Honest review needed for site

[RuralWeb]

A very quick fix would be to use codepaths SPP generator to turn all your products into single pages

[roundman]

i want a long term fix, i know that money will have to be spent but it's a question of how much.

[RuralWeb]

i want a long term fix

It will help long term as you will have to convert to SPP - what I ment is that the code path software will convert all your products in a few minutes - it will take days otherwise. A designer would still charge you for doing this so you are saving in the long run

[gabrielcrowe]

Oh dear Maurice.

This thread wins all sorts of awards.

You may be interested to know that the people that have replied to this thread are all responsible for (probably multiple) very successful actinic based stores, so you can be assured that they know there stuff. You'd be a fool not to heed every morsel of their advice.

My honest opinion, in light of your crowded and failing market, is to get the most beautiful website you can afford. I'd be paying about about 2k for a REALLY good site. If you take this into consideration when you look at the big picture, you'll see that its the best investment you'll ever make.

Would you expect to furnish a beautiful showroom for 2k?

It sounds to me like you don't know how to make sites yourself. Don't try. Get someone else to do it, or you'll lose more than 2k profit during your learning curve than you will paying someone for a site.

[roundman]

its true i don't know how to make a site myself, and every bit of advice is welcomed and taken on board.
I would like to thank all those who have added to this thread for their time and knowledge.
Its all the things i knew was wrong just been bumbling along really.

[roundman]

ok if somebody wants to email me with the damage, then i guess i'm ready

[roundman]

i see from your site Mal u not accepting anymore design work.

[bamboo]

Apologies if I am missing something obvious here but who are you selling your power tools to?

If they are low margin & price sensitive products compared to other items you stock in your brick & mortar store why are selling them online instead of the ones that make you money offline?

[pinbrook]

The whole thing about having an online shop is getting the edge on your competitors. All to many people have a product range and think that by going online they will increase sales. WRONG.... its an even tougher world out there online than inthe high st. At least if you have someone in your BM shop you can use your expertise, advice and persausion power to get a sale. online you haven't got this opportunity and you have to engage buyers attention in other manners.

The only way to suceed online is to have a master plan and build something that will beat the competition hands down. if you can't think of a way that your shop is going to be better than other shops then now is the time to stop or engage someone who does know.

my limited experience of tool shops tells me thare are loads of them around, all being stocked by the same supplier. There are to many suppliers (not just tools) who will supply to anyone who asks.

to suceed you need some/all of the following

cheapest price
good navigation
good telephone sales
fast delivery
good reputation
specialist stock
and of course your failure proof master plan

if you are unsure if you have the cash to pay someone to help you, then don't do it, as you say times are tough at the mo, do your research, spend time on the web working out what constitutes a sucessful site, ask around ask friends who they buy from and why, ask friends to buy from your site, listen to their feedback. Ask your customers to look at your site listen to what they say. Look at amazon, look at ebuyer - these are sucessful sites. Then think about what you have learnt and maybe plough in.

[RuralWeb]

i see from your site Mal u not accepting anymore design work

Correct Ive been closed for 2 years now!! - I now only really work with a few long term clients who pay to retain my services.

[Darren B]

I know someone who could build you an amazing power tool site, mind it would cost you at least 10 times what your thinking, but it would be fully customised for you

Seriously if you want someone to take a look, the see Lee, Jonty, Tracey ermmm plus others hanging around here. I have used Jonty's services and taken some good advice from Tracey, Lee and Mal

If you dont talk to them off forum then your never know how much its gonna cost, i bet its not as much as you fear

[roundman]

Bamboo, i sell all our range online, powertools are what get people interested and looking, they will only buy powertools every couple of years or so, its what they buy inbetween and getting them to come back to my online shop that i want.
Yes there is a lot of tool stores out there, all supplied by maybe 3 or 4 suppliers, its how you go about things, people are not buying from my site because of the way it looks, but will buy from someone else more expensive coz they look better.
I have found somebody willing to take on the task and will be discussing it with him in a few days, and i now feel more positive about where it's all going, and can finally channel my efforts into building it up as opposed to scratching my head wondering how i can change something i dont know how to.

[roundman]

i was looking at and auction site for the future too.
lol once i got rounds up first obviously

[Firecom]

marketing and looks count. Look at stores like RS and Screwfix. They are DAMN expensive, but people buy off them still. And buy alot from them.

[roundman]

Exactly it comes down to Branding those peole are now brands in their own right, i can beat Screwfix and RS hands down 90% of the time, and now people are starting to realise this and move away from them, tradesmen are looking for better deals and service, it just comes down to ease of use, screwfix was part of Toolstation which was started in someones bedroom.
So its not about how many others out there its about, what you do, which is why i want this to be right, it isn't i needed new eyes and honesty and i got it here.