Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

Margo,
there is no real product or shopping stuff on the front page of your website...

I would at least show a couple of your top bags on the front and list the price... with a single click to get to a shopping cart.

in terms of a store, you are like the specialy bag shop with plain brown paper covering the display windows.

You can not assume people will come in without something to tempt them...

Frank Hurtte

Hello Margo.

Clearly part of the reason is looking more closely at the five or seven P's. The pricing for your handbags seems too consistent and possibly not high enough for a "high fashion" item. I would like to see more price points covered than simply $50 for nearly every bag.

The place on the internet is okay but you need some good word of mouth to help create a "wow" factor. Have you considered being profiled by dailycandy or some other website that is in the know with respect to womans fashion. The promotional aspects of your endeavor need to lead people from considering the bags to making a purchase.

Logo for Kura Designs... is there one, what does it look like? Marketers love brand. So too will your customers if they know what it is.

I actually think the website is pretty clean in terms of layout. I am not crazy about the tile over of the picture when shopping. It would work better if moved up and to the right.

The little scrolling ad is too far down and too out of the way to have any import on sales I think.

Okay You didn't hear this from me but it is okay to lie a little. Start out with 25 votes for each of the purses and different star ratings (all high of course) I know I will get drubbed by my mprofs bros but you have to start somewhere other than zero and make people believe they are joining a highly selective decision to buy a handbag.

Possibly consider a "you don't choose the bag, the bag chooses you" part of the website. Could you make it more interactive and have the person choose their avatar with a pet, some jewelry, a favorite occasion, etc... and then recommend two or three handbags you think best fit the avatar?

Lots to think about but I give you kudos for doing it. Too many of us are chickens.... Also speaking of Kudos how about Kura Kudos... a blog or some other form of recognizing positive events that have meaning to your potential clients.

Hope some of this helps. Best of luck

Phil

Right now we can only guess because you don't have any data. Start by adding web analytics (Google Analytics is good and free) to your site to find out: how much traffic you're getting, what pages people visit, how they find your site, etc.

The problem could be that you don't have enough traffic, or the traffic is wrong, or the home page, or...

Also: Make sure you add some more keywords to your page, and. improve your alt text ("Not your Grannies bag" isn't as descriptive as possible). Your banner graphic's text isn't seen by the web search engines, so it can't read that "you were featured by the Washington Post Trend Setter" (for example).

Margo,
These are beautiful bags!
Personally, when I go online to shop, I like to view the gallery. This is like a one-stop place for me to view all the products and add the ones that I like to my cart.
I think you should consolidate your products into a gallery to make it easier for clients to navigate.
I wish you the best.
Ola.

Initial thoughts...

Website is blah. Pictures are too small and pages load too slow. The bags look great and very unique.

Things to spice it up...

Every bag has a story....tell it.

Use flash animation much like car dealers do with the 360 degree views, where the potential buyer can turn the bag around, upside down, open it up see it up close, etc.

I saw your products and I thought of JPeterman, yes the same one mentioned in the Seinfeld episodes but in reality, he was a cataloger who wrote in descriptive flair about each product. He now has a webstore and I think following his lead would serve you well. Check it out at JPeterman.com then make your website reflect the passion you have for your product.

Good luck growing your web sales!

Hi
It is imposable to say without specific details
How many people are looking at each page? how long are they staying - do they come back?
do people attempt to start buying and then leave before completion etc - you need these facts or you are guessing.
Google analytics or your web developer should be able to help
yes you need more images to sell these type of products. - people also want to see EXACTLY what they are buying - so find a way of showing each bag and make it clear that stock levels are just one per design. This way you increase your gallery and some people may ask to commission.

the idea of 360 views is a good one - as is showing the sizes.

as these are custom bags why not offer the purchaser the opportunity of selecting the strap/ handle length? - you can then have a page saying 'how to measure yourself for the perfect bag....

Don't be put off - you are at the beginning of a long learning curve that will start to yield results when you understand how and why customers buy from you.

Have you contacted people that have bought? ask them how they found the site and why they purchased?

You also need to do lots of work on 'getting seen on the web' or Search engine optimisation - your home page only has one keyword "KuraDesign" - no disrespect but who would search for that?
You also need to lose lots of the java (very slow) and put in text and content.
where do you promote the site?
what are the search strings (phrases) that purchasers will use to find you?

good luck

I too love the bags!

I agree that it's nice to have a "story" behind them, and I love the reviews on the left margin.

I note that when I click on "details", there are none except the price. I would expect to see dimensions, materials, lining, pockets, etc. Also - are there any warranties or guarantees? (I only say this because I've bought beautiful craft items/jewelry at shows, only to have something fall off or break shortly after. Sometimes, just the mention of high-quality workmanship, etc. lends security.) In fact, the content under "our philosophy" is great for this - puts an identify behind the product. Maybe it can be more visible?

I'd recommend turning off the "customer reviews" section on each page until you have some. Perhaps you could follow up each purchase after delivery with a "thank you" email and request that they provide either a testimonial or story related to their purchase of the bag. (You could also pack your card and a request for a review on your site with the bag.) You then can post these yourself, perhaps under one "customer reviews" button on the home page.

I don't think the small pictures scrolling on the left margin add any value, and detract a bit from the eye. The site also is very slow to load for page changes.

I don't know if segmenting out "bridal and prom" is valuable, as it doesn't appear you have any specific offers for these events (aside from the smaller, clutch bags).

Are you able to accommodate custom orders? For example, what if you had special "bridal party" packages of certain bags, or could do orders with a special "message label" in the liner commemorating the event?

As you grow the business, have you considered a wholesale channel, where boutiques could order your bags for stocking in their stores? It may be worth investigating price points and projected sales volume for bridal shops and higher-end gift shops in vacation areas.

Best of luck!

Hi Margo,

I'd like to expand on a point made by Phil, specifically add "a blog or some other form of recognizing positive events that have meaning to your potential clients."

Maintaining a blog about your take on the events happening within the fashion industry may help with drawing in customers who are likely to make a purchase.

Establishing a loyal reader base will likely benefit your shop. With fashion constantly changing, your readers/shoppers need a source which keeps them abreast of the evolving trends. Just make sure your blog accomplishes this consistently. Plus if written well it will lend your site/brand a unique personality.

I noticed you're using Joomla for your site. A blog component you might consider is mojoblog, basically it is Wordpress stuffed into Joomla. The component still needs some work (notably SEF urls), but I have been using it successfully for the past few months.

Cheers

Jesse