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5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?



 
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Old May 1st, 2007 May 1, 2007 10:37:31 AM -   #106 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

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This I've never really understood, personally - though you certainly aren't the only person I've heard this from. You HAVE to give basically all the same information for shipping & billing - Name, Address, Phone, email, etc. What exactly is the difference you're seeing here? Would a checkbox to optionally NOT save your account info be enough, or are you looking for something else?
I'm with TomandBunny on this one as well.

For me it's a matter of privacy I don't need my private contact information saved on a site that I'll probably never shop at again.

Most of the time, the sites that ask you to save your private information don't give you any contact information. So they want me to save my name and address on a site that can't even post a business phone number or mailing address for customers to view?

If I'm trying to make an impulse purchase of a cool design, there's nothing that turns me off more than being asked to save my information or create an account. For a $15-$20 purchase, it's just an extra step that I don't need.

Now at amazon it's different, because they are a large trusted retailer and I'll most likely be buying from them again soon.

But joe schmoe t-shirt company with X funny design doesn't need to save my private information. I've ran into too many of them that think that just because I bought something from them once, means I want to get all sorts of emails about new products, business schemes, etc (no, I didn't check a newsletter box...thank you )
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Old May 1st, 2007 May 1, 2007 5:41:33 PM -   #107 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rodney
Now at amazon it's different, because they are a large trusted retailer and I'll most likely be buying from them again soon.
Good point, actually I didn't think of Amazon as I did fill out the information there but I actually go to Amazon to buy the used books dirt cheap so I figured that was worth the hassle LOL

But I don't know these guys from adam and half the time I just put passwords and login names I will never remember because I really don't want them having any information on me.

Worse is the sites that want to verify by emailing you a code or a link that you must click or enter before you can complete your purchase???

I just want a quicky wham bam enter my credit card on a secure trusted credit card company website and address and get my stuff!
 
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Old May 1st, 2007 May 1, 2007 9:03:28 PM -   #108 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

..yeah.


just like going to Radio Shack to buy a couple of batteries and need to fill out a cashout-form a mile long.


;
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Old May 1st, 2007 May 1, 2007 9:59:32 PM -   #109 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

TomandBunny, do you have an example of some sites that
do NOT ask you to Create Account, yet still accept standard
Visa and Mastercard?
 
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Old May 1st, 2007 May 1, 2007 10:21:55 PM -   #110 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

Quote:
Originally Posted by oddica
TomandBunny, do you have an example of some sites that
do NOT ask you to Create Account, yet still accept standard
Visa and Mastercard?
Most of the independants I guess. I think sites that want an account established are using it for spam in the future dont you agree?
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Old May 2nd, 2007 May 2, 2007 12:03:24 AM -   #111 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MotoskinGraphix
Most of the independants I guess. I think sites that want an account established are using it for spam in the future dont you agree?
I definitely don't agree. It's the default install for packages like osCommerce and ZenCart, so for a lot of smaller online retailers it's just the way their sites are setup if they don't know how to change it. The fact that it is the default is stupid, but it's the coders fault, not the users.
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Old May 2nd, 2007 May 2, 2007 8:45:01 AM -   #112 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

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Originally Posted by Solmu
I definitely don't agree. It's the default install for packages like osCommerce and ZenCart, so for a lot of smaller online retailers it's just the way their sites are setup if they don't know how to change it. The fact that it is the default is stupid, but it's the coders fault, not the users.

Exactly.

Hmmm, the only actual additional info you have to enter is a password (or psosibly a login too, though Zen Cart just uses the email). I can't think of any easy way to have a no account option, though - save a checkbox asking if they would like their information not to be stored. Do you think this would be enough for you Rodney/Tomand, or is the fact that it's still defaulting to account creation still too much?
 
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Old May 2nd, 2007 May 2, 2007 10:12:10 AM -   #113 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

Quote:
Originally Posted by oddica
TomandBunny, do you have an example of some sites that
do NOT ask you to Create Account, yet still accept standard
Visa and Mastercard?
My site does not ask you to create an account and still accepts standard mastercard and visa.
 
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Old May 2nd, 2007 May 2, 2007 10:26:16 AM -   #114 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

Quote:
TomandBunny, do you have an example of some sites that
do NOT ask you to Create Account, yet still accept standard
Visa and Mastercard?
I think many sites offer it as an option. For example, manifestworldwide.com has it as an option (create an account or checkout without one).

Others include 80stees.com, bustedtees.com, nerdyshirts.com, etc.
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Old May 2nd, 2007 May 2, 2007 10:33:21 AM -   #115 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

Quote:
I can't think of any easy way to have a no account option, though - save a checkbox asking if they would like their information not to be stored. Do you think this would be enough for you Rodney/Tomand, or is the fact that it's still defaulting to account creation still too much?
I guess it's not too much about giving extra information (like a username/password), but more about having your private information stored by a company that you have no reason to trust.

Going to an account creation screen by default is a turnoff. For example, places like cafepress moved the account creation stuff to the checkout page AFTER you've entered your shipping/billing information (on the same page). That way you can decide for yourself whether it's worth it at that point.

For smaller stores, I hate going from the shopping cart to a "create an account with us" screen. I don't know if the reaction is the same or different for someone that is new to shopping online.

Quote:
I can't think of any easy way to have a no account option, though
Here's one way with Zen Cart (most free carts have some type of add on contributed by the community that allows for checkout without an account): Contribution:Integrated Checkout Without Account - Zen Cart(tm) Wiki

Quote:
save a checkbox asking if they would like their information not to be stored.
If I have to choose a username and password, then I'm going to assume that my information is going to be stored, even if I click a checkbox. I would think why else are they asking for a username/password.
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Old May 2nd, 2007 May 2, 2007 1:28:29 PM -   #116 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

Objections

1. Hassle

It looks like the Non Create-Account Tee sites have the same
amount of work as any other site. And you have to do it every time
you visit. Can you check order history? Tracking? Stay updated on the
new tees? Not sure.

2. Privacy

You are giving your information out. Whether it's stored on a computer
or not, they have your information, whether you create an account
or not. So I don't understand the privacy concern: THEY HAVE YOUR INFORMATION ALREADY

3. Unwanted contact

Opt-out from any future mass emails?

4. Build a long-term customer/company relationship

Do you think that maybe, just maybe, you might do such a good
job that people want to buy from you again, and hear what
you are up to.

If there's no TRUST, no dialogue, then what? You have two ships passing in the night.

http://www.agency26.com/The_Brand_Gap.pdf
 
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Old May 2nd, 2007 May 2, 2007 1:30:25 PM -   #117 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

TomandBunny, can you share your URL?
 
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Old May 2nd, 2007 May 2, 2007 1:51:32 PM -   #118 (permalink)
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Default Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?

Quote:
You are giving your information out. Whether it's stored on a computer
or not, they have your information, whether you create an account
or not. So I don't understand the privacy concern: THEY HAVE YOUR INFORMATION ALREADY
Just because they have my information doesn't mean I want them to store it in their database on their servers

By not storing my information, they can just use it to ship out the t-shirt and discard it. They don't need to save it or create an extra step for me to create a user account.

The thing is, even if you convince me, you're not convincing your potential customers who aren't reading this compelling argument for saving data. They just are annoyed and may leave without purchasing. Something to consider

Quote: