Know-How Exchange : Website Critique

Dear Steve,

The new site is MUCH better than the old one. Well done.
Can it be improved? Yes, with a few minor tweaks for consideration:

An opt in box, top right, where you offer customers discount coupons and freebies in exchange for their name and e-mail address. This way, you get to build your list, a list you can
market to for special events, beginning of school, end of holidays, and so on.

At the moment you have a wimpy "Sign up for out newsletter" thingy at the bottom of the page. No one can see it down there. Consider moving it as per my suggestion above.

Your current sign in, log in thingy is (or could be) confusing. You don't need my phone number. Don't ask for it. All you need is first name and e-mail address. Passwords should be the same as the
e-mail address. It's less for people to remember.

You've got two search boxes, one left, one right. Ditch the one
on the right and replace it with an opt in box where you offer something free, and not just your newsletter. That's too dull.
Give me something free.

You've got an image of your catalogue buried at the bottom of the page on the left. Move it up to the top right or somewhere above the fold and give a clearer call to action as to what to do with it or Consider using scrolling text for special offers.

Use some of your testimonials somewhere on your page, and on EVERY page, and in the same place every time.

What kind of frequent buyer program do you have? If you don't have one, consider introducing one. Then, tell people about it.

Consider a rolling slide show of other kinds of products on other pages so that your main photo is always moving on a 2 or 3 second basis.

Apart from these things, well done.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Much better!


A few more things to add:

1) The white type on the green buttons is hard to read
2) The words on the left-hand search box (Quick Product Search) are cut off
3) The pull down button under Custom Printing says lettehead, instead of letterhead
4) The button that says U-Design Online should be changed to DIY Design or design it yourself (something that's proper English, especially since it's for schools)

Hope this helps.

Jodi

Nice job on the redesign. Comments above cover all of mine, and then some. Except:

I'm missing the "big idea" positioning statement. Why should someone buy from you? What is the unique and compelling benefit you offer?

You take a few lame stabs at a positioning in the page title "Budget Friendly School Supply Company" and in the throw-away paragraph under the rotating main image space, but I can't get a clear and compelling reason to buy from either of those.

I think you need positioning help as much as you needed the website redesign. If you had clear and powerful positioning direction to tie it all together, the impact of the site would be increased dramatically ... and it might spill over into other areas of the business, traditional advertising, etc.

Now THAT would be a real company facelift!

For your positioning, consider creating a customer advisory board and set up the claim that your product line and offering are the only ones in the industry developed and driven by front-line educators and professional school administrators who know the needs better than anyone else.

"Supreme School Supply really understands the needs of the educators on the line [better than others]; it's not just an opportunistic printer or office supplies distributor."

"Your teachers and school staff will thank you for buying the products they REALLY need." ("You'll be loved/respected by the people you serve if you are a Supreme customer.")

To me, the home page has too much information on it. Why not take your left-hand menu (product categories) and put this under the horizontal menu tab for "Products"? Then eliminate the search box in the left column and use the one in the banner.

Clicking on the Bookletmate Binding Sytem produces an error screen.