No Sales- Can you help please?

[jeffnurse]

I have been reading the comments for a year now and hope that someone might be able to give some feedback and criticism on our site.

It has been designed from the outset to use products from Sage, with all its limitations. I know several areas of the site that need improving, and I am working on ways of using the discounting within Actinic to improve pricing.

However, we have been receiving visitors for months now, around 1600 visits in the last few months, and yet we haven't had one sale. A fault with the basket was addressed last week - it worked but didn't appear properly.

Any other feedback and suggestions would be welcome. Thanks Jeff

www.premierfurnituresolutions.co.uk

[jeffnurse]

No Sales?

Yes, I have just added the url. I am a forum virgin, sorry guys!!

[Cheapprices4u]

my first simple point ( i am no professional btw)

to get to a sale i have to go this far???

Online Catalogue | Office Furniture | General Office Furniture | Formula Desks | Desks in Beech finish | Rectangular desks beech effect

toooo many clicks
i only clicked that far to actually see how far it was

[RuralWeb]

around 1600 visits in the last few months

This is a low level of traffic and even at a normal rate of conversion for a new site I would have only expected about 5 sales so its about right IMO.

How are you marketing the site?

[RuralWeb]

Im getting lots of 404 errors when looking at ext info pages. Also as the items are qite high value you really need to provide more info and pictures to sell them well. Switching to single product pages and using a multi image layout with lots of good sales info would improve things.

Blue is not a good idea to use as text as it is standard colour for a link and as Louise says your links cannot be identified - change the text to black and links to blue

[Stereo Steve]

Here's my 2p. I don't like the logo, looks cheap as it's all grainy on my screen. Maybe pay somebody to re-do it professionally? The first thing I looked at was Office chairs (I'm in the market for one at the mo). Top one has a clickable image that goes to a standard 404 (maybe set up a simple 404 page with a delayed re-direct to the home page?). The second is not clickable and the bottom one has no immage or description.

I just wouldn't buy from the site, especially as it's pretty high value goods. Who's going to pay £700 for something with no description that they can't see.

I'm not trying to be harsh but if I were selling high value goods, I wouldn't put them on the site until I had some really nice photos and a good write up for each one. You can get away with a small amount of 'image coming soon' type items, especially if they are hot sellers but not too many.

One big problem we have found (and we're not over it yet) is that by putting up catalog pages that are just listings with no text is going to get you consigned to google supplemental from where you may struggle to recover. That's what happened to us. So now, we make sure that every product listed has a full image and description before it goes on the site.

[jeffnurse]

Thanks

Thank you all for the immediate responses. Sometimes it's difficult because I have received different advice from different people, but I try and pick a common road.

One point made suggested that a user has to go too far into the site to be able to buy - and this is a good point. Conversely I had been advised that it would be better to have more levels to try and get products onto their own pages - better for Google etc. Did I go too far?

[RuralWeb]

where you may struggle to recover

And on that point you have managed to get your ext info pages indexed which means that people finding them on google will not be able to enter the site as they are greated with a page like this http://www.premierfurnituresolutions..._N_XTREME.html

Lots more but Im short on time today - sorry

[los_design]

Sorry Jeff

But I have to agree with Steve on this one.

It is all about customer confidence and the perception that they can trust you and that they are dealing with a pro outfit (for HV goods)

Alas, your site is failing on all fronts as far as I can see it.

1 When you first land on this site, I need to know I can trust you. My gut says, I will call them....but I can't, where is your phone number?

2 I can always visit the store - Wrong, no address

3 At least I know they have security in place for my order IF I go ahead - Wrong, cannot see any signs of payment methods or secure payment details (which, if using a PSP is a contractually agreed requirement BTW)

All in all, my advice would be to step back and get your image RIGHT, BEFORE you spend on advertising etc.

The industry stats suggest that you can expect to sell (on average) to 1 visitor in about 100, on viewing your site, I would think you would be lucky to sell to anyone as it stands, and your stats back this up.

It is not all doom and gloom but if you sell high end products, you MUST ensure you give the client the confidence and portray your company in the correct light.

Ask youself, if you went shopping online , would you spend £1k on a site that you have never heard of, cannot call them, see where they are based, has numerous basic site issues (incl. showing the product), and the site looks...home built?

Best of luck
Regards
Daren

[CymraegKev]

It might be an idea to speak to original designers about some key functional problems. I clicked on the link in the footer of your site to: Web Tech Solutions - but even that link failed....

Kevin

[Paul Bulpit]

but even that link failed....

That's beause 'http://' is missing from the anchor.

I see contact details & an address - has that been added today then? And what about all the testimonials?

[completerookie]

I tend to have a golden rule when I'm viewing a website (when I'm parting with my money that is)

the higher the value, the more words and picture I expect.

example. If I purchase a nut and bolt for 20p, there's not a lot you can say apart from "its a nut and bolt round and rough on some parts"

whereas, If I purchase an epensive giggle-pin-extractor costing me £1000 then I want to see lots of pictures, lots of words describing exactly what I'm getting for my grand.,

like other people have said, something costing 20p, I can afford to throw it away if it doesn't work no great loss. , but at a grand, then I will make darned sure I know how to get hold of you BEFORE I decide to part with my money

[los_design]

I tend to have a golden rule when I'm viewing a website (when I'm parting with my money that is)

the higher the value, the more words and picture I expect.

example. If I purchase a nut and bolt for 20p, there's not a lot you can say apart from "its a nut and bolt round and rough on some parts"

whereas, If I purchase an epensive giggle-pin-extractor costing me £1000 then I want to see lots of pictures, lots of words describing exactly what I'm getting for my grand.,

like other people have said, something costing 20p, I can afford to throw it away if it doesn't work no great loss. , but at a grand, then I will make darned sure I know how to get hold of you BEFORE I decide to part with my money

Very well informed words Kevin...

It is all about the clients perception of trust. You MUST keep them in the comfort zone at all times.

[jeffnurse]

A lot of constructive criticism and well founded points, thank you all.
This site was started by Actinic as we were a pilot for Sage, I developed the content and having taken advice, had a developer recode it for V8. It has become a bit disjointed.

This is the second home page design - the first had less content and I thought it might need more, so hence did this two weeks ago. The address and contact details are all on the Contact and Find Us tab - opinion says that this should be on the Home page - am I right?

I don't know how to put borders on fragments because I would like to do this in some areas.

I have been waiting to get any orders on the simple content I had to start with, just to see how it all worked and had added more products from Sage in the meantime without having the time to complete it. Bad idea, and I will hide some of these until done. I have been experimenting with the structure to try and see how logical it is. Does a customer choose a desk type first, or a finish, for example?

Thanks again. Jeff

[leehack]

Desk type first and then a drop down box on the product to choose the colour normally.