Simple, differrent basic ecomm. site

[Dawg]

Sometimes ecomm. sites just reek template. It's hard to make them a bit special. I think this one, The Museum of Useful Things (http://themut.com/products/home/), does well, whilst still being fairly basic.
Just to plant an idea out there..

[Page]

Yes but it is a ghastly and pointless site.

[Dawg]

Yes but it is a ghastly and pointless site.
Reply With Quote
Ghastly: well that's a subjective judgement and it's your subjective judgement, so I can't objectively object, merely question your aesthetics.
Pointless: It sells stuff. If that is pointless to you all well and dandy. I suggest The UK Nihilist Forum, or perhaps The International Humbuggery Symposium might help. I also find it gently amusing about modern design, but humour has no real point either.
But hey! You are searching and asking what to do with a web site. Why look at ideas?:D

[Carl-CSNM]

I wouldn't buy from the site, it takes me to some awful shopping/checkout script away from the main site.

[boho]

Sometimes ecomm. sites just reek template.

Erm, I must be missing something, this just screams noooo at me, fairly plain and ordinary homepage and the products take me to an awful checkout page when you add them to the basket...

[Page]

Sorry I was perhaps a bit harsh in the wording of my thoughts.

(Memo to self - don't post on forums after a tough week and a Friday beer to many)

But I have had another look and I still think the same.

Design - everybody is different in what they like so you can never appeal to all. The aim is to appeal to enough of the people that might be interested in your goods and who might visit your web site in the first place.

If simply having stuff for sale on the web is your aim - then by existing it acheives that aim.

If the aim is to have created a template site for the learning process. Then again you will have acheived that aim.

If the aim is to make a profit and with putting a price on your time factored in - then only eventual sales - combined with margins and costs can let you see if you have acheived that. And that is when things get a lot more difficult.

But whatever happens it is all part of the learning curve and that can then lead onto other things. It is mostly by doing stuff that more stuff happens.

Good luck with the site.

P.S. Thanks for pointing me towards the "The International Humbuggery Symposium". I have registered for the next conference. It will be rubbish mind.

P.P.S. I like your humour if not your site.

[Dawg]

I must admit that I didn't look at the checkout page, which is a tad "challenged". I really only liked the product pages with the bright circles, the splashes of colour in those circles. Obviously it's a Dawg failing as my homepage is hardly monotone...
I just think it is a move away, and in the right direction, from the very boxy sites with the same old blah on both sides, and some fairly uninspiring use of imagery, colour and design, that prevails.
If everyone competes on price/delivery/choice, which they seem to in say electronics, a bit of design might just add the little bit to make a site memorable, and tip views into sales.
Still, not my site, just threw it in here so people could have a butchers...I'll trot off humming Piaf.:)