Sudz Online Shop

This is the initial online shop that I have created for my website. I decided to make a second online shop because I was not completely satisfied with this shop.

From the boot fairs, I learnt that my target audience is either very young or they are grown men and women. The audience are not very technical meaning they use Facebook, Instagram and they shop online but they are not technical in the sense of knowing what a soap flower is or knowing how to navigate a complicated website. They do not tend to be very media people so I know I would need to make my site user-friendly for them. The site would have to be simplistic, colourful and easy to navigate from page to page which this site unfortunately is not.

I do like the baby blue scheme as it represents a bathroom heaven and I do think the blue bubble images I photographed, fits this blue theme.

The main image is a slideshow on the front page with heavenly writing and the slideshow flickers from product to product.

I then experimented with a brown theme for professionalism, I do think it looks professional although I much prefer the blue theme as it represents a bathroom much more.

I think the image background of the soap flower should also be black or white not grey.

I do like how you can click on different colours or flavours and the image will change though.

I did not experiment much further with this website as I knew it was not right for the business.

https://16123506.wixsite.com/sudz

POSITIVES

Initially it looks very professional, good images, define lines, clean, crisp a little like a spa website, colourful enough without being to bright and over the top.

NEGATIVES

Although looking good, it does give the impression its advertising spa treatments rather than an online shop. More images would show a wider range of products as the end goal is to sell products not offer a service.Therefore the products need to stand out and be eye catching, after all an online shop needs to grab customers attention the same as a retail shop.

FEEDBACK

peers and tutors

The feedback I received was that in a positive way it looked professional with pastel shades and a calming intro,good images and good layout.The changing of images is a positive touch. However the negative side was that of it relating to spa and other treatment sites rather than an online shop.

target audience

Is it easily accesable

No-its not linked to social media sites or pages, this is mainly because I'm not happy with the layout or design and feel that customers would not be able navigate easily.

is it easy to purchase a product

No-for the target audience the shop needs to be nice, simple and eye-catching bearing in mind not everyone is technical so it needs to be clear and simple to use.

CONCLUSION

Taking these points into consideration I feel a new online shop is my course of action.

https://16123506.wixsite.com/sudzpotions

I much prefer this website that I have created instead of the previous one. It looks more professional, it looks unique to my business and it represents us and the products we sell.

I have made the website super user-friendly by not having different pages, you literally just scroll down and everything is there clear and laid out in front of you. Just like merchandise websites where it makes you want to buy the products because it is all laid out there.

I will eventually be doing categories for gifts, bundles, older women, baths, candles and granules, and soaps for people who do not have a bath. So many different people come up to the stalls because of the lovely stalls and smells but unfortunately do not have a bath.

I have decided to branch out a little to cater for everyone. With soaps, soaps sponges for the bath and shower, candles and a granules range. Even foot spas to soak your feet in with bath bombs. It means we can have a wider target audience for our business.

The home mage uses nicely bubbly text with our title Sudz then our tagline underneath, I have but a little potion with bubbles at the top to symbolise the products we sell. I have also put two images that are a slideshow as the banner to show a range of colours and scents.

The prices are in the colour purple to match the banner across the top saying free postage with orders over £20, I will also add more pictures and products to the online shop.

Scrolling down, there is n About Us part that gives a brief description of who we are and what we do. It allows the customers to connect and trust us a lot more.

Here are just little notes saying how we are non-animal testing, using natural ingredients only so again, the customers will trust and rly on us when buying the products.

The tab below is a contact me part where our email, phone number and place where we are from is. It allows the customers to contact us for any questions, feedback, advice or enquiries.

When clicking on the shipping info, general info or faq links scene at the bottom, the page comes up where necessary information comes up about general, shipping deliveries and payment method details are.

I like how the titles are the same colour as the banner making it professional and colourful, fitting the business website.

When you have added things to your basket, this will come up showing the total price with added postage and delivery prices.

When clicking on the group or product of your fancy, this page will come up where you can select the scent and colour you like, the quantity, you get a description of the product, you can read the product ingredients, return and refund policy and shipping information.

This is all very necessary information due to allergies people may have and where they live.

I really like the organisation of this page, I believe it is much better than the website I had made beforehand.

After I finish my college project, my mum will be paying monthly for the Wix website to delete ads.

Wix is a cheap and easy jump into the industry on such a low budget. When we start to become bigger and more successful, we want to get our own logo, shop and professional website designed by resknow.

What is the purpose of having an online shop?

The purpose of an online shop is to send the customers from the social media sites, to somewhere official that they can pay for the products. The Facebook and the Instagram acts as an advertisement for the business but the online shop is the place to go to make orders and purchases. The online shop is the main hub for the business to take in cash and get recognised by the customers. This link will be going on the business cards.

Do I think my new website is successful?

I do believe that my website is successful due to it serving its purpose of gaining customers. It gives the customers somewhere to go to see our whole range, prices, special offers and it allows them to trust our business with the payment information they give as the site looks trust worthy.

What do my peers think?

When I had shown my peers my website, they instantly fell in love with it. They said that the colours and layout is extremely attractive and the website is easily accessible.

The downsides to the website that my peers had said, was that the images could do with more editing. Maybe brighten them up, make them more vibrant and more of a white background. This would look much better as well as having more products, gifts and bundles to choose from on there.

I agree with the feedback I have gotten and this is what I plan to change for the future.

What have I learnt from the website development?

I have learnt how to organise, colour coordinate, and make a professional looking online shop where we can send the customers to show them every range, every product, every price including bundles for them to purchase.