QP Apparel said:
Laylaazure..
Contrary to what rodney suggested i think that may not be the idea for you.
for two reasons.
one you have to pay for the work to get done.. and even if u could take the time to learn.. the expense.. in time and effort may be an issue u cannot afford to be sidetracked by. For instance.. I had to teach myself basic HTML to put the site that i have up now.. and to be honest.. at this point i can't even point u to my site cause it is a travesty.. LOL.. all the while i was learning to muck up HTML.. i wasn't developing new leads.. which is the business i am in.. new leads and satisfying orders.. HTML.. isn't the business that i am in.. can u dig it?
I think it depends on the person and their abilities and willingness to learn.
For me, learning HTML was natural if I wanted to have a website. Learning PHP, no. But learning the basic building blocks of a webpage can save you both time AND money.
The type of edits that she needs should only take 2 minutes, tops. Her site is already done, but to remove a product, edit text, add a link, are all quickies that I think most people should learn how to do. When you're running a small business, it's common to wear many hats.
I'm not saying to get all complex and learn the ins and outs of web design, but basic HTML so you can save yourself time (waiting on a designer to make simple changes) and money (paying a designer WAY more than it actually costs to make those changes) is just smart business.
I understand your point about spending time on what you do best though. I can design a website, make it pretty, code some HTML, even edit a little PHP here and there, but my strong suit is marketing/promotion. So even though I know the basics, I will still pay to have someone to design a site for me every now and then because 1) I know I'll take too much time doing it when I'm so close to a project. I try to make everything TOO perfect and 2) I'd rather have the basic outline/design of the site done so I can get to what I'm good at, promoting the site.
So for me, the investment in a design layout is easily recouped by the fact that I can get to marketing sooner.
But that's not true in call cases, especially when you just need a few edits to a site. Learning basic HTML doesn't have to consume your time, and it can save your lots of money in simple edits.
Secondly.. as a customer.. when i got to your site and see that you only carry a shirt in certain sizes.. i dunno.. seems like that might take away some of the luster of your company. Makes u look like u can't keep up with your own business.... cause i would be like.. why don't she make this in Med.. or XXXL.. u know.. it would make me confused.. or if it was like She got Med.. XXL .. and that's It?!?.. that would strike me as odd..
I've seen sizes/styles/colors out of stock notices at the smallest and largest of online stores (including Amazon, threadless, and other major sellers).
I think customers prefer to know that what they are buying and what they see on the website is IN STOCK. As long as they have an accurate representation of what they can buy and what they can't, I don't think they get confused at all.
I think it can show that you have a popular product that people actually buy. That your site is open and in a state of motion (Being updated with inventory).
I think the trick here is setting up shop and your stock designs in such a way that you can produce the item on the spot..
For instance.. i have this wonderful Anti George Bush t-shirt i put together.. People responded to it.. (and since i use heat Transfers) I kept the design on cue.. and i keep about 6 shirts in all my popular sizes.. When someone wants that design it's a simple matter to just print and iron on.. lol
The problem with that is that not all designs can be done with an iron on, heat press, digital print or even direct t-shirt print (only screen printing) and some merchants specialize in screen printed products.
If you can print on demand and you want to worry about printing in house or want that control, then that's one option. But it's still choosing one "challenge" over another (handling self printing over handling inventory).