First osc client

[grafixmatt]

Hello,

 

This is my first post, and my first osc client website. We have made some changes to the way osc is displayed on the front end, but the engine is all based off of osc. Although the site launched yesterday, I would like to hear your opinions of the overall UI and design. We are in the process of finalizing a few images and will be adding numerous products in the coming weeks ahead, but please feel free to register free and let me know what you think of the checkout process (dont have to place an order but can go through until the very last step). Thank you all to a great community for such a terrific open source product.

 

The Client...

www.sparklingcards.com

 

- Matthew

[FalseDawn]

Well, the site certainly looks very professional, with excellent use of pictures, pleasing colors etc.

However, in my opinion, it is a case of form over function. I don't know whether I'm just getting old or what, but it doesn't appear to be immediately obvious how to get to the "meat" of your store - i.e. what do you offer, how do I get it in my cart, do you offer discounts for multiple items, etc.

 

I personally don't like the drop-down on the first page. Drop-downs (IMO) should not be used for performing actions. If this is based on javascript, what about users who disable this? It's also rather bad UI design to redirect based on a drop-down selection.

 

Also, there are pages with javascript errors - your popup image enlarge appears broken.

 

I would like to be able to purchase without having to create an account.

Also, I'd like to know (approximate) estimates of shipping costs up front.

 

If I clear the search box, then click "go", a rather stock-looking advanced search screen appears, which is a bit nasty.

 

Are those prices per card? blimey, $5 for a bit of cardboard and string, what's the world coming to? :-)

 

OVerall, not bad, but needs a bit of finishing off.

[ChrissieC]

Hello,

 

This is my first post, and my first osc client website. We have made some changes to the way osc is displayed on the front end, but the engine is all based off of osc. Although the site launched yesterday, I would like to hear your opinions of the overall UI and design. We are in the process of finalizing a few images and will be adding numerous products in the coming weeks ahead, but please feel free to register free and let me know what you think of the checkout process (dont have to place an order but can go through until the very last step). Thank you all to a great community for such a terrific open source product.

 

The Client...

www.sparklingcards.com

 

- Matthew

 

WOW!!! I am SO impressed! That has got to be one of (if not the) best oscommerce sites I have ever seen!

Looks Fab, How did you manage to get the front to be so individual? Simple Template System? Go on, whats your secret? Love it! If i was your client I'd be happy!

[grafixmatt]

Well, the site certainly looks very professional, with excellent use of pictures, pleasing colors etc.

However, in my opinion, it is a case of form over function. I don't know whether I'm just getting old or what, but it doesn't appear to be immediately obvious how to get to the "meat" of your store - i.e. what do you offer, how do I get it in my cart, do you offer discounts for multiple items, etc.

 

I personally don't like the drop-down on the first page. Drop-downs (IMO) should not be used for performing actions. If this is based on javascript, what about users who disable this? It's also rather bad UI design to redirect based on a drop-down selection.

 

Also, there are pages with javascript errors - your popup image enlarge appears broken.

 

I would like to be able to purchase without having to create an account.

Also, I'd like to know (approximate) estimates of shipping costs up front.

 

If I clear the search box, then click "go", a rather stock-looking advanced search screen appears, which is a bit nasty.

 

Are those prices per card? blimey, $5 for a bit of cardboard and string, what's the world coming to? :-)

 

OVerall, not bad, but needs a bit of finishing off.

 

Thank you for the feedback. We're actually working on everything you mentioned above, especially on finding products faster.

 

The need to register is due to the CVR when it comes to follow on information. Without user's registered info up front, they can still shop al they want, but having the customer reg info will increase sales 12% overall. That's a fact.

 

I agree with the $5 aspect as well. We're looking into customizing the interior of the card for the users also, perhaps through an eCard system.

 

Shipping costs up front, lowers your CVR by over 50%, thats also been tested.

 

Thx again for the feedback -

 

Matthew

 

 

 

 

WOW!!! I am SO impressed! That has got to be one of (if not the) best oscommerce sites I have ever seen!

Looks Fab, How did you manage to get the front to be so individual? Simple Template System? Go on, whats your secret? Love it! If i was your client I'd be happy!

 

Thank you. Yes, she is extremely pleased, especially with the entire business model + design.

 

No secret, just 'ol fashioned front end custom design work. I had originally designed the homepage knowing some of the aspects of osc, and throughout the last few weeks (the site was created from scratch in 7 weeks we had to deal with hosting, certificates, administration, osc learning curve) I have picked up on more of the functionalities that osc offers. For the next client I will be raising the bar again.

 

Thx again for your feedback -

 

Matthew

[FalseDawn]

The need to register is due to the CVR when it comes to follow on information. Without user's registered info up front, they can still shop al they want, but having the customer reg info will increase sales 12% overall. That's a fact.

 

Rubbish, having a customer's information may increase follow-on prospects, but only if they choose to create an account, and only if they choose to allow you to contact them for offers (otherwise, you are spamming)

What about the sales you lose but can never track from potential customers who don't want the hassle of creating an account?

 

 

Shipping costs up front, lowers your CVR by over 50%, thats also been tested.

 

Again, rubbish.

I'd like to see your research and where these figures come from.

[grafixmatt]

Rubbish, having a customer's information may increase follow-on prospects, but only if they choose to create an account, and only if they choose to allow you to contact them for offers (otherwise, you are spamming)

What about the sales you lose but can never track from potential customers who don't want the hassle of creating an account?

Again, rubbish.

I'd like to see your research and where these figures come from.

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

The newsletter information is an "opt-in" feature and is selectable by the customer. Anyone who chooses to opt-out will not receive newsletter updates. Unsure of where the term "spamming" is being generated from.

 

Next, how would you be able to track potential customers without registering? If you consider contacting them without having them opt-in as stated above, now THAT would be considered "spamming".

 

Sorry, but this research comes from a major Fortune 1000 employer I was with through A/B testing, and I will not share specifics of who and what with anyone, however I will share some of the success regarding the metrics. You would be amazed at some of the other information that has been tested which works you may be unfamiliar with.

 

It would have been nice to have more than 7 weeks to open the site to the public, as other items are currently being worked on. It was even nicer to see the first LIVE transaction through Verisign's account manager within 2 hours of opening the site.

 

Offhand, do you know where I can turn the phone number module off? Any info would be greatly appreciated as I am asking that in the other forum but hopefully someone here may know how to also.

 

Thanks again for your feedback, and good luck with your storefront.

 

Best,

 

Matthew

[BearHappy]

Matt,

 

 

I would be interested in hearing about the success concering the case study. I know you stated that you wouldn't go into specifics, but I'm wondering why showing the shipping costs prior to checkout might turn a customer off. Myself I shop at a fairly large computer hardware online store and love the fact that I can get a shipping estimate prior to checking out. However, I did notice that Amazon does not give you a shipping estimate. Perhaps there is something to this...

 

Oh and great site by the way, clean and easy to navigate.

[Destra]

Matt,

I would be interested in hearing about the success concering the case study. I know you stated that you wouldn't go into specifics, but I'm wondering why showing the shipping costs prior to checkout might turn a customer off. Myself I shop at a fairly large computer hardware online store and love the fact that I can get a shipping estimate prior to checking out. However, I did notice that Amazon does not give you a shipping estimate. Perhaps there is something to this...

 

Oh and great site by the way, clean and easy to navigate.

 

But Amazon does constantly push the price point for free shipping. Amazon actually decided to lower shipping and do that free shipping thing instead of conventional ads and sales increased beyond their expectations. I think being able to reasonably find out (maybe not up front but not impossible to find) approximate shipping costs would be a good idea.

[ChrissieC]

But Amazon does constantly push the price point for free shipping. Amazon actually decided to lower shipping and do that free shipping thing instead of conventional ads and sales increased beyond their expectations. I think being able to reasonably find out (maybe not up front but not impossible to find) approximate shipping costs would be a good idea.

 

I agree, I won't buy online if I can't find the shipping costs, they can vary considerably, sorry but thats just me, and i love online shopping, (well, nay shopping actually...)

[Guest]

Personally a pet hate of mine is a store which insists I register to buy something. In fact I just plain refuse to buy from them, it is obvious that the reason you want me to register is so that you can send crap through email, or so that you can sell the lists on to other lists/companies why else do you want to collect my details?

[grafixmatt]

But Amazon does constantly push the price point for free shipping. Amazon actually decided to lower shipping and do that free shipping thing instead of conventional ads and sales increased beyond their expectations. I think being able to reasonably find out (maybe not up front but not impossible to find) approximate shipping costs would be a good idea.

 

EXACTLY!

 

When you show shipping prices up front it is subconciously telling the potential customer to calculate the overall cost giving them an opportunity to make a decision on a purchase without even being inside of the checkout process yet. When people shop, 80%+ of the customers out there are concerned about one thing only...the cost of the product based on the quality of the item. Shipping is SECONDARY almost always.

 

Now, displaying things such as FREE Shipping or a savings tier based on dollar amount, first time purchases, loyalty/rewards progams are all things that will bring the potential customer into the checkout process. The only way to see the first page of the checkout delivery page is if they register. Now should the customer choose to register and see the shipping cost and drop out, that is now baited by an opted in follow-on or newsletter. A successful follow on campaign will product results within a 12-14% purchase range depending on what the offers are inside. You generally want to make your offers within these follow on's your best selling/pricing point overall on your product where they just can't say "no" and come back to shop with you.

 

I've actually gone a little farther ahead than your original statement, but it is important to take notice on how the placement of shipping after registering, combined with incentive offers as campaigns will increase succe$$!

 

- Matthew

[grafixmatt]

Personally a pet hate of mine is a store which insists I register to buy something. In fact I just plain refuse to buy from them, it is obvious that the reason you want me to register is so that you can send crap through email, or so that you can sell the lists on to other lists/companies why else do you want to collect my details?

 

I agree. Which is why the privacy policy states registered customers have the ability to modify their recipient information at any time. Businesses that do not follow these rules are non-compliant of NAD guidelines and are subject to penalties.

 

Rest assured, the policy also states there is no 3rd party solicitation. This policy comes straight from the financial institution itself.

 

Details are collected for demographics, which are then inputted into a system of reporting mthods to calculate "who's buying what and where". This information is vital in growing your business.

 

Thank you for your post!

 

Matthew

[grafixmatt]

Matt,

I would be interested in hearing about the success concering the case study. I know you stated that you wouldn't go into specifics, but I'm wondering why showing the shipping costs prior to checkout might turn a customer off. Myself I shop at a fairly large computer hardware online store and love the fact that I can get a shipping estimate prior to checking out. However, I did notice that Amazon does not give you a shipping estimate. Perhaps there is something to this...

 

Oh and great site by the way, clean and easy to navigate.

 

Thank you for your post, and the site feedback. We have so much left to do still regarding marketing and strategy that our primary focus was to get the engine up and running on its own.

 

As for the success metrics, there are hundreds if not thousands of tests we have ran against conventional methods of marketing and UI advertising. Basically, showing the shipping costs beforehand (see my other reply below) gives the potential customer an immediate calculation to decide if "is this too much?". You want to keep the price as low as possible without offering the ability to calculate the total cost first. If you let the customer shop around and then upon checkout see the shipping cost, they can make their decision at that time. If they leave? Well they have now registered with you for campaigns and special offers that they will not receive anyplace else on your storefront. If the price for shipping was to be displayed up front and the customer makes their decision to leave at that time, how will they ever be brouhgt back? They won't. It is the same concept with banner advertising as well, but that is another topic for discussion.

 

Remember, there is a big difference between PULLING users and PUSHING users, but again another toipic for discussion.

 

Thank you again for your post -

 

Matthew

[Guest]

I agree. Which is why the privacy policy states registered customers have the ability to modify their recipient information at any time. Businesses that do not follow these rules are non-compliant of NAD guidelines and are subject to penalties.

 

Rest assured, the policy also states there is no 3rd party solicitation. This policy comes straight from the financial institution itself.

 

Details are collected for demographics, which are then inputted into a system of reporting mthods to calculate "who's buying what and where". This information is vital in growing your business.

 

Thank you for your post!

 

Matthew

 

 

What I dont understand is Ok I have made a decision to buy from you, im giving you my cash, yet you want to screw me for more ? Whether or not you do it use it in this sense, matters not to me, personally I will always be suspicious of this (btw why do big companies not force you down this route then? I know of one company that does actually and I refuse to shop online with them too now... after receiving shedloads of crap mail on a new untouched "blank" email address, and they refuse to admit it could be to do with their database) I admit i use recover sales modules, etc, and this way I can ask why a cart has been dropped (maybe shipping is an issue :)) but I see this as customer support not sales driven.

 

Anyway Im sure you will do well I quite liked your site anyway! (although obviously I wouldnt buy from you)...

[grafixmatt]

What I dont understand is Ok I have made a decision to buy from you, im giving you my cash, yet you want to screw me for more ? Whether or not you do it use it in this sense, matters not to me, personally I will always be suspicious of this (btw why do big companies not force you down this route then? I know of one company that does actually and I refuse to shop online with them too now... after receiving shedloads of crap mail on a new untouched "blank" email address, and they refuse to admit it could be to do with their database) I admit i use recover sales modules, etc, and this way I can ask why a cart has been dropped (maybe shipping is an issue :)) but I see this as customer support not sales driven.

 

Anyway Im sure you will do well I quite liked your site anyway! (although obviously I wouldnt buy from you)...

 

Quite alright, the market for this product is not for everyone. It is being set up to appeal to the widest array in the targeted market.

 

Unsure of what you are referring to regarding "screw for more?". We also plan to offer a rewards program for loyal customers which, in turn, will drive the shipping prices even lower and perhaps free.

 

Typically, 75% of the companies out there DO in fact share your information because the majority of consumers do not read the privacy policy carefully. What consumers also dont know is that, at any time, can opt out of this information with a click or a phone call.

 

Remember, customer support is directly connected to sales. It is all under the umbrella of "service".

 

Lastly, we will be adding numerous marketing products and incentives in the coming weeks and months ahead. This is just the beta...I mean beginning :-)

 

Thank you for your post!

 

Matthew

[Guest]

Well metrics are based on a slew of different factors, based on the business model and product they are offering. Some companies might lump buyers together but we all know there is no black and white when it comes to buying.

 

Someone who is looking to save a couple bucks on amazon.com will love the free shipping over $25. However someone who has a big salary will not care if they spend $75 on a couple pieces of chocolates from redenvelope.com and pay $30 for shipping.

 

And judging from Matthews site, it looks like it would cater to a niche market (people with money to spend), but thats just my opinion.

[FalseDawn]

The newsletter information is an "opt-in" feature and is selectable by the customer. Anyone who chooses to opt-out will not receive newsletter updates. Unsure of where the term "spamming" is being generated from.

 

Next, how would you be able to track potential customers without registering? If you consider contacting them without having them opt-in as stated above, now THAT would be considered "spamming".

 

You clearly didn't read (or didn't bother to interpret) what I said:

"and only if they choose to allow you to contact them for offers (otherwise, you are spamming)"

 

 

opt-in is fine, I only said you would be spamming if you obtain their details and email them without any such procedure in place.

Again, I stand by my statement that the additional sales that might be received from sending newsletters or whatever to the percentage of people who opt-in to suchlike will be more than offset by the lost opportunities from those who don't want to create an account to shop.

 

 

I'm not going to get into a debate about your choice of whether to show shipping cost and or the account issue, but everything I have read points to increased conversions when

 

1) You give the customer as much information as possible up front. This has happened to me several times - I want to buy something for (say) $20 - I go through the loborious tedium of filling in my address and other stuff, only for shipping costs to come back as something like $12

I will never go back to that site again. People love free (or low) shipping costs. That's a fact.

 

2) The length of the checkout procedure. It is already far too long - do some research on the correlation between length/complexity of checkout and cart abandonment. You might be surprised. I have a very simple 2-click checkout and have yet to experience a single abandonment.

 

It's your choice whether you want to share your statistical sources, but without doing so, your claims have little substance.

 

Whatever, as long as the client is happy, that 's the main thing - it definitely is a nice looking site, and I hope it does well.

[grafixmatt]

You clearly didn't read (or didn't bother to interpret) what I said:

"and only if they choose to allow you to contact them for offers (otherwise, you are spamming)"

opt-in is fine, I only said you would be spamming if you obtain their details and email them without any such procedure in place.

Again, I stand by my statement that the additional sales that might be received from sending newsletters or whatever to the percentage of people who opt-in to suchlike will be more than offset by the lost opportunities from those who don't want to create an account to shop.

I'm not going to get into a debate about your choice of whether to show shipping cost and or the account issue, but everything I have read points to increased conversions when

 

1) You give the customer as much information as possible up front. This has happened to me several times - I want to buy something for (say) $20 - I go through the loborious tedium of filling in my address and other stuff, only for shipping costs to come back as something like $12

I will never go back to that site again. People love free (or low) shipping costs. That's a fact.

 

2) The length of the checkout procedure. It is already far too long - do some research on the correlation between length/complexity of checkout and cart abandonment. You might be surprised. I have a very simple 2-click checkout and have yet to experience a single abandonment.

 

It's your choice whether you want to share your statistical sources, but without doing so, your claims have little substance.

 

Whatever, as long as the client is happy, that 's the main thing - it definitely is a nice looking site, and I hope it does well.

 

Users can shop all they want, add subtract remove as much as they like and see their totals. If you calculate the shipping on multiple items those totals are going to increase parallel with the products being added into their cart when the ship price is available up front. The marginal offset is lower in the tests being done when the system is set up this way. What consumers unconciously do relevate at are shipping offers and savings (ie. Savings %'s, Free, etc) just as you stated and you are absolutely 100% correct. Not because we believe so, but because this has been tested.

 

I also agree with your 2 step checkout process. That is a great foundation for a purchase order. The main reason for a 3 step process here was due to my first osc website being designed and developed within a few weeks period was challenging, although successful as there are regsitrants and buyers coming in to make a purchase within 2 hours of the site opening.

 

As for substance it isn't necessary for me to claim anything, just sharing the results of just some of the tests I have done. If you would like, I would be more than happy to review your current system(s) in place and offer feedback as well based on overall UI, as you have for me here (although we are beginning to get a bit off topic).

 

Thanks again for your wishes, yes the client is thrilled and having the feedback from this community will help with the focus group study. There are a LOT of marketing products, campaigns, discounts being discussed and designed and looking forward to implementing those over the coming weeks ahead.

 

- Matthew

[osCshop]

I like it :wub:

In I.E. and FF the pop-up doesn't work good:

http://www.sparklingcards.com/catalog/prod...&products_id=67

 

I also use STS and would love to have an specific header image for each category.

How did you do that?

 

For search you might want to change the image (It shows a image with the text "Below are the items in your shopping basket")...

 

In FF: http://www.sparklingcards.com/catalog/home.php look @ the searchbox image:

 

In shopping_cart adjust the inputfield for quantity because if you order 100000000000000 it's cheap :-"

"a1" will empty the basket :o

[Guest]

I like it :wub:

In I.E. and FF the pop-up doesn't work good:

http://www.sparklingcards.com/catalog/prod...&products_id=67

 

I also use STS and would love to have an specific header image for each category.

How did you do that?

 

For search you might want to change the image (It shows a image with the text "Below are the items in your shopping basket")...

 

In FF: http://www.sparklingcards.com/catalog/home.php look @ the searchbox image:

 

In shopping_cart adjust the inputfield for quantity because if you order 100000000000000 it's cheap :-"

"a1" will empty the basket :o

 

 

you need to setup an index.php_xx template file for each category

[grafixmatt]

I like it :wub:

In I.E. and FF the pop-up doesn't work good:

http://www.sparklingcards.com/catalog/prod...&products_id=67

 

I also use STS and would love to have an specific header image for each category.

How did you do that?

 

For search you might want to change the image (It shows a image with the text "Below are the items in your shopping basket")...

 

In FF: http://www.sparklingcards.com/catalog/home.php look @ the searchbox image:

 

In shopping_cart adjust the inputfield for quantity because if you order 100000000000000 it's cheap :-"

"a1" will empty the basket :o

 

Really appreciate the feedback. Yes, we are working on adding a different image to the product detail page vs. the image being used on the thumbnail. The pop-up is being re-worked for this feature also.

 

Thanks for the screen grab in FF, I'll have to dig for that one but great catch.

 

As for the specific image/header category my brother (ignission) developed a hand-crafted call for each image and titlebar using PHP. It generates a style, image, and text based on whatever page you set it to. He mentioned adding the contribution to the community, so he'll likely offer that in the coming days/weeks ahead.

 

Thanks again!

 

Matthew

 

 

you need to setup an index.php_xx template file for each category

 

Or you can set up a dynamic .inc file and will have a lot less files to maintain too.

[osCshop]

As for the specific image/header category my brother (ignission) developed a hand-crafted call for each image and titlebar using PHP. It generates a style, image, and text based on whatever page you set it to. He mentioned adding the contribution to the community, so he'll likely offer that in the coming days/weeks ahead.

........

Or you can set up a dynamic .inc file and will have a lot less files to maintain too.

Nice to hear your brother will share his work with the community :thumbsup:

 

Set up a dynamic .inc file???

I think that's above my skills(?) :huh:

 

 

 

How I solved the shopping_cart issue:

- Catalog shopping_cart.php about line 145: change 'size="4"' to: 'size="3" maxlength="3"'

 

- Between the head ad:

<script language=javascript>

<!--

function check_numeric(field) {

if (isNaN(field.value)) {

field.value = field.value.substr(0,field.value.length-1);

}

}

// -->

</script>

 

On line 155 ad onkeyup="check_numeric(this)"

[♥Vger]

I've seen a lot of forum posts about this site. Yes, superficially it looks good - but there are javascript errors on every page and I think it's the template system that's screwed up a perfectly good full ssl certificate from actually working.

 

Basically it's no good a site looking nice if it doesn't work.

 

Vger

[grafixmatt]

Nice to hear your brother will share his work with the community :thumbsup:

 

Set up a dynamic .inc file???

I think that's above my skills(?) :huh:

How I solved the shopping_cart issue:

- Catalog shopping_cart.php about line 145: change 'size="4"' to: 'size="3" maxlength="3"'

 

- Between the head ad:

<script language=javascript>

<!--

function check_numeric(field) {

if (isNaN(field.value)) {

field.value = field.value.substr(0,field.value.length-1);

}

}

// -->

</script>

 

On line 155 ad onkeyup="check_numeric(this)"

 

Thank you for your feedback and help. Where would the onkeyup check be located next to or near? Unfortunately the line #'s differ from that of 155.

 

Thx again, the maxlength works now as well!

 

Matthew

 

I've seen a lot of forum posts about this site. Yes, superficially it looks good - but there are javascript errors on every page and I think it's the template system that's screwed up a perfectly good full ssl certificate from actually working.

 

Basically it's no good a site looking nice if it doesn't work.

 

Vger

 

We are working on those JS errors. It would be great to know of the other forums discussing this project to assist us in the focus group study/feedback to further the enhancements.

 

Thank you!

 

Matthew

[Guest]

Thank you for your feedback and help. Where would the onkeyup check be located next to or near? Unfortunately the line #'s differ from that of 155.

 

Thx again, the maxlength works now as well!

 

Matthew

We are working on those JS errors. It would be great to know of the other forums discussing this project to assist us in the focus group study/feedback to further the enhancements.

 

Thank you!

 

Matthew

 

The JS issues are to do with STS, and I think it was to do with the popup scripting when I had it.. Might be a starting point if you dont already know..