The importance of keeping your website up to date

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The importance of keeping your website up to date

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Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 1:42 pm Post subject: The importance of keeping your website up to date

OK so I admit it...I've been very off the ball since christmas, and not really paid any attention to the website, so much so that the christmas banner we put up was still there till yesterday.

What I didn't realise was just how much of an impact that would have on sales

Late Jan/Feb sales have been very, very slow. Today we have had three sales already

A cautionary tale for everyone I think. When they say "make sure your website is up to date", they really are right, damn them

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 1:49 pm Post subject:
I haven't got a website, but that's very true. If I'm looking for something and a site says last updated months ago, or has 'Spring Special Offers' in November then I go elsewhere. It's the same principle as keeping stuff priced up and faced up in a bricks and mortar retailer. If people can't be bothered with basic house-keeping I assume that they can't be bothered with much else either.

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 2:41 pm Post subject:
Hmmm - I'm sure I'd like to answer this post, but I am off now to do summat with my site ..

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 2:48 pm Post subject:
haven't updated my site in a while either. But it's really just a gallery of my work so not to important. should put some new photos on ther and myspace really though

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 2:53 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

I haven't got a website, but that's very true. If I'm looking for something and a site says last updated months ago, or has 'Spring Special Offers' in November then I go elsewhere. It's the same principle as keeping stuff priced up and faced up in a bricks and mortar retailer.
If people can't be bothered with basic house-keeping I assume that they can't be bothered with much else either.

Totally agree with this.

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 3:48 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

sean wrote:

Totally agree with this.

It's so bloody obvious, and I'm very cross and ashamed of myself

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 3:53 pm Post subject:

And if you want people to come *back* to your website... keep changing what is on it. "Feature" something different at least.

And tell people there will be something new/different/exciting next week/month - but make sure that you live up to the promise. Maybe give this week's password for some 'special offer price' to clear old stock.
Maybe warnings of price rises a month ahead to drive demand now.
Maybe just a soap opera of gossip from the shop. But for people to *want* to come back to the site, there has to be a better reason than checking the exact price of a standard product against the competition.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 3:59 pm Post subject:

Penny wrote:

It's so bloody obvious, and I'm very cross and ashamed of myself

The thing is retailing is simple and obvious. It's all about making sure that you *always* do things though. I shall now offer a series of irritating retail catch-phrases:
Retail is detail.
Eye-level is buy-level. (Obviously you haven't got eye-level on a web-site, but bits of your site are more prominent than others.)
We're not selling empty space.
Under-promise and over-deliver.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 4:03 pm Post subject:

Penny wrote:

It's so bloody obvious, and I'm very cross and ashamed of myself

She who never made a mistake never made anything. Just learn from it, and hopefully, let others learn from it!

I like little bits of gossip and news - especially from farm sites, as being interested in the background of food is why I buy from them. So an update on what's going on around the place is sort of part of the reason I buy in the first place. Not sure it really applies for T-shirts so much, but for most food sales, then you must surely be more likely to be loyal to a place you feel you know, especially if the reason you buy there isn't because its the cheapest around, but because there are some principles and qualities you like.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 4:18 pm Post subject:
I'd like to pipe in and say I think I did slap Penny a little over this but probably should have slapped more

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 4:19 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

I'd like to pipe in and say I think I did slap Penny a little over this

but probably should have slapped more

I was enjoying it, obviously

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 6:11 pm Post subject:

Penny wrote:

jema wrote:

I'd like to pipe in and say I think I did slap Penny a little over this

but probably should have slapped more

I was enjoying it, obviously

In that case, maybe I ought NOT to make clear that my remarks above were meant to be generally helpful, rather than scolding anyone in particular...

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 8:44 pm Post subject:
And just sold another one

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 07 8:49 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

The thing is retailing is simple and obvious. It's all about making sure that you *always* do things though.

Yup, the hardest thing about retail is the fact that you have to be good ALL the time (well if you want to make money at it)

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