16 replies to this topic

[threadsemb]

www.threadsontheweb.com

I have just completed a two month cycle with a DistributorCentral partner, VR Media Solutions: http://www.vrmediaso...torCentral.aspx

I redesigned my website with a seamless integration with DC (click on Promotional Products icon).

I will tweak some more for sure.

It is based on a Joomla platform though they offer other options, I preferred a CMS I could update myself because I am pretty hands on.

Very reasonable prices from VR Media and DC programmers were super responsive to my developer. In fact, some update were done that will benefit anyone looking to make a custom site.

I would really be honored for your feedback. My No. 1 product is embroidered wearables so that is heavily pushed.

[Chris Miller]

I think you did one heck of a job! Very nice looking site!

[threadsemb]

Thank you so much, Chris!

Most of the content I already had. Content is the website/business owner's responsibility and can be the hardest part for sure!

I can't take much credit for the look. I chose a template and it was modified from there. Definitely the most economically way to go!

[jimknecht]

Looks great. I didn't spend a lot of time there but I noticed when I clicked on promo products, I thought your instructions could jump a little more. Kinda plain Jane.

Also, for what it is worth, I am not a big fan of sites that bring up the whole database of product in the whole industry. Kinda overwhelming. You gonna give thought to restricting the results to vendors you know & trust?

[threadsemb]

Thank you, Jim!

Yes, that home page text I literally threw up this morning. Definitely a tweak I was referring to.

I have in the past had a preferred supplier catalog but I didn't get much compliance on going to just that catalog.

I should tone down those left hand choices and I know how to so I just need to work on it. (It is some HTML work.)

I've never really found a way to exclude suppliers but keep the rest of the categories in tact. For example, I would love to exclude Sanmar because my priced apparel catalog is Sanmar and I hate that customers can find BLANK prices on DC (caps for 2.79 or something).

I would probably lean towards excluding because I haven't done work with a TON of suppliers and I like the breadth of choices but I would like to stick to preferred in certain categories to at least narrow it down (pens for example... really there are like a million pens!)

I know DC has really evolved over the years and maybe there are more options along those line I should definitely explore.

[LogoSteve]

I like the site.....

But like my site, it is lacking in eye catching graphics. IMO... I would
change some text colors that are easier for the eye to follow.

Overall the site is GOOD, and upscale then most promo sites that I have
seen.

Good to hear that the platform is from DistributorCentral.com.....:)

Would you share a round number on your costs ?

Best Wishes, Steve

[threadsemb]

Thank you, Steve!
More graphics. My husband thinks so too. The good thing with the Joomla platform is there are easy things I can do to add graphics. MAKING graphics isn't my strong suit though. My husband did the bouncing buttons so I will hit him up for some more stuff to add.

I did four total sites:
www.threadsontheweb.com joomla based about 20 pages (though I did the pages, I just got help with the structure) and the dc site moreatthreads.com which integrates with that one.
Plus www.buffalothreads.com and moreforbuffalo.com which is the dc site for that location and logo.

Granted the second sites were less work as they were basically duplicates but all together I paid about $2000.

I would guess MOST distributors wouldn't have that first site but could mostly go with the DC only. VR Media has a deal on their website for $449 for a customized template for DC, 5 pages including contact form:
http://www.vrmediaso...torCentral.aspx

[prcprinting]

www.precision-promo.com

This is our new website and would also like feedback. We decided on doing our own e-commerce web site including our own categories and products from different suppliers. Also important was for these suppliers to offer good quality pictures and complete information as far as shipping information, sadly not all suppliers include this info on their sites or under Sage.

We would love to hear back from you!

Bob Marcum
www.precision-promo.com
Precision Printing & Supply

[royster13]

How do clients respond when they click on an item that says as low as 0.xx but find out the actual price for minimum quantity is much higher?...It bugs me a lot but I wonder if I am in the minority...

[threadsemb]

Do you mean on the DC site?

[prcprinting]

I understand what you're saying Royce, so far we have not being able to measure if people like or dislike this way to drive them to see and get interested on a product. It'd be something to keep an eye on. That's exactly the kind of feedback we want to get, along with a sense of what people think and feel for the new web site and its functionality. Thanks for your comment!

[threadsemb]

Oh! I see what you mean! At precision-promo.com.
I think it is intuitive that you click on the quantity because of the radio buttons.

I like the site, Bob! It matches my personal preferences in terms of clean layout, light colors. Nice large images and buttons.

What platform did you use?

I am not sure about your search utility. I got nothing when I searched for "ceramic mug full color". It doesn't even say no product found.

Even "green mug" gave me nothing.

That is my thought because though most customer don't find their own product (mine don't any way), I think you mostly direct them to look for products and I would guess a pretty good number of them will use the search.

[prcprinting]

We put a lot of effort on keeping the site clean and making the pictures clear and crisp, I'm glad you noticed that!

I don't know what platform was used for the web site design, we hired a company to set it all up for us.

Unfortunately, the search is only performed based on product name-description (try: ceramic mug), for that reason colors or a long string of words won't show up on the search results, only product description wording, however, in order to help customers find what they are looking for, we created intuitive categories and sub-categories to help them find more effectively what they need.

I will mention this to the web site developer and see if there's anything we can do to fix that.

Thanks again!

[stevec]

I would kill that annoying chime AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

Some of the links seem sluggish and/or not loading. Not sure why. It could be my connection or your host, but it seems like the link isn't right; the page reloads on a click, and then the link is right (if I had to guess), making double-clicking necessary.

Structurally, you can put a ton of information in that format. Be careful that it isn't more than you can maintain. Avoid dates and prices.

If you can, avoid making second clicks necessary. For example, Contact in the menu opens a page, where you need to click again to open the accordion. Clicking on Contact should open the page with the accordion already open. Like my first comment, the need to click twice seems to be throughout the site.

You are off to a good start however. Keep tweaking!

[mktgbiz]

Looks noice and fresh. Question, how does it rank? I mean, can anyone find it?

[pluspromo2]

I like the clean and crisp look. Maybe at least one dramatic color would bring it out. I find that more PP sites are crowded and full of "stuff." I'm not saying anything is wrong with either way, its what suit your target and what gets the sales. Have you thought about a small section with ?? (forget what its called) - - with a few featured products moving in and out?

How long did it take to for this to be put together?

Frida

[prcprinting]

I guess I should have started a new thread. I don't know which web site are we talking about anymore, DC or Precision-Promo. I'll go ahead and do that. I look forward to get useful and constructive feedback.

Thanks