MirkoBoeddecker
Hello,
Our online shop is (finally) up and running:
www.fotoimpexshop.de
In principle, it’s already working and you can place orders via the site.
However, not all features have been activated yet (languages, payment methods, etc.), and many images are still missing.
I’d be grateful if you could give me some feedback. We’ve been working on it for a long time – particularly on the structure (categories) and the various search and display functions.
It would be important for us to know if you get stuck at any point or find it frustrating because you can’t find something.
Best regards,
Mirko
PS The display of the 10-pack prices is a bit confusing. We’re already on it ;-)
Gerd
It looks great, I like it.
As a Berliner, though, I’ll probably use it more like a catalogue. (I find
this sort of thing more practical than a printed catalogue)
That said, two things struck me when I had a first browse:
I’d organise the sheet films into separate folders by format size.
That way, you can see more quickly what’s available in the format you want. As it is, it’s a bit
confusing. Anyone wanting to buy 4x5 isn’t interested in the fact that film xy
is also available as 8x10.
It’s similar with the papers; I’d also separate the format selection from
the paper selection.
The programme should remember the set number of ‘items per page’.
I have a fast connection, I want to see everything at a glance, and I don’t want to
have to tell it again for every product group that I want to see 30 items per page
.
Regards
Gerd
Edith: Added a paragraph about paper and moved it to the correct place.
MirkoBoeddecker
Hi Gerd,
Thank you very much.
We’ll have a look into it.
That’s a very useful point about the number of items displayed.
Best regards,
Mirko
gr00vemaster
I’ve noticed the same thing as the poster above me – the shop should be able to remember the number of items displayed.
I’d also welcome a further breakdown for films and paper. It would be great if, for example, you could click on ‘Photographic Paper’ in the menu on the left and then open an overview page where you have, say, three drop-down selection lists: ‘Manufacturer’, ‘Format’ and ‘Surface’. Then, on this single overview page alone, you could find your desired format in no time at all, without having to navigate back and forth through various sub-menus in the browser.
Also, whilst having a quick look, I spotted a spelling mistake on the delivery costs page. In the ‘cash on delivery’ section, the ‘h’ is missing from ‘nahme’.
Otherwise, good work – I like it a lot; the time was definitely ripe for a web shop.
rmrts
Hello,
It looks great.
Having had a quick look, I haven’t noticed anything else that could be improved.
Actually, there is one thing – a minor detail that I’ve also missed on other websites.
It would be useful to have the dimensions listed for the archive sleeves.
I have some that are 4.5 x 6 cm, for example, with quite a large gap between the images.
If you could specify the sheet size or the maximum strip length that fits, I could better judge whether the sleeve would be suitable for my negatives.
But as I said, it’s just a personal suggestion.
Best regards,
Reinhold
RolandLindner
The description for the new MCP still mentions the clearance sale of the old MCP manufactured in Leverkusen. This could cause confusion.
The online shop is brilliant!!!!
bernhardmangelsgmxde
It doesn’t look bad. I got the hang of it quickly. What I might do differently (with the paper) – though I don’t really understand any of this (but I was asked, after all):
Reduce the logical breakdown: I think the average Impex customer can handle more than two categories on a single logical level (so five should be fine). So: paper, then the types (colour / PE standard / PE var / baryta standard / baryta var). Then list the different paper grades. The individual sizes and packs should come on the next level.
At the moment it’s a long journey: Paper -> PE paper -> var. -> neutral -> and then: through all the sizes for each paper... by the time I get to the MCP, I’m already completely overwhelmed with information...
What I mean is: Paper -> PE var. -> type (all, warm and neutral) -> specific sizes and packs.
Just an idea...
Edit: Another thing that strikes me: check the prices again. I don’t know why, but somehow it throws me off balance when I see things like: MCP 24/30 50 sheets: 34.51. 250 sheets 345.10...
joepi
Hello Mirko,
I’d also like to request a more “user-friendly” structure for the film and paper sections.
What would I (as an average customer) like to see as quickly as possible?
1) What papers and films does the shop stock (manufacturer/type)?
2) Which formats are available in which pack sizes and at what price?
As the “separate entry with image for every paper size” approach is quite common, this seems to be partly down to the structure of the shop software. But as a previous poster has already suggested: introducing additional levels could provide a much clearer overview:
Paper -> Baryth -> VC -> Colour tone -> PAPER BRAND -> Sizes/Pack sizes
As far as I’m concerned, you could also reallocate the colour tone level; personally, I find it rather superfluous ;-).
Ideally, I’d like to see a list view at the very bottom level – 20 copies of the same photo is simply meaningless. The information about the paper could then be provided once on the PAPER BRAND level (though in epic detail, with sample images / links / developer recommendations / etc. ;-) and below that you’d have a clear overview of the available sizes and their prices, and ideally also availability (which can vary depending on size / pack size).
Otherwise, it’s looking good already (just to throw in a bit of motivational praise ;-) ...
Regards,
JP
Gerd
I think it would be great if there were links to data sheets, development times and so on for films, papers, developers and the like.
Gerd
MirkoBoeddecker
So, first of all, many thanks to everyone for your suggestions.
We’ll discuss this now and then try to implement some of the suggestions step by step.
We’ve already decided to give the shop a bit more brainpower so that it can remember who wants to see how many items displayed.
That’s easy.
It will be a bit more complicated to organise the papers better. For now, I’ve grouped more papers into 5 categories:
RA-4 colour paper
Black and white PE paper with variable gradient
Black and white PE paper with fixed gradient
Black and white baryta paper with variable gradient
Black and white baryta paper with fixed gradient.
In addition, we want to create a pull-down menu, which will be placed next to the current ‘Manufacturer’ pull-down menu, listing the formats.
So, when you’re in a paper category, you can use the pull-down menu to quickly view all 24x30 paper within that category, or alternatively all 24x30 paper in total, if you need the pull-down menu on the home page.
I would also like to point out that the manufacturer search is displayed categorised.
So, for example, if you select to display all Ilford products, all categories (e.g. black and white 35mm and roll films) appear with the number of results in that category shown in brackets behind them.
This is also a very efficient tool.
Data sheets, links to the catalogue PDF page, etc. will be added once we have finished with the images.
Work will be temporarily suspended during Photokina as we will be at the trade fair.
Best regards,
Mirko
gr00vemaster
That sounds good, Mirko.
I hope you won’t mind if I post an example from the competition here, but they’ve implemented it in a way that I think is brilliant from a usability perspective… perhaps we could incorporate something similar.
http://www.monochrom.com/cc/monoc/shop/rmi...9U9D1&text=
Buchtnix
Hello,
Overall, I think the shop is well put together. I would also prefer the option to organise the papers individually by manufacturer, format and finish. Apart from that, I’ve noticed a small error. The category ‘Black and White Baryta Paper – Variable Gradient’ first displays the ‘ADOX Fine Print Museum’ papers, which, to my knowledge, are fixed-gradation papers.
Best regards
Steffen
piu58
Dear Mirko,
Thank you very much for this initiative, which was long overdue. I’m getting on well with the shop. Just a quick question: what about the agreed discounts? Are they linked to the customer placing the order?
I’ve also spotted a small error. For example, Films – SW – KB+MF: When I click on the number ‘7’, I’m taken back to an overview page rather than to the Foma films. Clicking ‘Next’ takes me through a few more screens, but I’m then taken back to page 9. The first is a bug; the second is at least illogical. I’d expect some sort of message saying ‘last page’ or something similar.
Best regards from Leipzig.
--
Uwe
mdeutgen
Hi Mirko,
I’ve just had a bit of a play around myself and ran into a few issues with the volume pricing. I didn’t quite realise straight away that the price is discounted once you exceed 10 units. Wouldn’t it make more sense to show the volume price alongside the unit price for each item? I ended up using a calculator myself to work out the net price – that really shouldn’t be necessary.
Or have I missed something here and made things unnecessarily difficult for myself?
Martin
mdeutgen
Or have I missed something here and made things unnecessarily difficult for myself?
Mirko,
I have. If you simply click on the article’s title bar, you’ll see the bulk prices on the next page. I’d taken the other route and added one item per product to my basket, then adjusted the quantity to my requirements at the end in the basket.
There are many roads that lead to Rome, and some are a bit rockier. In that respect, I can answer the above question myself with a ‘yes’...
Martin
MirkoBoeddecker
Martin,
We’ve been working on this for a while now.
It’s impractical that the “actual price” (since almost all customers order packs of 10) isn’t displayed straight away.
Ideally, the layout should be redesigned so that all prices are shown immediately.
At the moment, however, we are still working on the "tasks" mentioned above (search filters and product attributes such as size, finish, etc.).
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Kind regards,
Mirko
VolkerSchulz
Hello Mirko,
I tried ordering something via the online shop today. When I go to ‘Films’ and then ‘Black and White Films’, I’m only shown your current recommendations. Unless I enter a specific product in the search bar, I can’t see anything other than your current recommendations.
When I’ve finally managed to find the items and want to add them to my basket, it doesn’t work at all in Firefox; it does work in IE, but afterwards it tells me my basket is empty.
There’s clearly still some work to be done here.
You should also mention on the homepage that the webshop is only in trial mode. Otherwise, you’ll put off customers who’ve stumbled across your site by chance and want to place an order.
All the best
Volker
GeorgK
Why? It works fine.
"Films" – "Black and white" – then select the format ("Other formats" "35mm and roll films" "Sheet films") and off you go...
The shopping basket works fine with Firefox 2.0. Have you enabled "cookies"? Because without them, hardly any online shop actually works.
Regards,
Georg
VolkerSchulz
Why? It works, doesn't it?
"Films" – "Black and white" – then select the format ("Other formats" "35mm and roll films" "Sheet films") and off you go...
I get as far as that, and then I'm only shown the current offers.
I'm using Firefox 3. As I can shop in other competitors’ online shops without any problems, I’m assuming that cookies are enabled.
I’m not going to start fiddling with any system settings in the hope that it might somehow work. It works fine with my current settings on other online shops. Either Mirko’s online shop works, or I’ll order elsewhere.
All the best!
Volker
mdeutgen
Why? It works, doesn't it?
[?]
No?
It didn’t work for me either. After I’d spent some time picking out the individual items and successfully filled my basket, I then dutifully tried to log in. So I entered all the details properly and clicked ‘Next’. The next message was basically “Your basket is empty”.
At first I suspected my browser (Firefox 3.0.3 on XP) too, but I’d explicitly allowed all cookies beforehand and even disabled NoScript, so that couldn’t have been the problem.
After two unsuccessful attempts, I printed out the order form, filled it in by hand, scanned it back as a PDF and sent the order as an email attachment to Berlin. It worked perfectly, though DHL took rather a long time to deliver it for my liking (Berlin to the Hanover area used to be an overnight delivery...)
