Feedback on new website

MrPicante

Hello,

I would really appreciate your feedback on a new website I just launched selling fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment and services to commercial and residential customers in Ireland. The URL is http://firesafetyexpress.ie

I would really like to get some feedback on:

1. Do you think the site is trustworthy
2. Is there enough information for your to buy (if you had a need) and if not what else would you need?
3. How is the checkout process? Does it make sense?
4. Would you still prefer to call before making a purchase
5. Would you be influenced by a) cost b) quality or c) fitting and maintenance, if you were going to choose a provider.

Thanks,

Brian

kilburn

Hi, just had a look through your site. Your home page is very good and you have a good range of stock. I walked through buyimng an item and found the checkout process user friendly.

The main thing i was looking for in buying a product was safety standards and specifications and you have those listed although i cannot say if they are up to date or not as i am not an expert.

As regards cost I bought a few extingushers and fire blankets lately and you are very competitively priced.

Best of luck with it. Only tip if you do not do it as i could have missed it try offering fire warden and fire training courses.

sozbox

Mobile version isn't the best.But on desktop it looks well,professional and well laid out, only change I'd make is making the social icons more prominent if that's where you want to drive users.

jetsonx

First impression - not bad.

1) Your logo is very weak. A logo is not that important for a business but a weak one could lose you some potential customers. Get a professionally designed one with more detail.

2) The centre-piece of the website seems to be a €12 Fire Extinguisher. This makes we wonder whether you are selling to consumers or business....


1. Do you think the site is trustworthy.
7/10. - I would like to see actual testimonials rather than logos as testimonials.

2. Is there enough information for your to buy (if you had a need) and if not what else would you need?
If I'm a buyer for business I'm not really interested. But, I do want to meet or exceed all fire regulations. I will
need a trustworthy company....all goes back to trust...

3. How is the checkout process? Does it make sense?
I would rather buy via proforma invoice for a purchase such as this...


4. Would you still prefer to call before making a purchase
Definitely, remember I want to meet or preferably exceed regulations. I don't want to waste time buying the wrong stuff...

5. Would you be influenced by a) cost b) quality or c) fitting and maintenance, if you were going to choose a provider.
All three are important to me. I would not be looking for the cheapest-of-the-cheap though...as this would probably cost me more in the long-run. I want a turn-key service (fitting, fire safety audit) that is value-for-money.

MrPicante

Thank you very much - much appreciated

MrPicante

Hey guys, thank you very much for the feedback, it is very much appreciated. Some very good points.

MrPicante

one last question, did you think it was obvious you were getting free shipping?

jetsonx

I did'nt even look...For a product like, I expect somebody to come out in a car or van and do the installation for me...

(Free shipping is really important if your selling consumer stuff like T-shirts but for classic B2B stuff like fire extinguishers...free shipping I suspect would not be at the forefront of the buyers mind)

MrPicante

thanks, very good point. I'm going to try updating all the good feedback.

TheWaterboy

Website looks very good - simple and easy on the eye.

Some small points

1) Those stock images of the man / woman / van - very cheesy especially the guy.

2) As someone mentioned I wouldn't expect free shipping with products like this. More expect a personal delivery service and / or installation

3) 'Fully Certified' - fully certified with what or from who.

4) About Us - Get an image of yourself or a group image of your team there. Builds trust

5) The checkout process is fine. On the payments by Credit Card there is a small issue with the error checking. Firstly the jquery errors kick in 'Please enter a valid credit card number' and then a few seconds later the javascript popup appears with similiar error. No need for both.

6) Also get a logo or some details of the company that provides your credit card processing e.g. Realex etc etc. This too builds trust. Put this on the payment page.

Best of luck with it.

tricky D

In additional to the above:

Some things need to be made more prominent and explained better: The Free Shipping and Next Day Delivery are a bit lost under their current treatment. Something like a star badge might work.

Certification is not linked to anywhere and the content of 3 year warranty popup is inconsistent; 3 or 5 years?? If I'm a half-clued in B2B buyer I want compliance info on legislation and standards eg. BS9999: xxx

Some of the Shopping process is confusing and has poor functionality.

Your prices are ex-VAT but this is not obvious.

I can't just buy some fire alarms; I have to get a quote when I don't want and shouldn't have to.

If I go to Fire Alarms & Alarm Systems and click size info, the popup content is irrelevant.

No harm in putting Returns info into Shipping page even though it is elsewhere.

As alluded to, consider segmenting your domestic and commercial markets better.

I'd also put your company reg info for trust purposes.

MrPicante

Please see below.

Firstly, thank you for the feedback. Couple of quick questions.

tricky D wrote: »

In additional to the above:


The Free Shipping and Next Day Delivery are a bit lost under their current treatment. Something like a star badge might work - excellent point.

Certification is not linked to anywhere and the content of 3 year warranty popup is inconsistent; 3 or 5 years?? If I'm a half-clued in B2B buyer I want compliance info on legislation and standards eg. BS9999: xxx Excellent Point

Some of the Shopping process is confusing and has poor functionality - can you explain a little please - what element is confusing?

Your prices are ex-VAT but this is not obvious- I will include this

I can't just buy some fire alarms; I have to get a quote when I don't want and shouldn't have to- fire alarm systems needs a quote, I am uploading basic fire alarms now with costs. Very good point though.

If I go to Fire Alarms & Alarm Systems and click size info, the popup content is irrelevant - yes, this needs to be removed

No harm in putting Returns info into Shipping page even though it is elsewhere - excellent point, will do now

As alluded to, consider segmenting your domestic and commercial markets better - I will place a domestic section on the site to make this obvious.

I'd also put your company reg info for trust purposes.

Peterdalkey

WEll DONE OP. You came on here looking for advice and have taken it all on the chin as proper constructive criticism ( in the proper meaning of the word). You laid out your case clearly, struck a chord with the readers and got quality considered replies. You openly took the comments on board, you will do well and deserve to do so!

Trojan

Peterdalkey wrote: »

WEll DONE OP. You came on here looking for advice and have taken it all on the chin as proper constructive criticism ( in the proper meaning of the word). You laid out your case clearly, struck a chord with the readers and got quality considered replies. You openly took the comments on board, you will do well and deserve to do so!

+1. We look forward to the time when this is the norm

MrPicante

Thank you, I am really impressed with all the feedback. We genuinely want to provide the best online customer experience we can.

Domain

I think it's a very comprehensive and well put together website. I see you are getting up there for some keywords in the google organic listings too.

I notice that you offer fast delivery on items in stock, I'd like to just ask, the items that are not in stock, are they coming from the UK? Did you "start off" with a higher ratio of drop ship stock or bought outright stock?

Best regards.

MrPicante

we keep all the stock in house but anything off the grid we need to order in from the UK.
Thanks for the feedback

MrPicante

Thank you for all the feedback folks, much appreciated. Please keep it coming as sales have already increased since I included all of the feedback.

The Pontiac

Very nice website. The RTE, Centra etc. links need colour though.

The Pontiac

Peterdalkey wrote: »

WEll DONE OP. You came on here looking for advice and have taken it all on the chin as proper constructive criticism ( in the proper meaning of the word). You laid out your case clearly, struck a chord with the readers and got quality considered replies. You openly took the comments on board, you will do well and deserve to do so!

+2

MrPicante

Thanks once again guys - still looking for a bit of harsh feedback if anyone has 5 minutes. It will really help is get an understanding of what people want from a fire safety provider online.

Don't hold back - cheers

jetsonx

MrPicante wrote: »

Hello,

I would really appreciate your feedback on a new website I just launched selling fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment and services to commercial and residential customers in Ireland. The URL is http://firesafetyexpress.ie
Brian

Brian,

First of all let me re-iterate what other posters have said to you regarding your genuine and tenacious desire to perfect your website. It is great to see a business person wanting harsh criticism. Those who like to listen to what they want to hear normally don't last very long. Here is some quick advice.

Can i go back to your first statement here about
selling fire extinguishers and fire safety equipment and services to commercial and residential customers in Ireland. This is your business goal. But, it is too broad. For the design of a website you must know what your core offering will be.

I am going to make an assumption here that most businesses, apart form those involved in health and safety consultants will not be buying fire safety equipment direct. They will have somebody else do it for them. Sure, you will always get stray enquiries and sales from some office geek or from clients who are cost-cutting and doing DIY fire-prevention (not desirable clients IMO). But, I do not think your core business will be from these people.

Your core business will probably be offering "turnkey solutions" for business and organisation's wanting to meet fire safety regulations. If you just start selling equipment, you will fall into a vicious commodity trap where you will be competing with companies from the whole of this island and the whole of the UK (and furtherafield).

So, to be honest you are jumping the gun when you ask the question
It will really help is get an understanding of what people want from a fire safety provider online.. You will just get a laundry list of answers about colour schmes, fonts and vague expectations people have about online vendors. Then you have a lot ammunition but it might not be suited to your best prospsects.

I want to ask you the question, what market do you want to be in? Do want to be primarily a seller of products or do you want to be a service provider? Or, do you want to be primarily a product vendor and offer some service work on the side or vice versa? Like any business strategy problem; it is not about getting the right answers; it is about asking the right questions and getting answers to those.

Effective website and content strategy will start-off with business strategy first. Once you have defined the strategy for your business; then you can worry about content strategy because you will have a mental picture at the back of your mind of who the content is talking to.

I hope this helps.

MrPicante

Hi Jensonx,

Thank you very much for your consider and insightful feedback and appraisal. It's only when you get quality feedback are you able to bring yourself a couple of steps back and remove yourself from the woods and trees. You have hit the nail on the head, thank you. I admit I have been trying to perfect the website for the greater good of all potential customers but as you noted this might not be the best strategy. We have a number of customer sets and it's hard to meet all of their specific needs from one platform - as this might not even be the right strategy to start with.

I have spent the last while thinking about the below and documenting my thoughts (probably won't share the entire business strategy on boards) - but it has been very worthwhile.

"I want to ask you the question, what market do you want to be in? Do want to be primarily a seller of products or do you want to be a service provider? Or, do you want to be primarily a product vendor and offer some service work on the side or vice versa? Like any business strategy problem; it is not about getting the right answers; it is about asking the right questions and getting answers to those."

Thanks for all the feedback.