9 months of developement later...

[mijman2]

Hello everyone!

 

I have been developing the newest version of my site, iPod Xtras, for some time now, and yesterday, it officially went live! I have integrated several modules and contributions (I will list those that I can remeber)

 

User Side (* signifies highly recomended)

-Credit Class and Gift Voucher

-->Customized a bit

----.checkout page layout

----.redid possible errors and made them more applicable as to what the user did wrong

-PayPal IPN

-Extra Produt Fields*

-Short Description in listings*

-Snowing Javascript

-All Product Category

-Customer Comments on Orders*

 

Custom Scripting

-Revamped searching (ipod bar)

-Added iPod compatibility in listing

-Side Bar

 

Admin Side (* signifies highly recomended)

-SEO Assistant

-Who's Online Enhancement*

-Supertracker*

-Table Rate Shipping

 

My site is: http://www.ipodxtras.com

 

I am currently looking for another credit card proccessor besides for paypal, if you have one that you really like please let me know, I would REALLY appreciate it!

Please leave a thought or suggestion, Thank you so Much!

[Guest]

Hello everyone!

 

I have been developing the newest version of my site, iPod Xtras, for some time now, and yesterday, it officially went live! I have integrated several modules and contributions (I will list those that I can remeber)

 

User Side (* signifies highly recomended)

-Credit Class and Gift Voucher

-->Customized a bit

----.checkout page layout

----.redid possible errors and made them more applicable as to what the user did wrong

-PayPal IPN

-Extra Produt Fields*

-Short Description in listings*

-Snowing Javascript

-All Product Category

-Customer Comments on Orders*

 

Custom Scripting

-Revamped searching (ipod bar)

-Added iPod compatibility in listing

-Side Bar

 

Admin Side (* signifies highly recomended)

-SEO Assistant

-Who's Online Enhancement*

-Supertracker*

-Table Rate Shipping

 

My site is: http://www.ipodxtras.com

 

I am currently looking for another credit card proccessor besides for paypal, if you have one that you really like please let me know, I would REALLY appreciate it!

Please leave a thought or suggestion, Thank you so Much!

 

I think your site looks wonderful. Very nice. I especially like how the product info page looks. If I was into IPOD's, I'd buy from you lol.

[tina_boots]

Hello everyone!

 

I have been developing the newest version of my site, iPod Xtras, for some time now, and yesterday, it officially went live! I have integrated several modules and contributions (I will list those that I can remeber)

 

User Side (* signifies highly recomended)

-Credit Class and Gift Voucher

-->Customized a bit

----.checkout page layout

----.redid possible errors and made them more applicable as to what the user did wrong

-PayPal IPN

-Extra Produt Fields*

-Short Description in listings*

-Snowing Javascript

-All Product Category

-Customer Comments on Orders*

 

Custom Scripting

-Revamped searching (ipod bar)

-Added iPod compatibility in listing

-Side Bar

 

Admin Side (* signifies highly recomended)

-SEO Assistant

-Who's Online Enhancement*

-Supertracker*

-Table Rate Shipping

 

My site is: http://www.ipodxtras.com

 

I am currently looking for another credit card proccessor besides for paypal, if you have one that you really like please let me know, I would REALLY appreciate it!

Please leave a thought or suggestion, Thank you so Much!

 

Over all I feel you have done a wonderful job with your site. You have managed to take the base osC layout and place your own unique spin on it. I have a few minor suggestions. The right hand column gives the appearance that somethng is missing because it stops and the rest of the page goes on. If possible it would be good if you could fill in that empty space with something. I also think the snowflakes are cute when first opening the site, however they get a little tiring after a few pages. Again over all nice work.

 

Be well,

Tina

[Doremus]

Typo in footer: s/b registered

 

The Bruddy Clip - the sale price is higher than the original price. :)

 

 

Really nice job. Clean and original. Kudos.

[starachna]

awesome website! you have done a real nice job with it! i wish you all the sucess!!\

nice clean layout, loads super fast! great contributions you got there :)

 

OSCommerce rocks!

[portalplanet]

Cool site! My only complaint is that when I clicked on the nano at the top it went into SSL and I got errors about some parts being secure and others aren't in IE.

 

Justin

[mijman2]

To Micholas: Thank you for the comments, its nice knowing that you have confidence in my store.

 

To Tina: I agree with you about both items.

For the right column I am considering placing one (or both) of two things there.

1) A repeating image, either of iPods, or a seasonal image (eg snowflakes for winter). These images would be rather light as to not draw attention to them.

2) A new box: MyPod, or May We Recomend (im leaning towards MyPod.) In this box the user would select which iPod(s) they own or are shopping for, and then it would display the newest/most popular items for that/those iPods. If I did do this item, I would most likely (at least try to) use AJAX.

As for the snowflakes, it was originally my intentions to only have them on the homepage, so I placed the code in index.php. But, index.php is also responsible for listing items when viewing a category or manufacturer. So what I've done is added a statement that checks to see if you are viewing the homepage or not and displays the flakes accordingly. Thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it!

 

To Doremus: Thanks for pointing out those errors. I have fixed them. Thanks for the comment!

 

To Starachna: osCommerce sure does rock! I dont know what I would be doing right now if it wasnt for osCommerce. Im glad you the site. Thanks for your kind words.

 

To Justin: Thanks for noticing that bug. I realized that my image preloader was calling the images from http not https. I made an adjustment for this. Thanks for the compliments as well!

[mijman2]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am working on a new feature that will be placed in a box under the specials box on the right side of the site. The feature will be named either MyPod or May We Suggest (which one do you like better?) The feature has the user select their desired iPod and then a reletively new product to the store will be shown. Below is a link to a page where I am developing this new part of the site. Please let me know what you think of it and how I can improve it (functionality wise)! (I will make it more graphically appealing later on in the development proccess.)

 

The link: http://ipodxtras.com/ajaxmypod.php

 

 

Also, I am looking for more comments and suggestions for my store so that I may improve it further. Please let me know your thoughts on http://www.ipodxtras.com

 

Thank You and please leave a thought!

[♥MYC267]

I like the look and feel, you have done quite a bit of work there.

 

One thing I noticed was the standard blue boxes around your images on the product info pages. When you anchor around an image it used the standard blue border.... either get rid of the blue border (border=0) or use a class or something and make it a light shade of gray or something.

 

I also agree the right column just doesnt look right.... it looks like its missing something. White space is good but thats too much... looks out of place. Id rather see you make the body of the site wider and have no right column and move the shopping cart box to the header.

 

All round good work though...

[radders]

Excellent work! Couldn't fault it. Just one thing I spend ages looking for without success:

 

I tried the 'company information' but link but it didn't contain much information about the company. Nor did the 'contact us' link. Did I miss the address and telephone number? What country are you based in and what countries do you ship to? How do I contact you if I have a problem and the form doesn't generate a response?

[simeonfeng]

Well. Very professional look. Well done, bro.

 

I just have one point which might not sound to myself: why you have the total product quantity at the bottom of the first page "130 products". Do you want to prove you have a deep stock? "130" can also mean not much products there, even though it is not few. If it is me, I won't add that.

[Guest]

That's gotta be one of the best looking oscommerce sites that I've seen. Unique without being over the top. Good work.

 

I actually like the right-hand column. I think it would be a shame for it to stretch as far as the rest of the site. At the moment, it shows that there is something different/special about the blocks there.

[kabuca]

To Micholas: Thank you for the comments, its nice knowing that you have confidence in my store.

 

To Tina: I agree with you about both items.

For the right column I am considering placing one (or both) of two things there.

1) A repeating image, either of iPods, or a seasonal image (eg snowflakes for winter). These images would be rather light as to not draw attention to them.

2) A new box: MyPod, or May We Recomend (im leaning towards MyPod.) In this box the user would select which iPod(s) they own or are shopping for, and then it would display the newest/most popular items for that/those iPods. If I did do this item, I would most likely (at least try to) use AJAX.

As for the snowflakes, it was originally my intentions to only have them on the homepage, so I placed the code in index.php. But, index.php is also responsible for listing items when viewing a category or manufacturer. So what I've done is added a statement that checks to see if you are viewing the homepage or not and displays the flakes accordingly. Thanks for the feedback I really appreciate it!

 

To Doremus: Thanks for pointing out those errors. I have fixed them. Thanks for the comment!

 

To Starachna: osCommerce sure does rock! I dont know what I would be doing right now if it wasnt for osCommerce. Im glad you the site. Thanks for your kind words.

 

To Justin: Thanks for noticing that bug. I realized that my image preloader was calling the images from http not https. I made an adjustment for this. Thanks for the compliments as well!

 

If I goto your site as you linked it and click on the privacy tab.. I see this

How Secure Is Information About Me?

 

We work to protect the security of your information during transmission by using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, which encrypts information you provide to us for purchasing of our products or services. When orders are processed through Paypal, you can rest assured that both Paypal and our server are communicating through secure connections. Paypal utilizes the same SSL technology that we use in order to protect your sensative information. We reveal only the last five digits of your credit card numbers when confirming an order. Of course, we transmit the entire credit card number to the appropriate credit card company during order processing. It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer. Be sure to sign off when finished using a shared computer by clicking the "log off" link located in the top menu.

 

Problem is I am not on a secure page until I get to the buy it now.. and that is only partially secure.. unknown to me "the user what information is actually protected". I would guess it is the image generator pulling from the http and not the https side.. But I am new to this.

 

Good Luck,

Jason

[kabuca]

you may also consider showing shipping before I have to sign up.

[mijman2]

MYC267: Thanks for recognizing the blue boxes around the images. I was unaware that they were displaying because the browser I use displays them as orange. I have adjusted my stylesheet to make the borders orange universally. I am still trying to figure out what to do about the right side. Thanks for the compliments!

 

radders:Great points! I never even thought about those things. I will be adding the information you suggested throughout the next week. The things you state are extremely helpful so I really can't thank you enough for noticing that!

 

simeonfeng:Thanks for the encouragement. The 130 products was primarily for me - an easy way to see how many products were in my inventory. I have moved that segment of code over onto the admin header.php.

 

divrom:Wow! Im glad you like it. It is very nice having such great words of encouragement. Thanks for the comments on the right hand side. I see this the same way as you, but I do think there is some room for improvement with the design of the rightside. Thanks for sharing your oppinions, I appreciate them!

 

Jason:I chose to use SSL whenever personal information is sent or received (this is the default SSL usage in osCommerce.) Would you suggest having SSL over the entire site? When you say partially secure, what do you mean. I don't think I changed any code between the time you posted and now (but I may have, I've been tweaking the site a lot lately.) I am unable to duplicate the SSL notice that some information is not secure. What browser are you using and what are you doing to get this error? Please let me know, this is VERY important! As for shipping, do you think it would be better to show before sign up-? The reason I ask, is because by getting customers signed up, you are able to build a customer database and get some of them to sign up for the newsletter which results in more sales. What do you think? Again this is really important feedback, it has a high value with me (if thats proper english).

 

 

 

 

 

To Everyone, what is your take on the developemental MyPod feature? I dont really know what else I should have it do. For now, it is almost pointless. Looking for new ideas! Thanks so much!

[kabuca]

I personally think the secured full site is great.. I am sure others have a more technical reason for/for not doing so.

 

I use Mozilla Firefox (is there any other browser?) If you look at the little padlock when you are on a secure page(bottom right hand corner), it should look like a lock, if you have partial security, it will have a line thru it.. hold the cursor over it, or double click it to see the status. I actually got this window pop-up when I click on add to cart

 

I myself, when making purchases, like to know the shipping fee up front before I go into any depth of giving up any information. I think most online consumers are the same.. I do see your point about building the base, but what good is having that base if they are mad about having to sign up only to see a deal breaking shipping fee (it may not be the case, but the more information I can have upfront, the quicker that makes my transaction. I may be searching may sites and if it is going to take me 4 steps just to see a total price, I have already moved to another site.

 

I would guess your customer base has been to many sites looking for the type of items you sell, so they are going to be in a hurry to find the best complete deal. How many times have you found a great deal on a product only to find the S&H made the whole purchase a bad deal. I think it would keep more carts filled and checked out.. Something I really love is seeing, is a shipping calculator on every page... right next to or close to the add to cart/buy it now buttons.

 

You should be very very proud of your site. Hey, where is the best place to purchase the ipod itself? The wife has been wanting a CD player for her car, but I think this would be a better toy. I really love how someone can click the model they own, and get results for that.. a very very cool feature.

 

I am not sure if a lot of things are possible with OSC, but just sharing my experiences,

Jason

[kabuca]

Do you do your own logo? I have been looking to make another logo but have yet to find a good software package ( And I have a lot of them)

 

Also, a big thanks for listing the contribs you used.... a big help

Jason

[mijman2]

I fixed that little bug (screen shot). Little bit of code on the calling of tep_href in the tep_draw_form function.

 

Shipping calculator will take some time before its up. I do see your point, and now I have to go in and edit the code (what a drag!) But its all part of the game.

 

iPods - I usually buy straight from apple. I can get away with the educationaly discount because my wife works for a school district. The only other time I would buy an iPod from apple is if they had a promotion. They had a big event on the day of the launch of their new operating system Tiger 10.4 and I went to that. There was a 10$ off everything in store or something like that, and that is when I went to get my shuffle. I am kind of anxious to see what Mr. Jobs will bring to us in his keynote on monday (i think its monday at least). Hopefully some brand new goodies (new ipod shuffle with screen and some other good hardware).

 

Logo - Started off by having a proffesional do it. I was able to pay him with iPod cases which helped a ton. The second version I did myself. I took the old one and played with it and finally got one i liked. I use photoshop, but there is a freeware program called Gimp that is supposed to be pretty darn good.

 

Your feedback is priceless - Thanks!

[Guest]

Excellent site, pretty hard to pick holes in it. The only thing I noticed is that on some pages you have;

 

to our support staff by clicking on the Contact Us link in the side menu.

 

Sometimes "Contact Us" is a link and sometimes it is not. I would just make them all links and reword the sentence.

 

And your "Go to top... (Buy now)" link I don't like as I wanted to go to the top but I didn't want to buy the product so I didn't click the link. IMO Buy Now and Go To Top are two seperate functions and decisions for the customer and should not be combined.

 

At the bottom of the pages where you have "? 2004-2006 iPod Xtras" I would make the "iPod Xtras" part a link to your home page for SEO.

[Guest]

Okay, I did find something I didn't like. On your create account page you ask for a lot of information there. Since most people HATE creating an account anyways (because it is an extra 2 lines of typing) you are asking them for things that are not absolutely necessary such as DOB, gender, confirm email, fax number, referral source. These are just more chances for the customer to leave your store. I would only ask what is necessary to fulfil the order and that is it. And change Suburb to Apt/Suite.

[mijman2]

Hi Java Roasters,

 

Thanks for the feedback. I have taken into account several of the things you suggested.

 

I am currently working on developing a way to have people sign up with their email and password only, and then ask for other info later when they want to checkout. This will probably take a month or two, but hopefully one day it will be operational.

 

Thanks for the tips on SEO, and everything else. I really appreciate it!

[Guest]

On create_account.php Apt/Suit:. You are missing an E at the end of Suite.

 

Also on that page you have the USA as the defualt so when I was working my way down the list I didn't think I could create an account as I am in Canada and the provinces were not there. It was only after I found that you could switch countries that I found the Provinces. This thread has a post from Webguy on Dec 12, 2003 that works much better. It will list all the states and provinces and the two countries but only allow the creation of an account if they match up. Check it out, it might avoid some confusion.

 

Also being in Canada your shipping estimator gave me sevearal choices for shiping without knowing that I am in another country. If I create an account in Canada would I still get those shipping rates it quoted me on the product page?

 

Your Buy Now link on your product pages does not add anything to my cart. http://www.ipodxtras.com/product_info.php?products_id=5#BUY is the link it gives me but nothing happens.

[wolveman]

Unbelievable beautiful site!!!! I wish I was as far as you are now!!!

 

:-(

[mijman2]

Hi Everyone,

 

I've been really busy so I haven't had as much time to post as I would've liked. I also haven't had as much time to work on the site as I would've liked. A few things I have been doing on the backend include: adding this awesome sales and tax contribution, updating order editor, and supertracker.

 

Java Roasters: Your feedback is extremely usefull - thanks so much! I have been trying to make the buy now link at the bottom send you to the buy now box next to the product picture. Then make the buy button flash or something of the sort to draw attention. I updated shipping editor for international shipping. I am working on the sign up page - slow but steady... Thanks for your help.

 

wolveman: Thanks! Best advice to you - don't give up. I had a big picture in my head of what I wanted my site to be. Then you need to focus on very small parts at a time - so that way you can do everything, but it doesn't overwhelm you! Good luck!

[mijman2]

So its been quite a while and I've made some updates to the website.

I am developing it further to integrate some better function into it at a new testing website. To see the developmental website please visit:

 

http://www.ipodxtras.biz

 

Things that I've added or will be adding:

1. Ajax goodness
    
   
2. Specifically the mypod funciton on right hand side
    
   
3. fun scrolling on product pages (links on bottom)
    
   
4. Drop down on specials page
   
5. I am going to be trying to rework the sign up process so that it is much easier to create an account and you get all the details later.
   

Please let me know what you think. (I am still working out some bugs in the mypod but I would really like your advise. I am currently adding a universal marquee to it.) Please also let me know about browser compatibility. I currently have firefox, opera, ie, and netscape to try it out. I am looking for people on apple, and linux as well (actually come to think of it i have linux installed too :P )