oscommerce site - should it be re-done?

[allthingsgifts]

Hi Guys
I have an oscommerce site and have had many changes made to it, and am starting to wish that i didn't go for the cheap option and had the site done properly from the off. At this stage do you think it's worth having the site re-done so that coding is w3c compliant etc have a quicker, easier to use checkout, better gift finder etc or just keep changing the one I have. If it was re-done could the product names, descriptions, stock quantities, shipping weights, seo tags etc be used or would it have to all be entered in again.
Regards
Lianne

[new2bus]

It really depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Is it your opinion you are loosing sales due to the design?

Your site seems ok to me.

[allthingsgifts]

people have commented on the little pictures in the categories not being a good idea but i quite like these. I just want a site that's easy to use for the customer and to making ordering as quick and easy as possible and to also make finding a gift item for someone easy. I was thinking about having a more detailed gift finder as at the moment the products can only go under one heading say gifts for him or birthday gifts whereas a lot of the gifts are suitable for more people and occassions. The urls have been commented on and the coding isn't w3c compliant.
Lianne

[consultant]

I think the site looks ok. You do have an error popping up at the top of the landing page:
Can't open file /var/www/html/bw/bandwidth_db_2008062310.txt

To change the pictures is not a difficult task.

As for the giftfinder, you can duplicate products and have a new menu structure to hone down the visitors choice.

As for w3c compliance, there are not many carts that are, that I am aware of - I think Magento maybe one.

[allthingsgifts]

Hi
I quite like this gift finder that has more options, but don't think it would work with oscommerce and would probably cost a lot.
prezzybox.com/products/giftwizard.aspx (http://www.prezzybox.com/products/giftwizard.aspx)
Regards
Lianne

[new2bus]

at the moment the products can only go under one heading say gifts for him or birthday gifts whereas a lot of the gifts are suitable for more people and occassions.

I think you have been informed wrongly, add whatever, then just add as a link, then when you update the original all the other links in the different categories will change also.

[new2bus]

people have commented on the little pictures in the categories not being a good idea

You will never have a site that everyone will approve of.

[allthingsgifts]

I did what you suggested before and had loads of categories and copied all the products to them but then one product would appear on the site say 5 times which i didn't like which is with the current gift finder the manufacturer module has been used but you can only select one manufacturer.
Lianne

[allthingsgifts]

[quote=consultant;542989]I think the site looks ok. You do have an error popping up at the top of the landing page:
Can't open file /var/www/html/bw/bandwidth_db_2008062310.txt

How do you see the error message, i'm on aol and looked at the homepage and can't see anything?

Regards
Lianne

[OldWelshGuy]

Your site is fine. certainly no need for a radical overhaul ESPECIALLY at this point in time where your rankings have taken a bit of a dive.

I would have a rethink maybe but a total overhaul is a sledgehammer to crack a nut. As for the images on the left GREAT!

Some designers get all prescious about design, just remember you are building it for people who want to buy gifts, and gifts are fun.

One thing I WOULD look at is making the 'shop by type, shop by price, options LARGER!!!! I missed them and in fact was going to suggest it. Try and get these at the head of your navigation if possible.

[mke]

i'm on aol 'Nuff said. You've had some good advice on this thread. The only thing I'd add is that for business purposes, you need to be able to see the warts and you certainly don't need an ISP who will filter your viewing and your mail according to their commercial criteria rather than simply dealing with the worst of the spam. I advise my clients to dump them if they wish to keep their sanity and business intact.

[new2bus]

I think the site looks ok. You do have an error popping up at the top of the landing page:
Can't open file /var/www/html/bw/bandwidth_db_2008062310.txt

I can not see any error

[MartCactus]

As for w3c compliance, there are not many carts that are, that I am aware of - I think Magento maybe one.

Our shopping cart is coded to XHTML1.0 STRICT if that is what you are referring to by w3c compliance.

www.cactushop.com (http://www.cactushop.com)

However it is an ASP based one, not PHP, its open source (the source code is provided and you are able to edit it), but not free software

Also you might want to check your site using Firefox 3... I used that and on the home page I get a problem with the pop out menu down the side... it appears behind the central image (the one that rotates between several images)

[allthingsgifts]

Thanks cactus, to be honest there are so many shopping carts out there it is hard to know which one to pick which is why i went for oscommerce in the first place as it's easy to change if the modules you want exist.
Lianne

[fairestcape]

I believe the most important thing about an e-commerce site is simplicity of use for the customer. Reduce the number of click the customer must take to get products into the cart, and avoid the temptation to "pepper" the site with add-ons that act as distractions, or (even worse) offer links to external sites. (Once a shopper leaves your site, research shows that there's only a 4% chance they'll return!)

I am often horrified by webshops that have banner headers and/or sidebars for Google Ads ! To me this is plain idiotic. Why point your customers to potential competitors?

Focus on the products. Put enticing product offers on the home page. USe cross-sell and up-sell techniques to increase the average value of a shopping cart. Be prepared to contact customers by phone, e-mail - or even cleft stick if you have to.

A website is not a magic wand. Business is about PEOPLE, so make sure your website looks personal, and have prominent displays of phone numbers, addresses etc.

[retailworld]

Probably just me, but just had a look at your site now, and it couldn't display any images...

[allthingsgifts]

Hi Richard
i was on it a moment ago and loaded fine, do you have broadband what browser do you have?
Regards
Lianne

[retailworld]

I'm on 4MB broadband with IE6.

The images load (118 of them??!!), but don't display for some reason.

Should add, from what I can see, it looks like a nice site!