What's wrong with my store? No customers......please review

[wickeddivine]

Hello,

I have a little online boutique. I've had it up for a few months, and have had no customers. I've had people visit the site, and even add things to their cart, but no sales. Could something be wrong with it?

The only payment modules I have are Paypal Express and check by mail. I don't have SSL set up because I didn't figure I needed it as I have no in house payments and Paypal is secure.

Could you all please take a look and see what is wrong? What could be stopping people from buying from me?

It's at http://boutique.hotpinkflamingo.net.

Thank you for any help.

[Guest]

Hello,

I have a little online boutique. I've had it up for a few months, and have had no customers. I've had people visit the site, and even add things to their cart, but no sales. Could something be wrong with it?

The only payment modules I have are Paypal Express and check by mail. I don't have SSL set up because I didn't figure I needed it as I have no in house payments and Paypal is secure.

Could you all please take a look and see what is wrong? What could be stopping people from buying from me?

It's at http://boutique.hotpinkflamingo.net.

Thank you for any help.

No ssl.

[steven1970]

Not having SSL would stop me buying.

 

How are you ranking in the search engines? You have meta tags, but what about one of the SEO that make the URL more SEO freindly? What about a sitemap? The more people who pass through the more likely you are to get a sale.

 

Also what about your prices, how do they compare with your competitors?

 

The design is basically stock osc, but you have done all the basic changes such as removed the standard funny icons & the currency & language options which you don't need, and filled the 'information' pages. A more individual site design MAY make you stand out from the crowd more....

[wickeddivine]

You really think the no SSL is a problem? Should I have it for the account and cart pages?

 

I'm sure I'm pretty low in the search engines. I'll look into the SEO URL mods. I do have a sitemap submitted to Google, and all of my products listed on Google base. I think my prices are pretty low compared to most competitors.

 

Thanks for the ideas....any more?

:)

[jhande]

When I clicked on the Checkout button from the shopping cart, it took me to where I can log-in or create an account as a new user which is fine. BUT the create an account page is not secure and I wouldn't fill in my information. Check with your hosting company and at least get a shared SSL certificate if you are on a shared server with them, they are usually free.

 

When I clicked on the Check out with PayPal button I was directed to a log-in page at PayPal. Maybe that is due to me having a PayPal account. But it is missing the option of "Don't have a PayPal account? Pay with your credit card". I also use PayPal Express Business Account, but have the option of no need for a PayPal account, just pay by credit card.

 

I think a lot of people would rather not setup a PayPal account if they don't have one and just bail on the sale. There are quite a lot of people affraid to deal with PayPal.

 

I would add the pay by credit card feature to your PayPal account and setup an SSL. ;)

[wickeddivine]

Thanks, I'll definitely look into getting an SSL cert, then.

 

Ya, the reason Paypal asks you to log in is because you have an account. I asked about that before, and I guess if a person didn't have a Paypal account (or a Paypal cookie on their computer) the options would show there to pay without an account.....

 

Wish I could just afford to get my own credit card merchant account somewhere so people could choose whether or not to use Paypal, but all the ones I've looked at have huge setup fees, and fees whether you have any transactions or not, etc.... Right now I just don't have the $ to do that.

[steven1970]

Thanks, I'll definitely look into getting an SSL cert, then.

 

Ya, the reason Paypal asks you to log in is because you have an account. I asked about that before, and I guess if a person didn't have a Paypal account (or a Paypal cookie on their computer) the options would show there to pay without an account.....

 

Wish I could just afford to get my own credit card merchant account somewhere so people could choose whether or not to use Paypal, but all the ones I've looked at have huge setup fees, and fees whether you have any transactions or not, etc.... Right now I just don't have the $ to do that.

 

 

I use paypal standard - this has the option to pay by credit/debit card but thru paypal (ie you dont need a paypal account but just use paypal to process the card), its an option hidden somewhere under the my profile option on the paypal website config screens. When enabled it displays the login to paypal screen on the right, but a pay with credit/debit card option on the left. Might be worth a look?

[desiredin]

Hello,

I have a little online boutique. I've had it up for a few months, and have had no customers. I've had people visit the site, and even add things to their cart, but no sales. Could something be wrong with it?

The only payment modules I have are Paypal Express and check by mail. I don't have SSL set up because I didn't figure I needed it as I have no in house payments and Paypal is secure.

Could you all please take a look and see what is wrong? What could be stopping people from buying from me?

It's at http://boutique.hotpinkflamingo.net.

Thank you for any help.

 

Where is your traffic coming from? Are they signing up for a profile/account? What are they searching for to get to your site? Are they being delivered to it or do they have to search for it?

 

Use google analytics to get some good information on what your customers are doing.

 

If they're creating profiles, the SSL isn't an issue for them but something else is stopping them from completing the checkout process. Try to find out. One little tool I like to use, is the Holding Orders contribution. With that added, I can tell if they made it as far as my payment processor's screen (if everything is set up properly). If I don't receive payment, it means they didn't follow through for whatever reason. If a lot of people don't follow through, it means your payment processor's pages aren't converting well. And yes it does make a difference. Customers do not want to go through a hassle to be able to purchase from you. Make it easy for them to do business with you.

[desiredin]

By the way.... I consider jewlerly to be something extravagant. Elegant. Even inexpensive jewlery. I don't get that feeling when I visit your site. I don't get the feeling the invisible people behind the website, are leaders in their industry.

 

And when I am shopping for my wife, or myself, I want to visit a site where they give the impression they are the authority on whatever it is they are selling. Confidence is a must, and it needs to show in your design, and that will close a lot more sales.

[♥toyicebear]

The site could definitely benefit from a more professional design and a more suitable color schema and logo.

 

The product info page should have a large and clear image of the merchandise you are selling. (Possibly also multiple images from different angels)

[wickeddivine]

Thanks for the Paypal tip.

No, most visitors aren't creating profiles.

Personally I like the design of the site. What is unprofessional about it? It's not meant to be elegant. I don't think most women think of this type of jewelry as extravagant or elegant - it's meant to be fun.

I guess that would be made more clear when I get the rest of my stock up.

Thanks for the comments.

[Guest]

Thanks for the Paypal tip.

No, most visitors aren't creating profiles.

Personally I like the design of the site. What is unprofessional about it? It's not meant to be elegant. I don't think most women think of this type of jewelry as extravagant or elegant - it's meant to be fun.

I guess that would be made more clear when I get the rest of my stock up.

Thanks for the comments.

Now that you have ssl, you should try to draw attention to it.

 

Why not add a payments methods page and a security info page (yes I know it is in the privacy page, but it is more like and afterthought)?

 

You need to work on the secure / insecure warning.

 

Try to show more products on the home page.

[desiredin]

What is unprofessional about it? It's not meant to be elegant. I don't think most women think of this type of jewelry as extravagant or elegant - it's meant to be fun.

 

Well you nailed one of your design questions right on the head. You know who you are targetting. But you aren't targetting them. Why isn't your site fun?

[desiredin]

With SSL I would wait a week or two and see if conversions of profile creation increase. That will tell you just what SSL means for your clients. But definately fix the insecure logo error. It's not coming up secured. You probably have the logo coded with it's full address ("http://www.boutique.hotpinkflamingo.net/logo.gif") instead of being relative to the document ("/logo.gif").

[♥Vger]

It's selling "Fashion" items, but the site is bog-standard osCommerce.

 

Vger

[wickeddivine]

Well you nailed one of your design questions right on the head. You know who you are targetting. But you aren't targetting them. Why isn't your site fun?

I'm not sure what question you're referring to. To me bright pink with flamingos and palm trees is pretty fun. I don't think a serious, snooty jewelry site would have a header graphic like mine. I actually had a polka dot background before, but changed it to a solid color because I thought it might be too much.

I don't think the layout is too much in either direction to chase away potential customers, though..... It's not too crazy; it's not too boring I think. I don't know......

 

The payments and security pages sound like good ideas. I'll be paying attention to see if the SSL results in any visitor/customer changes.

 

Yes, I do think I have the header coded with an absolute URL, so thanks for pointing that out. I was unsure what was causing the insecure error.

[desiredin]

I'm not sure what question you're referring to.

The question of why your site exists in the first place. What differentiates you between your competitors? If the only difference is a pink background, and a "fun" header, then you haven't given it much thought, and neither will your visitors (potential customers). Being pink and having a flamingo isn't a business plan. Heh. It isn't going to generate sales and that I assume is why we all run online shops. We want to make a living.

 

And if you think pink, and flamingos, and palm trees are pretty fun, you should come to Canada. Our idea of fun will rock your world. Heh. But seriously, if people want to see flamingos and palm trees, they can just as easily google "flamingo pictures" and be easily gratified.

 

A single picture on a page filled with dozens of "buymees" isn't going to give anyone a fun time. Unless you own a brick and mortar, where the walls are painted hot pink, with neon signs inside, and live flamingo running around. But this is a website......... Can you think of a different way you can convey that image to your customers?

 

Your site really does not offer anything for visitors. All they are going to see is a ton of products that you sell. I stock over 2000 different products in my own shop. But I let them search for it and I showcase several popular products on the front page, and I make it look as tidy as possible. That is the page where everyone comes through. Don't open the door to a mess.

 

As for offering customers something? Content would be the easiest. Front-page linked content.

 

I noticed in your "About Us" section you offer up a lot of personal details rather than your standard professional "About Us" page. Run with it. A personal touch can add to your credibility, and your trustworthyness. And can also be a lot of fun. You have two great kids. Take some "action shots" of your kids modeling the jewelry with big smiles on their faces.

 

How about a weekly "Heather's Highlight" where you model and showcase your favorite jewelry items of the week?

 

Have a Fun Flamingo fact sheet.

 

Now all this goes beyond basic design, but I'm trying to give you ideas here. Heh.

 

Other things I noticed......

Where the heck are you located? Can't find mailing address, no phone number. Only e-mail. How can I contact you if I have product questions I want answered easily? Where is my order being shipped from? Are you even in the same country as me?

 

Best I can tell from your "About Us" page is that you have a Maine state business ID. But your entire site screams Florida. Confusion leads to lost sales.

 

No mailing address? If you're worried about privacy, get yourself a cheap cell-phone with voice-mail. And rent a post office box. These are things potential customers look for in determining if they are going to proceed with a sale.

 

And then links........ Get rid of them, and drop the link to them from your header. You absolutely do not want your customers leaving your site to competitors' sites. Link them to information sites, cool forums related to what you sell. But do not send them anywhere else that they can purchase products from. You'll lose sales. I didn't follow your links, but I get the impression they are other sites where they can purchase jewelry from.

[digilee]

Do a search for 'cheap jewelry'. how many times does 'Pink Flamingo' get mentioned?

Do a search for 'pink flamingo'. how many times does 'cheap jewelry' get mentioned?

[dynamoeffects]

I don't know much about the costume jewelery market, but those price look too good to be true. I think people will see "Camilla's Engagement Ring" being sold for $9.95 and have second thoughts about the quality based on the price alone. If it's $9.95, it's either stolen or you got it from a bubble gum machine and it will break within the first day.

 

Try raising your prices to a $19.95 - $99.95 (based on how valuable-looking the product is, not your base cost) and see what happens. Price adds the illusion of quality and surprisingly, value. I also agree with Wayne's comments about adding an area above the fold on the front page that says, "Heather's Weekly Pick" that shows some real-life pictures of the jewelery on your finger and some comments about the quality and what other have had to say about it.

 

Those two things should help you quite a bit.

[wickeddivine]

And if you think pink, and flamingos, and palm trees are pretty fun, you should come to Canada. Our idea of fun will rock your world. Heh. But seriously, if people want to see flamingos and palm trees, they can just as easily google "flamingo pictures" and be easily gratified.

 

Hey now, I didn't say I thought they were the most fun thing ever..........hehe

Yes, I live in Maine.

I don't have my mailing address or phone listed on the site because I don't have a PO Box or separate phone for my business (yet?). I figured the contact page would be enough, but I guess I should offer up more information.

 

Thanks a lot for your thoughts and advise. Sorry if I was a little snippy in my last message. It's hard not to be defensive when someone is negatively critiquing your work, you know.......

I do appreciate everything you've written, though and will implement some things for sure. :)

 

Yes, I did think maybe the prices were too low. The jewelry is actually pretty awesome quality-I just get it at a good price and pass it on, and I'd sort of feel like I were ripping people off if I raised the prices more, but maybe that's what I need to do.

Thanks for your advise.

[digilee]

Take some better product photos.

Have a look around at other shops selling the same stuff and see how they present the products.

[Draeisme]

I like the heading it's "fun"

 

I would suggest playing with the table boxes. They are all square, rounded corners might add a more friendly look. Everything is so boxish.

[wickeddivine]

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

I can only assume that "Joe Sitebasher" came from here. They left a rather rude and completely unnecessary review on my site. Some of you need to grow up.