New Website - Feedback please

scottyboy1973

Hi All

I'm about to launch iCessorise, a new website what will sell iPhone and iPod Accessories. At the moment it's in test at bp39.betapark.co.uk . I'd really appreciate your feedback on look and feel, products on there, pricing etc. Ultimately, I guess the question is, would you buy from it??

Anything else I should put on there?

Thanks a million - Scotty

Tom Dunne

Looks good - clean, straight forward, non-cluttered user interface.

One big thing, though, is the lack of Real World contact details on the Contact Us page. It's the first thing I always look for when I am trying to judge if the site is a scam. I see they are in the FAQ section, but it isn't the first place I would look.

Also, on the main page, there are icons suggesting you take 3V and American Express, yet on the FAQ section, there is no mention of them.

scottyboy1973

Thanks Tom

only being a one man gig I'm loathe to put up phone numbers - would the addition of email address and mailing address on the contact us page help?

What did you think of the product range? is this the kind of stuff you might buy at the prices indicated?

Tom Dunne

scottyboy1973 wrote: »

Thanks Tom

only being a one man gig I'm loathe to put up phone numbers - would the addition of email address and mailing address on the contact us page help?

Yeah, I see where you are coming from, but it's a perception thing. e-mail address would help somewhat, I suppose.

scottyboy1973 wrote: »

What did you think of the product range? is this the kind of stuff you might buy at the prices indicated?

There isn't a whole lot that grabbed my attention, tbh. I already have an FM transmitter, that would have been the first thing I would have looked at. But then again, it's these low-cost, mass-market items that will probably sell well.

Having said that, I am looking for a set of earphones, as the crappy set I bought on ebay are falling to pieces (and pricking me in the ear every time I use the shaggin' things), so I might just put you to the test. Are you open for business?

And, are they decent enough earphones?

scottyboy1973

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Having said that, I am looking for a set of earphones, as the crappy set I bought on ebay are falling to pieces (and pricking me in the ear every time I use the shaggin' things), so I might just put you to the test. Are you open for business?

And, are they decent enough earphones?

I've actually a load of headphones coming in - set yourself up an account on the site and I'lll drop you a note when I've got them

Thanks a mill for the feedback.

tricky D

Tom is spot on about the email, postal address and phone numbers. The more you provide, the more reassured the customer is and the purchase decision is easier.

You're charging VAT but that's not clear unless you notice it in the FAQ. It might be mentioned after providing an email address but I didn't go that far.

Where's your RBN?

Your homepage text:
Welcome to iCessorise.com
We've combed the planet to bring you the best, funkiest and coolest accesories for your iPod and iPhone. We don't stock hundreds of products that will take you hours to browse through and we chose to shy away from products from the likes of Belkin, iFrogz, Denon, Apple and Skinz - What we do stock is what we believe are the best value products at the best prices. All you have to do is browse and buy!

1st Welcome line is fluff, remove it. Second line - good except for the spelling mistake. 3rd line is about what you don't do - remove it as it's negative and confusing. Talk about the brands you do stock, not the ones you don't. The customer is scanning text much more than reading it and can easily pass over the 'we don't stock' bit due to distraction from the brand names which are assumed to be what you're selling. That whole paragraph needs work. You need to approach it along the lines of: got something you need, we have it, get in touch/do stuff. So I might rewrite the para as: Looking for the best, funkiest and coolest accessories for your iPod and iPhone. We've combed the planet to bring you the best value products at the best prices. All you have to do is browse and choose!

Your SEO
Work on your title tags and use the meta description and keywords tags (carefully). Try to use the strong tag instead of the b(old) and if it's available in you CMS.

I'd like to see a more comprehensive privacy policy (cookies, SSL, encryption etc).

Other wise it's a nice job you've done - looks nice and clean. Best of luck with the business.

hth

scottyboy1973

tricky D wrote: »

Tom is spot on about the email, postal address and phone numbers. The more you provide, the more reassured the customer is and the purchase decision is easier.

You're charging VAT but that's not clear unless you notice it in the FAQ. It might be mentioned after providing an email address but I didn't go that far.

Where's your RBN?

Whats an RBN? And on the VAT thing I'm not actually charing VAT immediately. I will add it in and it will show on the product page as 'includes VAT at 21.5%' when i introduce it

tricky D wrote: »

Your homepage text:
Welcome to iCessorise.com
We've combed the planet to bring you the best, funkiest and coolest accesories for your iPod and iPhone. We don't stock hundreds of products that will take you hours to browse through and we chose to shy away from products from the likes of Belkin, iFrogz, Denon, Apple and Skinz - What we do stock is what we believe are the best value products at the best prices. All you have to do is browse and buy!

1st Welcome line is fluff, remove it. Second line - good except for the spelling mistake. 3rd line is about what you don't do - remove it as it's negative and confusing. Talk about the brands you do stock, not the ones you don't. The customer is scanning text much more than reading it and can easily pass over the 'we don't stock' bit due to distraction from the brand names which are assumed to be what you're selling. That whole paragraph needs work. You need to approach it along the lines of: got something you need, we have it, get in touch/do stuff. So I might rewrite the para as: Looking for the best, funkiest and coolest accessories for your iPod and iPhone. We've combed the planet to bring you the best value products at the best prices. All you have to do is browse and choose!

Point taken

tricky D wrote: »

Your SEO
Work on your title tags and use the meta description and keywords tags (carefully). Try to use the strong tag instead of the b(old) and if it's available in you CMS.

I'd like to see a more comprehensive privacy policy (cookies, SSL, encryption etc).

Will look at both these thanks

tricky D wrote: »

Other wise it's a nice job you've done - looks nice and clean. Best of luck with the business.

hth

thanks a million - your feedback and the time you invested in banging it in is much appreciated.

lecheile

scottyboy1973 wrote: »

Hi All

I'm about to launch iCessorise, a new website what will sell iPhone and iPod Accessories. At the moment it's in test at bp39.betapark.co.uk . I'd really appreciate your feedback on look and feel, products on there, pricing etc. Ultimately, I guess the question is, would you buy from it??

Anything else I should put on there?

Thanks a million - Scotty

Hi Scottyboy - are the postage and pack rates you quote the actual ones that you will be using. This can be a real turnoff if they are set too high. Is that recorded delivery is this is the actual cost?

scottyboy1973

lecheile wrote: »

Hi Scottyboy - are the postage and pack rates you quote the actual ones that you will be using. This can be a real turnoff if they are set too high. Is that recorded delivery is this is the actual cost?

Still playing around with it at the moment - need to define the weight of each item so it shows a fair P&P price. they certainly wont be more than that and in some cases will be less. S

tricky D

scottyboy1973 wrote: »

Whats an RBN? And on the VAT thing I'm not actually charing VAT immediately. I will add it in and it will show on the product page as 'includes VAT at 21.5%' when i introduce it

Registered Business Number/Name from CRO. It's supposed to be displayed though compliance is er um, varied.

Re VAT. You've mentioned it in the FAQ which is why I brought it up. I'd read up on it though for when you do start charging. While the taxman doesn't like the idea of chasing startups in the earliest days, you don't want to catch yourself out.

scottyboy1973 wrote: »

thanks a million - your feedback and the time you invested in banging it in is much appreciated.

No problem. I'll look forward to a pint in the Elph when you make your first mill:)

scottyboy1973

I look forward to that too- I might even make it two pints

Re the RBN - in process and a good point.

Dades

Scotty, from the pov of a web developer - I think it looks great.
Simple and easy to navigate - kudos.

One thing I always look for when buying online is an FAQ. Particularly one that answers questions on shipping, delivery times, refunds etc.

Best of luck, let us know when you are all stocked up!

tricky D

Dades wrote: »

One thing I always look for when buying online is an FAQ. Particularly one that answers questions on shipping, delivery times, refunds etc.

Yup. There is a FAQ there. It's just not prominent and should be in the nav and not buried in the sitemap. Also the FAQ should address what Dades mentions. The Terms & C, Legal Info and Privacy Policy should be separate pages from footer links.

Loomis

Being Irish, would you consider adding Laser payment method?

You may be tinkering with it as I speak so could explain why File Not Found occurs when clicking Terms.

scottyboy1973

Mr. Anderson wrote: »

Being Irish, would you consider adding Laser payment method?

You may be tinkering with it as I speak so could explain why File Not Found occurs when clicking Terms.

Thanks for feedback. You can only get laser with a full merchant account and you can't get one of them without a year under ur belt. Bit of a pain. I'm using paypal and accepting credit cards thru that. Not the best. The store builder also limits me. Until I move to another platform Iagree it isn't perfect but provides a good stopgap

scottyboy1973

Mr. Anderson wrote: »

Being Irish, would you consider adding Laser payment method?

You may be tinkering with it as I speak so could explain why File Not Found occurs when clicking Terms.

Good spot on the terms - that is fixed now. Thanks

I might split this out into FAQs (which I'll put up at the top beside the home and contact tabs) and put the legal-ish stuff on the existing terms page at the bottom

Loomis

scottyboy1973 wrote: »

Good spot on the terms - that is fixed now. Thanks

I might split this out into FAQs (which I'll put up at the top beside the home and contact tabs) and put the legal-ish stuff on the existing terms page at the bottom

No problem. Just had a very quick look and clicked the links at the bottom to see were they working.

Noticed a very small cosmetic point on the Tell a Friend page - the Message label is not correctly aligned with it's text box. Also the text box is slightly wider than the other text fields on the page. Looks better when all consistent widths personally. Same issue for Message box on Contact Us page.

The checkbox Add another friend: I'd change the text to Tell another friend as when clicked I was expecting a second friend/email field to be added to the page rather than it simply displaying the same page again after successfully sending the first mail.

*spot the software tester

scottyboy1973

Mr. Anderson wrote: »

No problem. Just had a very quick look and clicked the links at the bottom to see where they working.

Noticed a very small cosmetic point on the Tell a Friend page - the Message label is not correctly aligned with it's text box. Also the text box is slightly wider than the other text fields on the page. Looks better when all consistent widths personally. Same issue for Message box on Contact Us page.

The checkbox Add another friend: I'd change the text to Tell another friend as when clicked I was expecting a second friend/email field to be added to the page rather than it simply displaying the same page again after successfully sending the first mail.

*spot the software tester

You Geeks! thanks a million Mr A - exactly the type of feedback and input I was looking for.

scottyboy1973

thanks for your help and advice on this everyone - once the site is up and live I'll stick a discount code up here for you to use.

scottyboy1973

Hey all - thanks for your feedback, all of which has been really useful. The site is now live at www.icessorise.com for a range of accessories for your ipod, iphone and MP3 player. To celebrate the store launching there is 10% off for the month of July.

Have a look and if there's something you like the look of, buy it!! ;-)

Tom Dunne

scottyboy1973 wrote: »

Hey all - thanks for your feedback, all of which has been really useful. The site is now live at www.icessorise.com for a range of accessories for your ipod, iphone and MP3 player. To celebrate the store launching there is 10% off for the month of July.

Have a look and if there's something you like the look of, buy it!! ;-)

Ah crap.

I've just bought possibly the worst pair of earphones ever on ebay.

Still, might just have a look.

cojomo2

Scotty,

do u offer a collection service?

I ask as if i wanted to buy something small that cost a 5er, wouldnt make much sence if i had to pay nearly the same for postage..but I have no issues picking it up from your office in tara street,,...

scottyboy1973

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Ah crap.

I've just bought possibly the worst pair of earphones ever on ebay.

Still, might just have a look.

How much were they?:(

Drakar

Congrats btw, I was expecting this to look dodgy, but it looks great!

scottyboy1973

Drakar wrote: »

Congrats btw, I was expecting this to look dodgy, but it looks great!

Thanks - I think!

scottyboy1973

cojomo2 wrote: »

Scotty,

do u offer a collection service?

I ask as if i wanted to buy something small that cost a 5er, wouldnt make much sence if i had to pay nearly the same for postage..but I have no issues picking it up from your office in tara street,,...

Sorry but we dont I'm afraid. But if you're buying something for a fiver (which is a skin or other case I guess?) and paying 3.75 P&P you're still getting a great product for less than 9 quid and a lot less than you'll pay in the shops aren't you?

Kashkai

Wonder why this guy was banned? I see he has been promoting his new website across different forums on Boards so perhaps the Admins got tired of him getting the free advertising.

I had a look at his website and tbh, there's nothing on it that would interest me or that appears to be cheap, e.g. this item:
http://www.icessorise.com/iphone_iphone3g/wireless-car-kit.html

I got the exact same "Made in China" piece of crap FM transmitter off another Irish seller on ebay.ie for €16. Sure it plays back the iPhone 3Gs music through the stereo but the interference can be brutal sometimes (has you grabbing for the car radio's off button) and it does NOT charge the iPhone. Some further research on the web has shown that these cheap chargers can cause the iPhone to literally meltdown due to a lack of fuse to prevent overheating.

Victor_M

Jesus that a bit harsh - The fella is looking for a bit of feedback and obviously a bit of free advertising, he's trying to start his own business, if you don't like what he's selling don't buy it. No need to be such a **** about it.

I have no connection whatsoever with yer man scotty, just don't like seeing people who are making an effort being shot down in such an 'Irish' manner.

Dades

Victor_M wrote: »

I have no connection whatsoever with yer man scotty, just don't like seeing people who are making an effort being shot down in such an 'Irish' manner.

I'm inclined to agree.

Though I've just seen this item here. Unless it's an Apple chipped product it will be rejected by iPhone 3G/S's - and at that price it's likely to be the same non-Apple product I bought first time.

I've just contacted scotty via the site and let him know. I suspect the omission wasn't intentional.

Kashkai

Victor_M wrote: »

Jesus that a bit harsh - The fella is looking for a bit of feedback and obviously a bit of free advertising, he's trying to start his own business, if you don't like what he's selling don't buy it. No need to be such a **** about it.

I have no connection whatsoever with yer man scotty, just don't like seeing people who are making an effort being shot down in such an 'Irish' manner.

Whoops, should have toned down my post - I was mainly wondering why the guy was banned.

However that cheap fm transmitter is useless and doesn't charge the iPhone 3G. I made the mistake of buying one and wanted to point out to Boardsies that they should buy a better make like a Griffin iTrip or Belkin Tunecast Auto. More money granted but they work. Isn't that one of the reasons people post on Boards, i.e. to get recommendations on whether to buy this product or that product etc.

Tom Dunne

Guys, it's not really for us to discuss why somebody was site banned.

Though, to be honest, I am quite surprised.

Anyway, I wish scotty all the best with his site, I will certainly be keeping an eye on it next time I am purchasing something iPhone related.