[geekstar]

I just want to thank everyone for all of the amazingly useful information they post to this board.

I've been tweaking our site for over a year and I just need some honest opinions on it, our conversion rate is way too low right now and I'm wondering if it has to do with the site design.

http://www.geekbouteek.com

Thanks in advance.

 

[SBEMedia]

I like the site overall, easy to use and get information. Nonetheless, I'd put people wearing your shirts on the site so people can get a general 'feel' of what the shirt would look like on them. Also, 'geek' up the site a bit, aside from the clever sayings why not add additional 'geek' items on the site, not necessarily for sale but just to make the site pop a little bit more. Additionally for marketing, start blogging on websites which have a lot of programmers, etc. That way you can direct your marketing towards your specific target audience.

 

[Solmu]

There's some okay designs, but they're all either exactly the same as ones I've seen before, or basically the same idea in a slightly different form.

The site graphics (logo, background) are pretty basic, and the site name didn't make sense to me until I saw it spaced out in your signature.

I think the geek market is going to be a pretty web savvy one. Whereas a Threadless knock-off can hope that some of their customers will wander onto their site before ever seeing Threadless, it's not likely that anyone who would be interested in your site wouldn't be familiar with ThinkGeek or Jinx. So what can you give them that those sites can't?

At the moment you have no point of difference. Well, except for the fact that your site isn't as professional looking, and doesn't inspire the same level of trust in potential customers. I'd punch up the colour pallette a little (nothing gaudy, but something less like a biege box), and come up with some ideas that set you apart from the competition. As a customer, if I wanted a d20, a joystick, a pi joke, and a line about 'my other t-shirt' I'd shop at ThinkGeek before I'd ever purchase from you. So give people a design they can't just buy from The Other Guy and you might be in with more of a chance.

Also, try giving the site some personality. At the moment it makes Mac's vision of a PC look like the life of the party.

 

[AmericanBandit]

I agree with sbe, add more movement to your site via people in pictures and other elements to stop it from looking like a cafe press site. a few ideas besides pictures are adding a comment section so people can comment on the shirts, and u said conversion was down, add a blog to your site and write about "geek" stuff so more of your demographic finds you and has a fun time interacting with your site

 

[geekstar]

Thanks to everyone for their replies, it's all very helpful. Sometimes you get so close to something that you have hard time taking a step back a looking at the big picture and it's good to hear for an objective point of view.

We know we can't really compete with the likes of ThinkGeek or Jinx right now, but we have found that our women's shirt are much more popular than our men's, and that there does seem to be a niche for geeky but fashionable t-shirts for women. We're currently working on ways to target that market and do some rebranding to reflect that shift, which will hopefully be one of the things that distinguishes us from the other "geek" sites.

 

[tshirt0mania]

I actually like your shirts ("Incon'th'eivable".. hehe!). But yeah, might want to tweak the webpage design up one notch

Allowing customers to send in & post pictures of themselves "reppin' your gear" is a good idea too.

I read it as Geek Bout Eek when i first saw the URL. I don't think the name Geek Bouteek is particularly geeky or witty.

 

[COEDS]

I like your site and your designs. I think the open feeling(all the white plain background) I think it's refreshing to see the clean crisp page. I think the designs are funny. .... JB

 

[EnMartian]

The site is pretty bland right now. People who spend a lot of time online tend to be attracted to sites that entertain them. Add some interactive stuff. Add some trivia like "Geeks in History". Add a blog where you write about the latest news in Geekdoom. Have a contest to identify movie lines or decide which geeky characters would wear which of the t-shirts you sell. Make your site a destination.

Right now, the only reason someone would come to your site is if they want to buy a t-shirt, but the shirts are just kind of there. There's nothing to entice me to buy or even to really make me want to explore the site. If you're dealing with web savvy people, give them a web site that engages them. They'll stick around and they'll probably buy your products while they're there.

I'd also agree that pictures of people wearing your t-shirts would be a good thing. I'd also play on the geek theme in the pictures. Have a group of people wearing your shirts sitting around playing a game or dusting Star Wars collectibles or something. If you're aiming for a geeks do a sort of tongue in cheek thing where you let everyone know that being a geek is really kind of cool and something to be celebrated.

 

[cohencheng]

Your designs are little bit simple to me. Don't feel sparkles among them. (no intension to give you hard feeling)

 

[Solmu]

we have found that our women's shirt are much more popular than our men's, and that there does seem to be a niche for geeky but fashionable t-shirts for women. We're currently working on ways to target that market

If the potential sales are there, then I think this is a good idea. ThinkGeek has always been terrible for women's sizing, and while they have some stuff available now it's still poor. I think Jinx have started releasing all of their clothing in women's sizing, but they're heading in a very different direction now (what I would have thought was the oxymoronic field of geek Fashion (capital F intended)), so they're not as direct a competitor with actual geeks as they once were (more the type who thinks it's cool to pretend to be a geek because it makes them look smart).

All this to say that you're right that that market segment isn't being fulfilled. I'd raise the possibility that that's because there's not enough of them to support a business, but if your instinct and/or research says otherwise then good luck to you. It's certainly a defined niche without a bazillion obvious competitors, which is a good start from a business perspective.

 

[CUSTOM UK]

Hi. I liked the human readable barcode design, but the rest of your designs didn't leave any impressions either good or bad. That's the polite way of saying they were instantly forgettable.

I know people bang on about a site needing this and needing that (myself included), but at the end of the day, your site will thrive, or fail on the popularity of your products.

 

[completefighter]

Great concept on the shirts!! Site needs some work maybe add a bg image and more color and you are good to go!

 

[Gamechanger]

Basic and simple. Some improvments to the page would rock it up a notch. The geekness of the shirts is very cool.