sub category - i.e. Amps, rather that a mix of all categories as now?

* The picture needs more white space around it; a 10%-15% equal white border all the way round, and the image should be centered with text below or a smaller image used and left justified if you plan to wrap the text. 'Click for an enlargement' is good; try to get a magnifying glass image and have the hot link placed over the small thumbnail to save space. Loose the tiny green text below and the huge white bottom border. Anyone pinching images from your site for Ebay will erase that in text in 2 seconds flat. It also looks untidy. Protect your original images with a larger semi-transparent logo placed over the product.

* Product text - Product name + remote is good - leaves no doubt. Move the price to the end. I like the text talking about the product, it's more welcoming . Add some testimonials from old reviews if possible. I think you're allowed to use 12 words without breaching copyright. 'New remote' & 'door fixed' is good info. It inspires a bit more confidence. The table is useful too. but change the category order. The first thing I want to know is the physical condition. Rephrasing to say "One small scratch, otherwise excellent" is better IMO. Then I want to know about practical things like colour and connections, then USPs like oversampling and DACs, finally size, weight and warranty last.

* Product price and the buy button should be positioned together with plenty of empty space around. Below this should be methods of payment and any sponsor links.

* You're doing your bit for a greener world, so why not go the extra mile and promote a carbon neutral policy? My business supports energy saving projects in E.Africa. You can read more about this at www.co2balance.com I offset the businesses carbon consumption and those of my customers installs. The percentage cost is tiny. There is an opt out in my sales contract but so far no-one has taken it. The £'s amount is negligable, probably £1 in every hundred for your business. It fits what you're doing perfectly.

* Finally, I'm in two minds about the word "Recycled". To me it is very loaded. I think of recycled as once thrown away. 'Pre-owned' says to me that it has come from somebody else's home, perhaps someone who cared well for it.


Developing a commercial web site is a mammoth task. I know, I'm going through the same thing myself. Dave, you have my admiration and very best wishes for business success.

Regards

Chris