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davidman
- Original Poster
- #123
I've just looked at your site and I think it still needs a little bit more work. It's important for you to keep your costs down just now so personally, I'd work on making the photos look consistent.
This would be the cheapest (though time consuming) way of improving the site I'd say.
Find a room or place in your house that you can control the lighting, mount your camera on a tripod and take your photos yourself.
Lighting is the most important. Then once you have the photos, edit them in an art package. www.gimp.org is the one I used.
If you're so inclined, you can put all the photos through a script which will process them all in the same way (adjust contrast, brightness, colour correction, sharpen etc).
Then you'll need to crop them to all the SAME size. One thing that causes your design/layout to look odd is the different sized images you currently have. That and the low resolution images.
Once all your images look the same you'll see a dramatic improvement.
http://i.imagehost.org/0685/pinkdresslarge.png
This would be the cheapest (though time consuming) way of improving the site I'd say.
Find a room or place in your house that you can control the lighting, mount your camera on a tripod and take your photos yourself.
Lighting is the most important. Then once you have the photos, edit them in an art package. www.gimp.org is the one I used.
If you're so inclined, you can put all the photos through a script which will process them all in the same way (adjust contrast, brightness, colour correction, sharpen etc).
Then you'll need to crop them to all the SAME size. One thing that causes your design/layout to look odd is the different sized images you currently have. That and the low resolution images.
Once all your images look the same you'll see a dramatic improvement.
http://i.imagehost.org/0685/pinkdresslarge.png
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Sorry I haven't waded through the whole thread and sorry if this has been mentioned but for me it is instantly offputting to see such a jumble of products.
Decide what you want to sell and stick to it, however tempting it may be to sell everything.
On initial glance it looks like fancy dress but then what is a poorly photgraphed baby gro doing on the home page? It makes the site look like an Ebay shop of miscellaneous stuff.
The you have a latte knit dress with a blurred photo which is much longer than the others. You need to keep the homepage neat and tidy & don't list anything until the photos are perfect.
There is no fancy dress at all on the home page except along the top.
Now I am really wondering what this site is all about and would have left a long time ago if I hadn't been looking specifically.
Decide what you want to sell and stick to it, however tempting it may be to sell everything.
On initial glance it looks like fancy dress but then what is a poorly photgraphed baby gro doing on the home page? It makes the site look like an Ebay shop of miscellaneous stuff.
The you have a latte knit dress with a blurred photo which is much longer than the others. You need to keep the homepage neat and tidy & don't list anything until the photos are perfect.
There is no fancy dress at all on the home page except along the top.
Now I am really wondering what this site is all about and would have left a long time ago if I hadn't been looking specifically.
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Frankly Gemma there is only one way to describe your site - boring and that latte dress my grandmother wouldn't have worn yet it pokes you in the eye and the quality of the pic along with most others appaling. Why.
In your business those costumes have stunning colours. What about this for just one example. What's more as far as your saying that your pricing is cheaper can you compete with £26 quid for the whole outfit.
Sorry OP you don't seem to offer the range or the quaility of other sites in this market have and it will take a tad more than tinkering with the web site site. I suggest that you first of all you talk to people. Have you not thought of asking members their favourite super hero of whther they would like to dress up a Lancelot or the Black Knight. There may well be a few Dallas girls out there for those Sue Ellen dresses but I rather suspect Queen Quen in velour might go down well too then go back to the wholesalers and get some decent pics. Robert.
In your business those costumes have stunning colours. What about this for just one example. What's more as far as your saying that your pricing is cheaper can you compete with £26 quid for the whole outfit.
Sorry OP you don't seem to offer the range or the quaility of other sites in this market have and it will take a tad more than tinkering with the web site site. I suggest that you first of all you talk to people. Have you not thought of asking members their favourite super hero of whther they would like to dress up a Lancelot or the Black Knight. There may well be a few Dallas girls out there for those Sue Ellen dresses but I rather suspect Queen Quen in velour might go down well too then go back to the wholesalers and get some decent pics. Robert.
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Keep it up Gemma, looks like you are in it for the long run.
I have a site and am in the same position as you, thought it would be a case of sitting back and waiting for sales, it's not.
Some of the advice here is spot on as far as I am concerned, it is a case of biting the bullet and rethinking.
Asking other people's opinion sometimes makes you see things that you were too close to see yourself.
Good luck
I am off now to post my own site for critical appraisal, and hope I get as good advice as you have been given.
I have a site and am in the same position as you, thought it would be a case of sitting back and waiting for sales, it's not.
Some of the advice here is spot on as far as I am concerned, it is a case of biting the bullet and rethinking.
Asking other people's opinion sometimes makes you see things that you were too close to see yourself.
Good luck
I am off now to post my own site for critical appraisal, and hope I get as good advice as you have been given.
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davidman
- Original Poster
- #136
Not sure if it's the same thing you're seeing but I'm seeing an apostrophe, a closing bracket followed by a semi-colon.
');
That to me looks like the tail end of a PHP line or SQL query.
It seems to be in all your product pages so one of your templates has probably had a bit of a slip-up somewhere.
Then handbag pictures are looking great.
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Hi Gemma.
You seem to be committing an awful lot of time to updating your web site. Much of it no doubt driven by advice from members. Those members however are not in your shoes and however helpful they may be trying to be - however good some of the advice I rather suspect it will all be wasted as will your own efforts.
The reason is that with all the running around - and yes in some cases trying to please people no doubt you still haven't decided it seems what business you want to be in.
Is this supposed to be a fun fantasy dress site. Well all I can say is that we are at the height of the party season. I repeat party. You know and even I remember. Fun - tinsel - glam and a bit of dressing up.
Yet what do you have on your front page. It all about boots. Black boots - brown boots - buckle boots - furry boots and yet more upcoming boots. Oh and a few handbags too. I wouldn't mind if the front page made a tiny concession to the festive and party season but there isn't even a pair of red boots for poor old Santa.
Seriously. Where did all those come from. Why is it when you click on the Party Link all you get is a choice of Stag or Hen Night & then only a choice of some rather tacky trimmings. You can of course eventually find the fancy dress pages under men or women but why not under Party. You seem to have got all your links around the wrong way. Easily fixed but I go back to square one.
What business do you want to be in. At the moment you seem to be sitting on the fence unable to decide if it's a Fantasy Dress & Party site of one flogging Ex-Catalogue gear and I think that you have to decide which.
The reason is that with either you are going to have to spend a lot of time on sourcing and marketing and if you try to do that with 2 entirely different product rangers your pull yourself apart.
You will also confuse the hell out of the public visiting your web site especially the young girlie party poppers looking for a funky party dress. They want to have fun. The last thing they want to see are baggy maternity dresses staring them in the face.
I yeally do suggest Gemma that you forget all about rushing that site looking for a quick fix or to please members. Take a week off and go shopping and work on the site during that boring period twix boxing day and the new year.
Robert
You seem to be committing an awful lot of time to updating your web site. Much of it no doubt driven by advice from members. Those members however are not in your shoes and however helpful they may be trying to be - however good some of the advice I rather suspect it will all be wasted as will your own efforts.
The reason is that with all the running around - and yes in some cases trying to please people no doubt you still haven't decided it seems what business you want to be in.
Is this supposed to be a fun fantasy dress site. Well all I can say is that we are at the height of the party season. I repeat party. You know and even I remember. Fun - tinsel - glam and a bit of dressing up.
Yet what do you have on your front page. It all about boots. Black boots - brown boots - buckle boots - furry boots and yet more upcoming boots. Oh and a few handbags too. I wouldn't mind if the front page made a tiny concession to the festive and party season but there isn't even a pair of red boots for poor old Santa.
Seriously. Where did all those come from. Why is it when you click on the Party Link all you get is a choice of Stag or Hen Night & then only a choice of some rather tacky trimmings. You can of course eventually find the fancy dress pages under men or women but why not under Party. You seem to have got all your links around the wrong way. Easily fixed but I go back to square one.
What business do you want to be in. At the moment you seem to be sitting on the fence unable to decide if it's a Fantasy Dress & Party site of one flogging Ex-Catalogue gear and I think that you have to decide which.
The reason is that with either you are going to have to spend a lot of time on sourcing and marketing and if you try to do that with 2 entirely different product rangers your pull yourself apart.
You will also confuse the hell out of the public visiting your web site especially the young girlie party poppers looking for a funky party dress. They want to have fun. The last thing they want to see are baggy maternity dresses staring them in the face.
I yeally do suggest Gemma that you forget all about rushing that site looking for a quick fix or to please members. Take a week off and go shopping and work on the site during that boring period twix boxing day and the new year.
Robert
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Personally Gemma I think that it is stretching it a bit to call a site selling a mix match of clothes - job lots and ex catalogue gear a ' fashion' site let alone fantasy fashion. Anyway - as said that is just my personal opinion.
On a more positive note I am always complaining to the manager of my local post office which is on the edge of a big council housing estate and has more than it's fair share of young unmarried mum's. In fact it doesn't matter what time of day you pop in the PO to buy some stamps etc and there are always a couple of them with sacks loads of catalogue returns.
It's a bloody nuisance for other customers and I am seriously thinking of closing my A & L banks account. Not a great loss but those catalogue companies must be losing a fortune with this quite accepted policy by many today of ordering something - wear it once and then send it.
It used to just me on a Monday though but now those push chairs and prams are full like a bloody wagon train back and forth all week long.
I doubt your ever run out of stock then - or will you. I think that M & S may have set the trend and it wouldn't take much to insist Agents only take genuine orders.
Anyway. Good luck Gemma. You seem to a won a few members over. No doubt a discount offer will drum up a bit of trade perhaps for you come a Jan sale. As for me.
I'll be looking for a XXL Merlin the Wizards Outfit in April for a May Day charity gig we old rascals run. The last one I had caught fire my trying to make a dramatic appearance through a cloud of smoke.
That wasn't so bad. It was the stupid bugger that tried to rip a singed beard off thinking it was false. It wasn't. Think I'll use dry ice next time round. ERK.
Robert
On a more positive note I am always complaining to the manager of my local post office which is on the edge of a big council housing estate and has more than it's fair share of young unmarried mum's. In fact it doesn't matter what time of day you pop in the PO to buy some stamps etc and there are always a couple of them with sacks loads of catalogue returns.
It's a bloody nuisance for other customers and I am seriously thinking of closing my A & L banks account. Not a great loss but those catalogue companies must be losing a fortune with this quite accepted policy by many today of ordering something - wear it once and then send it.
It used to just me on a Monday though but now those push chairs and prams are full like a bloody wagon train back and forth all week long.
I doubt your ever run out of stock then - or will you. I think that M & S may have set the trend and it wouldn't take much to insist Agents only take genuine orders.
Anyway. Good luck Gemma. You seem to a won a few members over. No doubt a discount offer will drum up a bit of trade perhaps for you come a Jan sale. As for me.
I'll be looking for a XXL Merlin the Wizards Outfit in April for a May Day charity gig we old rascals run. The last one I had caught fire my trying to make a dramatic appearance through a cloud of smoke.
That wasn't so bad. It was the stupid bugger that tried to rip a singed beard off thinking it was false. It wasn't. Think I'll use dry ice next time round. ERK.
Robert
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gemd89
- Original Poster
- #147
Im just trying to make an honest living..im a real person and i am working hard - hopefully that comes across from my posts here.
The advice i have recieved on this forum post alone has been fantastic and its great that people are so honest and im thankful that people have given there time to look over the site and give their feedback
Gemma
The advice i have recieved on this forum post alone has been fantastic and its great that people are so honest and im thankful that people have given there time to look over the site and give their feedback
Gemma
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Please read my post again carefully Gemma. I was not knocking you in any way. I was just trying to give you a different perspective because the trend these days is if you want to be successful is do it well and concentrate on your core customers or which market that you want to target if you don't have that many.
If your into boots then you will find dozens of really great sites offering just boots + maybe a few acc's. Go to any market and your find a stall specilaising in handbags and doing well. Why. A wide choice & presentation and the customer knowing that they bought from the 'handbag' stall.
The point is that they could probably have got something similar at the local charity shop for 50p. They might even have bought a dress there - but a treasured hand-bag. My local RSPCA end up throwing them away.
The point is Gemma that the days of the 'general' store are numbered unless you can do it really well like John Lewis or even Littlewoods. Unfortunately Woolworths didn't and as we all know have gone.
Now as I said at the begining. No-one is out to knock you and certainly not I. Even with a small business however you have to look months down the line. Most people now would have bought their winter shoes and boots and it's a bit late to market Christmas specials in anything so what's next.
The buyers for the big stores will already have bought their Spring collections by September this year and they will be out in the shops after the sales in Jan.
You too have to plan like that Gemma. That is not a criticism. It is a task you must make number 1 priority for the New Year. Now you can choose to take these points on board or ignore them. That is you choice. What isn't however is to suggest that I was knocking your efforts. That is untrue. All I was trying to do is point you in the right direction.
Robert
Robert
If your into boots then you will find dozens of really great sites offering just boots + maybe a few acc's. Go to any market and your find a stall specilaising in handbags and doing well. Why. A wide choice & presentation and the customer knowing that they bought from the 'handbag' stall.
The point is that they could probably have got something similar at the local charity shop for 50p. They might even have bought a dress there - but a treasured hand-bag. My local RSPCA end up throwing them away.
The point is Gemma that the days of the 'general' store are numbered unless you can do it really well like John Lewis or even Littlewoods. Unfortunately Woolworths didn't and as we all know have gone.
Now as I said at the begining. No-one is out to knock you and certainly not I. Even with a small business however you have to look months down the line. Most people now would have bought their winter shoes and boots and it's a bit late to market Christmas specials in anything so what's next.
The buyers for the big stores will already have bought their Spring collections by September this year and they will be out in the shops after the sales in Jan.
You too have to plan like that Gemma. That is not a criticism. It is a task you must make number 1 priority for the New Year. Now you can choose to take these points on board or ignore them. That is you choice. What isn't however is to suggest that I was knocking your efforts. That is untrue. All I was trying to do is point you in the right direction.
Robert
Robert
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Blush
- Original Poster
- #149
I think the main thing letting your site down is that as a customer landing on your home page you give conflicting impressions.
the name doesn't reflect what you sell, along the top you have fancy dress only but then main body is images of clothing, bags , make up etc.
You need to find your niche and start with that first.
Also the actual product images do not sell the items enough, ie the ladies fashion, these would look much better on 'real' people as the clothes would hang better.
At the moment you have a bit of everything, go back and decide what it is you are going ot concentrate on , who your competition is , and what your USP is , ie what do you offer that they don't.
You also need more product info to sell something, take this for example
http://www.fantasywardrobe.co.uk/embossed-print-dress-p-1868.html
Your description tells me nothing whatsoever about this item at all, You have to sell it to me, give the customer detailed descriptions, tell them why they must buy it!
Because at the moment it simply looks like a cheap dress.
Sorry if anyone has already covered these points, I haven't gone through all the old posts.
also you rabout us page needs looking at too
'The best way to contact us is by email as we work 24/7 and this will get you a quick response'
you need to change the wording here doesn't instil any confidence at all.
you need a contact telephone number also, even if yu can't answer it get an answer machine.
You would be surprised at how many telephone orders we pick up.
Good luck though, there are good points too so don't feel too disheartned.
the name doesn't reflect what you sell, along the top you have fancy dress only but then main body is images of clothing, bags , make up etc.
You need to find your niche and start with that first.
Also the actual product images do not sell the items enough, ie the ladies fashion, these would look much better on 'real' people as the clothes would hang better.
At the moment you have a bit of everything, go back and decide what it is you are going ot concentrate on , who your competition is , and what your USP is , ie what do you offer that they don't.
You also need more product info to sell something, take this for example
http://www.fantasywardrobe.co.uk/embossed-print-dress-p-1868.html
Your description tells me nothing whatsoever about this item at all, You have to sell it to me, give the customer detailed descriptions, tell them why they must buy it!
Because at the moment it simply looks like a cheap dress.
Sorry if anyone has already covered these points, I haven't gone through all the old posts.
also you rabout us page needs looking at too
'The best way to contact us is by email as we work 24/7 and this will get you a quick response'
you need to change the wording here doesn't instil any confidence at all.
you need a contact telephone number also, even if yu can't answer it get an answer machine.
You would be surprised at how many telephone orders we pick up.
Good luck though, there are good points too so don't feel too disheartned.
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gemd89
- Original Poster
- #152
I was thinking about the name on the site, as i have built lots of links up for the fantasywardrobe domain though would i be able to keep that domain and then have it redirecting to a new domain name where the site it?
Will have a new name brainstorm to reflect a clothing store.
Gemma
Will have a new name brainstorm to reflect a clothing store.
Gemma
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D
Deleted member 61074
- Original Poster
- #153
Ok it was just an idea.... admittedly its a market place i know little about. It sounds like a hard place to earn from, high maintenance for product input and low base product price.
I still think fantasy wardrobe is the wrong name, fantasy is a lingerie/sex shop not ex catalogue
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That is WHAT I have been saying Dune and now Gemma is going to think of another name for the general clobber I am going to suggest she have 3.
Fantasy Fasions for the really trendy party gear and costumes and the " GSpot Boutique" for lingerie. Now that is HOT or what..
Not sure about a name for the cataloque gear though.
I do know a funny story about those returns however. My sister moved into a new house on the final phase of a small housing estate Chelsmford and found out that rather than wait for the builders to erect the fence in the rear garden the neighbour had ordered about a dozen panels from a club book. Needless to say when the builder did turn up a week later the neighbour sent the fencing back.
Is that any worse I ask myself that sending all those dresses back when the party is over smelling of cheap perfume and smelly armpits.
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Go back to the future young lady. What were the most succssful general stores of all time called. You know the ones that used to sell everything from leather belts and boots to a roll of Irish lace so the settlers wife could make her pinny and under garments. The Trading Post of course.
How about Gemmas Trading Post or even more trendy Shack. GTS.
After all ex-cat means postal returns.
How about Gemmas Trading Post or even more trendy Shack. GTS.
After all ex-cat means postal returns.
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Try Ebay. You will see lengthy descriptions of the clothing sold there.
In fact, I don't know if you do sell on Ebay at all but listing there is all the education you need to write a good description of your products on your own site.
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