Serious feedback please

[Mauro]

Hi everyone.
I am really trying to picj up business with my web site and I know it sucks.
Any feedback on how to make it better or market in away I can get more SF members to shop on my site.
I think my discount and customer service is good but how can I make it great.
I know the web selection sucks too.
I will have much more fashion online spring 09
any serious feedback would be great and I might throw some gear your way if I really like what you have to say and can use it in a my day to day operations.
Thanks everyone!
Mauro

 

[Get Smart]

Mauro,

my 2 cents....

Is it possible to have more non-jean items on the website? It seems like your online stock is about 75% jeans, 25% everything else. Obviously you're the DENIMBAR so you push denim, but if someone isnt in the market for jeans then there isnt a whole lot to purchase. Maybe more accessories to go with the jeans you sell (wallets, belts etc)

btw, any chance you can get a pair of waxed grey coated Thin Finns in a 32x32?

 

[Saucemaster]

I think the biggest issue is just frequency of updates. The only webstores I check frequently are the ones who update frequently, because I don't want to miss something good. If I check a website a couple times and nothing's changed, I more or less forget about it until something specific happens to remind me. Which could be a long time.

 

[Concepts_BLC]

From a marketing aspect I am always a fan of colaberations to try and generate new business. Maybe a Denimbar X whateverbrandishotrightnow T-shirt with the purchase of a pair of jeans? Just a thought, but sometimes depending on who the collab is with it opens the eyes of people who would not normally be your typical customer and may make them continue to do business once they see the discount, and service. Just a thought. The best of luck to you though.

 

[B1FF]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

Is it possible to have more non-jean items on the website?

Yeah. Last time I visited, there was a lot of denim, plus two hoodies and a tshirt.

 

[robin]

Better pictures, full measurements. I think for an online store done right for a small clothing store, Context's site is what I like to see (even though their site isn't perfect either).

Do you guys also do email campaigns? I'm not sure if I'm on your list, but I also like getting messages for when new items are in stock.

 

[PG2G]

I think it may be a good idea to integrate your blog into your actual webstore with links to relevant product, instead of having it as a separate site.

I'd say revolve does a fairly good job with theirs: http://www.revolveclothing.com/b/blog/

 

[Saucemaster]

Originally Posted by robin

Do you guys also do email campaigns? I'm not sure if I'm on your list, but I also like getting messages for when new items are in stock.

This is another good one. I get updates from Tobi, Context, and I think Shopjake all the time, and if anything is of interest in the email, I visit the site to check out the pics/look at measurements/etc.

 

[onion]

Well I think you have the main points of a web store down like ease of use, loading speed, etc.

My advice would be possibly a weekly deal or a special promotion every so often, on the main page. Generally speaking things on the main page sell more, so I think it's important to change that item every so often. With a weekly special, as Sauce said, people will be interested in what will be next and check the site more frequently.

Also I suggest posting as much information about the item as possible. All the measurements would help, and what would be really cool and unique (until someone steals it) is to have worn measurements. Obviously say they are approximations, but I think this would help people decide on what is perfect for them after the item is stretched. I don't know of any site doing this at the moment. It would also to an extent limit returns/exchanges.

I'm not sure if you do this, as I ordered through paypal from you, but tracking would be great. I know a lot of people who wait eagerly for packages to arrive, and this is why I like yoox. They provide details so you always know where your package is. I know it's completely useless, but as primarily an online shopper this is definitely a nice added bonus.

Perhaps add a system to reward customers who buy from you multiple times. Perhaps have a % off every purchase, obviously capped at something.

Have a "Best Sellers" section, so people sort of unsure of what they want can see what most people are buying. I now for myself I use this sometimes on sites that have a lot of different companies producing the same item when I'm unsure of quality.

Possibly talk to Google and get ad space for search terms like 'raw denim'. I'm not sure about the price though, so it may or may not be worth it. Also, though I'm not sure exactly how to do this... get your website to come up first on Google for terms like raw denim, 5ep, apc, flathead, etc. As it stands now, upon searching "raw denim" you aren't on the first few pages, though places like ......... and overstock are.

Also maybe tell people they can get a certain discount if they refer someone who purchases something. Maybe 5% or so if they type in a full name or an email address or something. Even if their friend doesn't purchase anything immediately he at least knows you exist, and could do future business there.

Hopefully some of this will be useful to you, as I believe it was my longest post yet on SF.

Edit: You might also want to advertise the web store in the brick-and-mortar store. I'm not sure if you do this or not, but personally I'm lazy, so I end up shopping online at stores that are a couple of miles from me, especially if they have good webstores. It saves time, and then when I want the item I just go pick it up. Plus I find I miss stuff more in the store than a website.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

I generally won't buy anything online unless I have detailed measurements for the piece. For jeans I need the waist, rise, thigh, knee, hem and inseam. It's also really useful to be able to give an estimate of stretching/shrinkage. I don't like to have to guess when buying online. This is particularly important for non-U.S. customers like myself, because returning items is very expensive and you have to go through customs twice.

Also, close-up pictures would be good to be able to see the texture of the denim, the hardware and the stitching. When I'm in a store, I like to examine clothes closely, handle them. I would try to make the online experience as close as possible to the real thing by providing more details. I know that this is time consuming but for me it makes a difference.

 

[landho]

Just a very brief comment--the first time I ordered from Denim Bar, I placed my order through the Web site. The Web site said that my sizes were not in stock, so I called the store and spoke to Dave, who was really, really helpful. Afterward, I just called in my orders since the staff was so knowledgeable and since it seemed that ordering by phone was so much easier as I could see whether anything specific I was looking for was in stock.

 

[Godspeed]

A lot of good points have been brought up, so i'll mention a minor one. it would be nice to be able to click a link for "black demin" and see all of the black denim from every label. Or "slim cut denim" and see all the slim cuts from Nudie, APC, KMW, etc.

of course the first thing you should work on is to put more of the apparel on the site. we can't buy what we can't see!

 

[Epaulet]

I like your site. And the 20% discount is fantastic.

However, one thing that really sticks out is your empty categories. Like clicking on "Wovens" or "Belts" and finding nothing. If I didn't know your business and see your reference on Styleforum, then I might suspect that your fulfillment would be sloppy and unreliable.

I don't think that it's absolutely necessary for you to carry either of these categories. If you're doing well with jeans, then go for it and keep it tight - you've got a very solid assortment of those already. But I would change the categories to better reflect your product mix. So many people search by cut, that you'd be better off with making several denim top categories ("Tight", "Straight-leg", etc) and lumping all of your wovens, tees, and sweatshirts into a category called "Tops"

 

[BrettChaotix]

I think most things have already been mentioned but I'll toss my opinions out there too...

1 - site needs more updates, more often - especially the non-denim stuff. I saw stuff at the party I never saw on the website.

2 - put all your measurements together. The APC's list front/back rise in descriptions, not in sizing chart. (the sizing recommendations in the descriptions are great though!)

3 - ditch the "view all brands" horizontal expansion and switch to a vertical scroll.

 

[gforce]

The 3 times I have tried to order from you I have gotten a fraud alert............Yes, I know I can call, but you are asking about online sales.

More updates and measurements please. All the best to you guys!