need advice on my website from a 'customer' perspective

[that mike guy]

Hellloooo and happy new year!

I've had a hard time trying to figure out where to post this, but i think the showcase here would be best, rather than the 'web design' category...

I need some feedback on the website I made for the store my wife and I own.

it is http://www.lemonwink.com

Id like some advice, from the perspective of an online shopper, on how it flows and what can be improved to turn more 'shoppers' into 'customers'.

I'm not looking for advice on the web programming...because i can see from here all you programmers shaking your head at this site lol...... i know, i know i know.....just...i know, lol....

anyhoo..... comments are appreciated.

thanks!

[des-igns]

Happy New Year back at ya!

I love to browse and shop sites like spiegel.com and newport-news.com, so I'll give my impressions of your site, based on how I like to shop/browse. Ok, here goes...

FIRST IMPRESSION:
The page loaded and I thought I'd reached the wrong page. It looks like it's 'under construction' with the almost blank black page. I didn't know immediately what the site was about or where to begin first. The top bar looks great though.

The clothes are awesome (which I found out after clicking further), so I wondered why you don't have any photos of them here. Once you start clicking the links at the top, it's pretty easy and self explanatory. I really love the female silhouette (http://www.lemonwink.com/images/sizing-girl.jpg) on the sizes page. I think it would look great on your home page or even as a part of your logo.

PHOTOS:
The photos of the clothes are great and professional looking. Strangely this tells me I can trust you because you've hired professionals to take the photos for you (yeah I know, you could be some scam artist in your garage getting the photos from somewhere else, but the quality of the photos give a huge impression - whether it's false or not).

I always love to have a larger version photo for closeup detail though. The size you have is better than most, but I always find myself wishing I could supersize photos to see details on the clothes (this goes for most sites out there). Personally, if I'm going buy a $200 dress online, I want to see closeups of the fabric and workmanship of the item. You do have several photos of different angles though - I love this! It's such a rare thing to find.

DESCRIPTIONS:
These are sadly lacking on many items. Once again, the items on your site are pricey, so I want to know everything there is to know about the thing -

What fabric is used?
What are the length measurements? (I'm short, this is always a key for me!)
What are the care instructions for washing it?
Is it padded, lined, or layered in anyway?
What closure's does it have?
Etc, etc, etc,
The site's I mentioned above do an excellent job of telling you everything and keeping it down to a short paragraph. No fluff and sales pitch, just the stuff I want to know - the image sells me. Here's an example:"Velvet surplice dress, detailed with beading and an embroidered appliqué with attached silk chiffon scarf. Scoop back. Pullover styling, 25" from the waist. Rayon/silk. Dry clean. Imported."
PRODUCT LISTING:
Perhaps I'm the only one, but if I see a 'view all' link anywhere I click it immediately. I prefer to wait for the page to load all items, then skim down all the products to scan for items that catch my eye. I realize not everyone is like that, but it would be awesome if you offered this option on the page.

OTHER PAGES:
The info pages are great and answer all the basic questions I may have on the first visit. I went through just about your whole site except for the 'Recent News' link. Before leaving it, I decided to just see what was on the page. I was surprised to find your sale and gift options here! This could be the front page instead and at the very least I suggest a name change to that button.

I don't think I've ever looked at a 'News' page on a clothing site - I'm looking for clothes, not to find out more about your business - which is what I think I'll find on that page. If I was a real customer to your site, I'd never have found out about the special and gift cards.

PAYMENT:
In my opinion, if a business is even slightly successful, I expect to check out on THEIR site with a place to add in my credit card details (Authorize net). If the only option is paypal, my impression of the site is greatly swayed and makes me a little nervous (don't get me wrong, I like PayPal and love having the option there). Once again, perhaps I'm the only one, but unless the site has something I REALLY want, I'll usually go looking on another site for something else.

COLOR:
The overall look and color of the site is ok. It looks classy and professional, although too much black for my personal taste - especially when reading any amount of text.

Overall, it's a great site. I hope what I've said has helped in some way and hasn't stepped on anyone's toes! I hope the site is a great success.

Happy New Year!

Desiree

[nele]

index page: very nice, menu letters at the top are kind of hard to read (second row) so I would change that.

black colour throught the site - ok but i would try different colours

paypal?? I would not use paypal for anything other than ebay and that is only for small amounts.

[that mike guy]

thanks so much for the comments... i appreciate it! You guys mentioned a few things that were bothering me myself....

I noticed so far that our website is mainly used by local people, who check out the clothes, then come visit the store... but i'd like to boost the online purchases..

As for paypal, it was a necessary evil. It was a way to make the site to be easily edited by my wife (who maily runs the store), and not have to conform to a shopping cart template.

thanks again, and more advice is appreciated!

[JPnyc]

1 thing I see right away is none of the links have a hover state change. That's pretty much an industry standard.

[(gra-ph!c-D'sig-nah)]

If more information was provided such as des-ign mentioned, it would work for me! Simple and I like that there isn't a lot of other advertisements on the page to distract me!