[Opinion] Act 1. Scene 1. Take 3 - My website

[Inprogress]

Hi there.

I want your opinion on my website/business. Some of you might have seen it a few weeks ago and I want to hear from you especially.

Thats it.

Thanks

https://www.aisle5.co.za

[Dave A]

Trying to remember what it looked like last time I was there.

It certainly didn't have that colour scheme - Did you just reskin it?

[Inprogress]

Trying to remember what it looked like last time I was there.

It certainly didn't have that colour scheme - Did you just reskin it?

Good, glad you can't remember how it looked, it bugged me.

Yeah I reskinned it and changed the structure and menu layout. I need to find a better solution still for the frontpage cause I have quite a few modules that needs to be loaded, which also slows the overall loading speed.

And I moved to a local server, it was during this move that I played and then committed to the new look and feel.

[Dave A]

... and content? I didn't look around much, but what I saw still seemed pretty light.

Styling a site is a funny thing and I wouldn't get too hung up on it for now.

I think it takes a while to settle to something you're really happy with. I reworked TFSA many times with 3 major style changes in the first 2 years. Even now I find the odd thing that could do with a tweak.

I reckon at start-up, once you get something functional going, work like heck on content. You can always come back to styling once you've got some meaningful content going.

[Inprogress]

For my site and service styling runs hand in hand with functionality. Although the look is second to function. The new style allows for better function funny enough. The upgraded site I am working on (not actively, off and on since the software is totally different) focusses a lot more on function.

Regarding content, I posted my conundrum here
http://www.theforumsa.co.za/forums/s...ead.php?t=8238

I have as much content on it as I think I can put on it, the rest is now up to customer participation. The strength of my service is only as strong as the participation of the business sector.

If there is content to be added I'm all ears. I provide a platform for content so to speak.

[Dave A]

Now that I've taken a good look around, and reading your about Aisle 5 page, I'm more than a little concerned about aspects of your business plan.

For example, how do you plan to track stock availability at stores?

[solweb]

Web Site Critique

It took me a while to figure out that the annoying flashing advert in the top right hand side, was actually telling me about the web site and not advertising something else.

You need to make it more obvious what your site is about.
Hope this helps you

Regards

[Inprogress]

It works like this. You got a business selling Motorcycle gear. You register and upload your products. You keep them updated regarding stock availability. Aisle five allows you to place your products online for your customers.

Its a service you supply your customers where you allow them to see what is in your store. I provide the platform and improve it in functionality, you the business owner provide the information.

It allows the consumer to go to one place to find the products that they require. The service is their for the consumer. It allows me to find the product I am looking for online, however the products isn't from a online business, they are from the business in my town.

That's one of the problems at the moment, when I need to explain what this is I still struggle to carry the message. Its a service you provide your customers by allowing them into your store via the internet, but it is not about online shopping. Like I try to explain on the site, its a product-business index. It applies to your location just like a normal business index does, however it differs in terms of approach. You find the product first.

And its a platform for the business. It gives them online presence without the need to own a website and the accompanying challenges that associates with a website like SEO. See Aisle five as the intermediate step between the pre-internet business days, and the future full online business future.

I can go on-and-on trying to explain the concept with numerous examples of where business websites fail me, and where business indexes fail me, the consumer.

But first Dave A, do you grasp the concept of the business? (not being rude, just concerned that I am not conveying the concept clearly).

I see that I should re-edit my about page to include an overview for business owners. And I should stop with the long posts.

[Inprogress]

It took me a while to figure out that the annoying flashing advert in the top right hand side, was actually telling me about the web site and not advertising something else.

You need to make it more obvious what your site is about.
Hope this helps you

Regards

That annoying flashing advert was my attempt to give the visitor a nutshell idea of what the site is about . On my previous layout I had "quotes" inserted on the front page to try and convey the message.

Like I mentioned to Dave, I still struggle to convey what Aisle five is. Think I will remove that flashy thingy, especially if people see it as an advert and not info about the site.

Thanks Solweb.

[Dave A]

You keep them updated regarding stock availability.

That's the bit that worries me on this particular point. Have you surveyed retailers to see if they're prepared to do that?

I've actually had some difficulty posting on this thread. I don't want to seem negative or overly critical, especially as I know you've probably invested a heck of a lot of time and thought into this and are going to be pretty attached to your core concept thoughts.

But it is the signs of exactly that - the singular perspective, that concerns me most.

Just how widely have you researched this?
What other websites are successfully doing something similar? (My interest here is not competition, but proof of concept).
How do they go about getting product listings and attracting traffic?

[Inprogress]

No worries Dave. Fire away.

I could find no other site that provides me with something similar in South Africa. I did not search internationally since my research was coupled with me actually searching for a product.

I am unique in what I offer in South Africa. And that, my strength is thus my biggest weakness. Introducing a new concept is very difficult I think.

[Inprogress]

P.S. The closests I can see to this might be kalahari.net and the rumours I hear about being able to sell your used books with them, like Amazon is doing. And then there is the other version of what I am doing and that is site like findit.co.za, pricecheck, bizrate.com. However, they all focus on what is available online at online shops.

[Dave A]

However, they all focus on what is available online at online shops.

The question you have to ask (and where my line of questioning comes from too) is why do they do that?

Pricecheck I've heard of, and it seems to be a viable model.
Now analyse it (and anything else that seems to work in this niche) -

• How does it work?
• Why does it work?
• Where are the opportunities to develop my own USP? (unique selling proposition). This could be areas such as regional, granularity, functionality, ease-of-use, attacking markets they're not interested in...

My advice is be careful of trying to reinvent the wheel when all you need is to tweak it.

[wynn]

It is not a new idea but a 'shopping mall' might be what you need?

This is a virtual 'mall' where different businesses have their own 'shop' with a list of their products, pictures, prices 'n all.

I looked at this but the software was very expensive at the time.

[Inprogress]

It is not a new idea but a 'shopping mall' might be what you need?

This is a virtual 'mall' where different businesses have their own 'shop' with a list of their products, pictures, prices 'n all.

I looked at this but the software was very expensive at the time.

Yes its a shopping mall, but not for online products, for all the products that we need on the off days, like a bike tyre etc. However, it does allow for businesses that isn't onine yet to get online pressence AND start selling products online. Maybe I should also work to include that feature, a Virtue Mart.

Thanks Wynn