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New eCommerce Website Review

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  • 17-10-2012 10:44am
    #1
    BnB
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭


    Hi

    I'd appreciate some opinions / feedback on a business to business eCommerce Website I put live last night. I hope the Mods don't mind me posting the link here - It is a very niche area that I don't think would interest many posters here so I am not trying to advertise - I genuinely just want feedback

    www.hazshop.com

    Don't hold back if you think it's terrible - I want to know - I really need to get this right

    We had the site up for the past year but it was performing very poorly.

    I have taken it on now to try and get some more out of it. The first step was freshening up the site a bit which I have done. It is built using Prestashop 1.5.1. Feel free to place dummy orders and "Pay" by wire to look at the order process.

    The one thing that is missing from it still (in my opinion) is integrated Credit Card Payments. At the moment you are directed to the paypal website. The module to integrate Paypal via API on the latest version of Prestashop (which I used) isn't available yet. However, I have been assured that it will be released in the next 2 weeks and as soon as it is, I will have it.

    We found on the old site that a lot of carts were being created but none of them were being closed out to orders.

    Doing up the site is just the first step. I plan now to monitor it daily untill the end of the year to see if I can....
    • Convert more visitors into customers
    • Get more visitors
    • Run an adwords campaign

    What do you people think would be a respectable conversion rate to aim for - From visitors to customers. You read wildly different theories on the internet ranging from 0.5% to 25%. Taking into account that it is a business to business website and is a very niche area. On the old site it was very poor - 2 orders from 2500 visitors.

    Sincere thanks in advance.


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    #2
    bizzyb
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭bizzyb


    BnB wrote: »
    Hi

    I'd appreciate some opinions / feedback on a business to business eCommerce Website I put live last night. I hope the Mods don't mind me posting the link here - It is a very niche area that I don't think would interest many posters here so I am not trying to advertise - I genuinely just want feedback

    www.hazshop.com

    Don't hold back if you think it's terrible - I want to know - I really need to get this right

    We had the site up for the past year but it was performing very poorly.

    I have taken it on now to try and get some more out of it. The first step was freshening up the site a bit which I have done. It is built using Prestashop 1.5.1. Feel free to place dummy orders and "Pay" by wire to look at the order process.

    The one thing that is missing from it still (in my opinion) is integrated Credit Card Payments. At the moment you are directed to the paypal website. The module to integrate Paypal via API on the latest version of Prestashop (which I used) isn't available yet. However, I have been assured that it will be released in the next 2 weeks and as soon as it is, I will have it.

    We found on the old site that a lot of carts were being created but none of them were being closed out to orders.

    Doing up the site is just the first step. I plan now to monitor it daily untill the end of the year to see if I can....
    • Convert more visitors into customers
    • Get more visitors
    • Run an adwords campaign

    What do you people think would be a respectable conversion rate to aim for - From visitors to customers. You read wildly different theories on the internet ranging from 0.5% to 25%. Taking into account that it is a business to business website and is a very niche area. On the old site it was very poor - 2 orders from 2500 visitors.

    Sincere thanks in advance.
    Your website is easy to browse on the smartphone anyway, drives me mad browsing websites on the phone that haven't gone mobile!
    Best of luck with it.


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    #3
    TsuDhoNimh
    Registered Users Posts: 424 ✭✭TsuDhoNimh


    BnB wrote: »
    The module to integrate Paypal via API on the latest version of Prestashop (which I used) isn't available yet. However, I have been assured that it will be released in the next 2 weeks and as soon as it is, I will have it.
    I'd look into the PayPal side of that before setting any plans in place.

    If you're looking at integrating the payments (Web Payments Pro? I'm not sure exactly which PayPal options offer the solution required), I believe it's still not available for Irish PayPal accounts so will prove a stumbling block (even when the integration module for Prestashop is available).


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    #4
    Peterdalkey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭Peterdalkey


    I hate being negative. The site is completely devoid of any design, poorly laid out, uses crap image quality. It gives the impression of the very first Internet websites circa 1998. I would hate to have seen the old one!

    I would respectfully suggest that you look at a proper shop- in -a - box solution with with proper graphic templates, integrated shipping cart and payment facilities. I can unreservedly recommend the hosted solutions from www.bluepark.co.uk, we have two sites running with them. I have no other connection with them. We are B2B industrial products too, and get about 3% visitor to order conversion rate.

    If you are to have any hope of winning business, you need to present a professional competent web presence with quality graphics, site mechanics and DESIGN!!

    Please take my comments as constructive criticism and I respect your openness to state upfront that you want honest feedback.

    Cheers

    Peter


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    #5
    BnB
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭BnB


    Thanks Peter - Very much appreciated - As I said it's not personal - I really want this site to work - No point in hearing it's lovely and I am still sitting here in 2 months without any orders coming through. - And yes - the old site was shocking altogether.....

    I am surprised that you think it is so bad. I would have thought that while the layout was fairly basic, it is professional and clean.

    If you didn't mind, could you (or any other reader) give me one or two specific examples of the worst offenders.... i.e. Image X is awful - Menu Y is in a poor position....


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    #6
    Compton
    Registered Users Posts: 3,157 ✭✭✭Compton


    The logo, and the scroller on the homepage look poor due to bad images used.

    You could get a graphic designer to sort these out quite cheaply and it would look far better!


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    #7
    sandin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,594 ✭✭✭sandin


    Some design work is needed - quite easy for a graphics guy to do.

    SEO is definitely needed - we used these guys until we got big enough to take it in-house http://www.seocompany.ie/

    Delivery information - Its the most important part of the site and very confusing without any definite pricing. Also contact phone number should be very prominent (top right).

    Its not exactly a consumer site - so I'd look at specialist advertising / direct mail to get people to notice you.


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    #8
    Peterdalkey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,091 ✭✭✭Peterdalkey


    BnB wrote: »
    Thanks Peter - Very much appreciated - As I said it's not personal - I really want this site to work - No point in hearing it's lovely and I am still sitting here in 2 months without any orders coming through. - And yes - the old site was shocking altogether.....

    I am surprised that you think it is so bad. I would have thought that while the layout was fairly basic, it is professional and clean.

    If you didn't mind, could you (or any other reader) give me one or two specific examples of the worst offenders.... i.e. Image X is awful - Menu Y is in a poor position....


    I was looking at the site on an iPad, the Windows version is much better. Suggest you view it on an iPad and you will see what I mean.
    Sandins points are well made and it would not take a huge amount to fix it. B2Bs rarely use Paypal, in our experience, so getting credit debit card facility online secure payment facility is absolutely critical.

    You could make a bit more of your well established Complience business with prominent links etc and a picture of your premises and maybe a map/ditrections. All these thing give the potential customer a greater feeling of security that they are dealing with a reputable established business.

    By the way, we are the only producer 95Kpa bags in Europe!

    Good luck with it

    cheers

    Peter


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    #9
    BnB
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭BnB


    Very sincere thanks to all. One thing that is coming through (apart from the obvious image quality) is that I have to look at credibility and I think it is so right - Peter you mentioned making more of our company (DCM Compliance) on the site - Not just to advertise it, (although that helps too) but just to give the potential customer more faith in the fact that we are a real company.

    I really hadn't though of this, and yet - any time I buy anything on line myself, it is exactly what I do myself.

    Peter - PM Sent.


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    #10
    Duckjob
    Registered Users Posts: 2,859 ✭✭✭Duckjob


    Site felt quite slow and heavy to load up when I clicked the link. I noticed at least 1 image (DCM) is actually much bigger than it is displayed. You need to look at resizing down and also optimising images to get your page as light and quick loading as possible as slow loading pages could hurt your SEO efforts.

    Also, Home button should be just that - you click it, you're back to HOME page. Having a sub menu hanging off it with Legal notice, terms etc it is weird and confusing and a major turnoff - IMO your site structure should be clear and easy to navigate, if it's not you'll have people reaching for the back button straight away.


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