BizGirl Posted January 25, 2005 Share Posted January 25, 2005 Hello everyone, I am a new member of the forum, but I have been here many times. Just to give you all a little background info on me, I just turned 18 in December 2004. I implemented the osCommerce program back in October of 2004. Before then, actually since 2001, I personally hand coded HTML the entire website. The website is actually my mom's business but I do the computer and Internet related work for her. I would like you guys to please go to the website DaylightGifts.com for me, and please let me know what you think. I don't have a very large marketing budget, but I have implemented the Google Adwords program and I have Arelis for the SEO aspect of marketing. It seems though it's not good enough. The only person that has purchased since I put in osCommerce is my aunt. But of course I want other purchases. You have no idea what a mission this business has been. Thus, I would like your help, be as brutal as you need to be, I'll take it as constructive criticism. :rolleyes: ;) Thank you all very much in advance. BizGirl :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakatone Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 The best advice I can give you is to read through and look at every single post in this section of the Forums. Examine the site, see what you like and do not like about it. Be the customer. Then read the plans posted for improvements. I only say this because I personally have given lengthy reviews of sites that are very similar in needs to yours. This is not bad, it just simply means you have work to do. But then, with a Website as with any business, there is always work to be done. :'( Since you are wanting to succeed at this business with little to no marketing fund (which is perfectly fine if not suggested so that when you DO allot a fund for marketing it is used extremely successfully) I would suggest you look at the millions of sites out there that sell the same products as your site does. Review them (I know, you will be visiting many sites the next months) and nitpick what is wrong. Do not copy them. Never! Instead, think about how to set yourself apart from them and make the customer want you not them! Otherwise someone must become obsolete and the one with the better appeal (whether price, service, personalization, etcv.) wins. There are many customers to go around, but that is no excuse to be a clone. You sell gifts that can range from any holiday. I would pick key times during the year to create a front page where the welcome message and SSL logo are to promote that particular time of the year. Make a 200x200 or so image that eloquently displays the theme with a few products displayed usefully in it. List some products around that image in a theme with copywrite and you have a wonderful everchanging sales tactic! Valentine's might be too close even now to hurry and come up with a promotion for true success, but try for it as a tester. Item #34122 is an example on a featured item for this particular holiday. I hope this is a great start for you and wish you the best of luck. Just remember to persevere and do not let the absence of immediate sales detract you! Ruhl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizGirl Posted January 26, 2005 Author Share Posted January 26, 2005 The best advice I can give you is to read through and look at every single post in this section of the Forums. Examine the site, see what you like and do not like about it. Be the customer. Then read the plans posted for improvements. I only say this because I personally have given lengthy reviews of sites that are very similar in needs to yours. This is not bad, it just simply means you have work to do. But then, with a Website as with any business, there is always work to be done. :'( Since you are wanting to succeed at this business with little to no marketing fund (which is perfectly fine if not suggested so that when you DO allot a fund for marketing it is used extremely successfully) I would suggest you look at the millions of sites out there that sell the same products as your site does. Review them (I know, you will be visiting many sites the next months) and nitpick what is wrong. Do not copy them. Never! Instead, think about how to set yourself apart from them and make the customer want you not them! Otherwise someone must become obsolete and the one with the better appeal (whether price, service, personalization, etcv.) wins. There are many customers to go around, but that is no excuse to be a clone. You sell gifts that can range from any holiday. I would pick key times during the year to create a front page where the welcome message and SSL logo are to promote that particular time of the year. Make a 200x200 or so image that eloquently displays the theme with a few products displayed usefully in it. List some products around that image in a theme with copywrite and you have a wonderful everchanging sales tactic! Valentine's might be too close even now to hurry and come up with a promotion for true success, but try for it as a tester. Item #34122 is an example on a featured item for this particular holiday. I hope this is a great start for you and wish you the best of luck. Just remember to persevere and do not let the absence of immediate sales detract you! Ruhl <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thank you for your advice and I'll do what you suggested as soon as I can (I still go to high school ;) ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 BizGirl, Great start...quick question, is this SMC? :) Vanessa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizGirl Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 BizGirl, Great start...quick question, is this SMC? :) Vanessa <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes, it is the SMC product line. I know that the internet seems to be a bit saturated, but right now SMC is my only option. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakatone Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 You've got mail. :) Yes, saturation is not good, but not the worse thing that could happen. Here is another quick tip. Look through SMC and see if there is a genre of products with enough inventory to start a specific niche business. Possibly pick a niche of items that would interest you most as your enthusiasm will become apparent to your customers in the website's design, product description and your overall desire to succeed. The reason I recommend this is that it is much MUCH harder to create a "general store" business to compete with the likes of Overstock.com, Amazon.com, etc. Niche stores are much more successful at our level. Sporting goods stores would take massive time and fiscal contributions to transpire; however, a fly fishing specialty shop would be easy to start up and would, with dedication and desire to persevere, become quite successful with people who shared that desire with your genre. If you choose to remain very general, you will need to work very hard on identifying yourselves with your demographics and creating specific marketing campaigns as I mentioned above. I should get that example to you shortly via e-mail. Ruhl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizGirl Posted January 27, 2005 Author Share Posted January 27, 2005 You've got mail. :) Yes, saturation is not good, but not the worse thing that could happen. Here is another quick tip. Look through SMC and see if there is a genre of products with enough inventory to start a specific niche business. Possibly pick a niche of items that would interest you most as your enthusiasm will become apparent to your customers in the website's design, product description and your overall desire to succeed. The reason I recommend this is that it is much MUCH harder to create a "general store" business to compete with the likes of Overstock.com, Amazon.com, etc. Niche stores are much more successful at our level. Sporting goods stores would take massive time and fiscal contributions to transpire; however, a fly fishing specialty shop would be easy to start up and would, with dedication and desire to persevere, become quite successful with people who shared that desire with your genre. If you choose to remain very general, you will need to work very hard on identifying yourselves with your demographics and creating specific marketing campaigns as I mentioned above. I should get that example to you shortly via e-mail. Ruhl <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thank you so much for your support. I'll get to it ASAP, since I go to school. :D :rolleyes: B) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2005 Share Posted January 27, 2005 Yes, its saturated but as dakatone says if you can find the niche market then you would have a better chance of marketing your site etc. I signed up for the service last year and even built a site but just haven't done anything with it. So if you want to exchange ideas let me know.....take a look at it and let me know what you think: http://www.ShopWithMeOnline.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizGirl Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 Yes, its saturated but as dakatone says if you can find the niche market then you would have a better chance of marketing your site etc. I signed up for the service last year and even built a site but just haven't done anything with it. So if you want to exchange ideas let me know.....take a look at it and let me know what you think: http://www.ShopWithMeOnline.com <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am currently planning on putting your tips and dakatone's tips together to redesign the website. I like your website, especially the rollover first category menu. Thanks for your help, BizGirl :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizGirl Posted February 2, 2005 Author Share Posted February 2, 2005 Hi everyone, I have been updating the header portion and the footer portion of the website. Please let me know what you think of it according to your suggestions. Of course it is still a work in progress, but I would like some feedback thus far. :rolleyes: BizGirl DaylightGifts.com :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BizGirl Posted February 4, 2005 Author Share Posted February 4, 2005 Could someone please, tell me how I am doing so far with the header and the footer of the website? Thank you very much in advance, BizGirl Margaret :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.