The Money Mustache Community

Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Entrepreneurship => Topic started by: HPstache on December 07, 2017, 12:15:01 PM

Title: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on December 07, 2017, 12:15:01 PM
Update 6/17/2018 Post #52

Hey everyone, I recently started up a new website on Cyber Monday.  It's going "OK" but I don't seem to be converting as many visits into the orders I was expecting... I am hovering around 1.5-2%.  This is my first website ever and really my first "real" entrepreneur attempt.  Would you all mind critiquing it for me?  I'm not even going to introduce the concept because I think that everything should be there for people to understand what I am offering.  Let me know what you think!

www.washingtoninabox.com (http://www.washingtoninabox.com)
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: solon on December 07, 2017, 01:44:12 PM
Just some things I was thinking as I looked at the site.

Very professional looking. Would have no qualms about buying.

Very jealous! Why didn't I think of that? This is the kind of side gig Chris Guillebeau would put on his side hustle podcast. https://sidehustleschool.com/podcasts/

How do you find so many Washington-related items? Do companies give you a discount on their products? Do they pay you to be included? I know you probably don't want to give away your business secrets, but these are questions that came to mind.

Good luck with the business!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Blonde Lawyer on December 07, 2017, 01:55:52 PM
Looks awesome.  This is the kind of thing people will check out and file away in their head for future info.  I wouldn't just randomly order one for myself unless I was from there and missing it.  If I was living there, I'd buy it for people that hadn't been to visit yet or had and loved it.  I'd also buy stuff if I was out of state and wanted to send stuff to someone that previously lived there. 

Could you expand to other states? Not sure how hard it would be to source.

I worry people will steal the idea though and just buy the stuff and make their own basket to give as a gift but there is no way around that.

Could you sell at rest areas / the airport?
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on December 07, 2017, 02:35:06 PM
Thanks for the compliments... I put a crazy amount of work into it considering I decided I wanted to do it in early November and set a Cyber Monday deadline for getting the site up.  I was born and raised in WA, so I sorta "know" the stuff that people around here, that was pretty helpful with brainstorming the products to offer.  I also did a lot of google searches for "what is washington known for" and "what famous things are made in washington", etc.  I had a big long list of items and started narrowing them down due to feasibility and cost.  I really want to keep my inventory low, but yet have a lot to offer for anyone.  I have gotten vendor / wholesale pricing on a few of my items which is pretty darn generous for a start-up... I am hoping as time passes and I buy more product I can get more companies to give me wholesale to get my margins up... certainly no one is paying me yet, but I have had companies approach me to ask to be included.

 I really wasn't planning on making much money this year, maybe just enough to cover inventory and a bit of my start-up costs.  I think next year when I have a little more legitimacy I'll get more orders and re-orders.  I am just a little bummed because I am only about 25% my sales goal with two weeks left until Christmas and a decent amount of inventory on hand.

I suppose it could be expanded to other states, I actually got this idea from a state that already existed.  So I'm certainly not the first to do this... though if I'm successful, I might try to expand the theme to a few other states I am familiar with.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: bwall on December 07, 2017, 02:38:52 PM
I think it's a good idea. Any business that offers 'thank you' gifts to clients would be a potential client; real estate agents, car dealers, or anyone who sells to those who make a big ticket purchase.

Also, not too easy to be 'amazoned' into a low margin business.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Michael in ABQ on December 07, 2017, 03:19:47 PM
Hey everyone, I recently started up a new website on Cyber Monday.  It's going "OK" but I don't seem to be converting as many visits into the orders I was expecting... I am hovering around 1.5-2%.  This is my first website ever and really my first "real" entrepreneur attempt.  Would you all mind critiquing it for me?  I'm not even going to introduce the concept because I think that everything should be there for people to understand what I am offering.  Let me know what you think!

www.washingtoninabox.com (http://www.washingtoninabox.com)

I'd suggest adding some Cougar Gold Cheese from the WSU Creamery but it's about $25+ shipping for a 30oz can so that might be a bit hard to fit in price-wise.

This is a great blog/podcast that should have some good tips for you. https://www.ecomcrew.com/ I'm in the very early stages of trying to build an ecommerce website and have found some great tips from these podcasts. I just listened to one of the first episodes on my drive in this morning and they mentioned that a standard conversion rate is about 2%.

I would echo the previous comment about marketing to companies sending out thank you gifts. I work in the commercial real estate industry and we have multiple clients who send us gift baskets or other gifts this time of year. Some of the brokers and property manager will send out gift baskets to their clients and won't bat an eye at spending $50 or so on something nice. If you were to reach out to businesses that have clients elsewhere in the country this would be a good fit. Better hurry though as the window is closing and this is probably going to be a pretty seasonal product.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: tralfamadorian on December 07, 2017, 06:54:50 PM
Great idea!

Long time online retail seller here- I clicked through to your best seller box. My questions as a consumer that I did not see answered are (and what lowers your conversion rate as most people will not ask, they will just leave the site):

- What do the products look like? All I see are names. What's so great about Uncle Woody's Caramel Popcorn, for example? There should be a snippet there from their sales literature. Where are they in Washington? Since you're going for state pride, deeper location info would be good. What portion size, volume?

- What size is the box? How much of each is going to be in there? How is it packaged? Is it going to look all nice and be giftable as is? A picture of a completed box ready to go would help here.

- The best sellers box contains sausage, popcorn, salt, soap and a mystery 3-pack. The items don't really work together and each box probably should. All ready to eat items together, all items used for gourmet cooking together and all smells nice, pamper yourself items in a box.

- How much is shipping? How long will it take to ship? And how long will it take to get to me?

Now it's possible lots of these questions are answered elsewhere on your website but folks don't look, they just bounce. For an example of a business that does "ship you giftable stuff" really well and might be good to look at for how they organize their boxes and the types of pictures and information on a single listing page: http://www.mancrates.com
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on December 07, 2017, 07:17:12 PM
Great idea!

Long time online retail seller here- I clicked through to your best seller box. My questions as a consumer that I did not see answered are (and what lowers your conversion rate as most people will not ask, they will just leave the site):

- What do the products look like? All I see are names. What's so great about Uncle Woody's Caramel Popcorn, for example? There should be a snippet there from their sales literature. Where are they in Washington? Since you're going for state pride, deeper location info would be good. What portion size, volume?

- What size is the box? How much of each is going to be in there? How is it packaged? Is it going to look all nice and be giftable as is? A picture of a completed box ready to go would help here.

- The best sellers box contains sausage, popcorn, salt, soap and a mystery 3-pack. The items don't really work together and each box probably should. All ready to eat items together, all items used for gourmet cooking together and all smells nice, pamper yourself items in a box.

- How much is shipping? How long will it take to ship? And how long will it take to get to me?

Now it's possible lots of these questions are answered elsewhere on your website but folks don't look, they just bounce. For an example of a business that does "ship you giftable stuff" really well and might be good to look at for how they organize their boxes and the types of pictures and information on a single listing page: http://www.mancrates.com

Thanks for the feedback.  I have always been concerned about your first item... and that is that people don't click the "what's in the box" button or main menu link.  This is where the pictures and description of all of the items live.  I wonder how I can make sure my potential customers find this page?

Making the best sellers a bit more "themed" would be a good idea, I like that.

Shipping info should be on the FAQ page, but I agree, maybe a bright icon showing the flat shipping charge would be helpful!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: CareCPA on December 07, 2017, 07:32:17 PM
Great idea!

Long time online retail seller here- I clicked through to your best seller box. My questions as a consumer that I did not see answered are (and what lowers your conversion rate as most people will not ask, they will just leave the site):

- What do the products look like? All I see are names. What's so great about Uncle Woody's Caramel Popcorn, for example? There should be a snippet there from their sales literature. Where are they in Washington? Since you're going for state pride, deeper location info would be good. What portion size, volume?

- What size is the box? How much of each is going to be in there? How is it packaged? Is it going to look all nice and be giftable as is? A picture of a completed box ready to go would help here.

- The best sellers box contains sausage, popcorn, salt, soap and a mystery 3-pack. The items don't really work together and each box probably should. All ready to eat items together, all items used for gourmet cooking together and all smells nice, pamper yourself items in a box.

- How much is shipping? How long will it take to ship? And how long will it take to get to me?

Now it's possible lots of these questions are answered elsewhere on your website but folks don't look, they just bounce. For an example of a business that does "ship you giftable stuff" really well and might be good to look at for how they organize their boxes and the types of pictures and information on a single listing page: http://www.mancrates.com

Thanks for the feedback.  I have always been concerned about your first item... and that is that people don't click the "what's in the box" button or main menu link.  This is where the pictures and description of all of the items live.  I wonder how I can make sure my potential customers find this page?

Making the best sellers a bit more "themed" would be a good idea, I like that.

Shipping info should be on the FAQ page, but I agree, maybe a bright icon showing the flat shipping charge would be helpful!
I would include actual photos of example boxes on the homepage, instead of a graphic of a box.
I would also be curious what the difference is between the "5-item Washington Box" and the "5 Item Best Seller Box?" They're the same price, and most potential customers are too lazy to click on both to find the difference. To us it looks like an odd duplicate.
On the web browser tab (I don't know the technical name), figure out how to get rid of the Shopify bag, it will look more professional.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: tralfamadorian on December 07, 2017, 08:07:25 PM
Thanks for the feedback.  I have always been concerned about your first item... and that is that people don't click the "what's in the box" button or main menu link.  This is where the pictures and description of all of the items live.  I wonder how I can make sure my potential customers find this page?

Duplication is the easiest way to go here. Minimize your customers' clicks as much as possible from first touch to completed checkout- don't try to get them to get elsewhere on the site for information because most of them will not do it.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Smokystache on December 07, 2017, 08:23:49 PM
May be a bit early, but eventually you could have seasonal boxes and give people a discount for purchasing all 4 seasons. Or some other variation of a subscription/multi-sale offering.

Could market it as a care package to be sent to college students.

Looking good!!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: SC93 on December 07, 2017, 11:11:59 PM
You might think I'm crazy but.... you have 1 too many choices. Get rid of the 5 best sellers. I'm telling you, if you give people that many choices it will not work as well for you as if you cut it back to 4. 3 would be ideal but I do think you need 4 in this case. Great idea & nice job!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Northern gal on December 08, 2017, 12:08:33 AM
I have also heard 2% conversion is standard.

Can you try split testing for pictures etc?

There was a webinar of femtrepreneur / samcart a few months ago that had 7 points on how to increase conversions. Pictures were definitely mentioned, I forgot the rest. There may be a webinar repeat though...

Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Linea_Norway on December 08, 2017, 02:48:31 AM
It looks like a professional site.

I tried the search function. Typed in "Shipment". No hits. Typed in "Shipping". No hits. Typed in "Ship" and got a hit with a 5 item box. I had expected to find a hit with shipping costs or explaining free shipping.

From the front page:
Washington in a Box showcases Washington-made and Washington-themed items shipped in a custom artistic box for one flat rate, and you get choose the items! - maybe add "to" before "choose".

I would write Washington in a Box in quotes or in a different format, for example cursive. Then the text would be easier to understand the text at initial reading.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: westtoeast on December 08, 2017, 05:04:19 AM
Just wanted to say that I think this is a really neat idea! I used to live in WA and it was fun looking through the products you included. Good luck!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: wordnerd on December 08, 2017, 06:03:19 AM
Great idea!

Long time online retail seller here- I clicked through to your best seller box. My questions as a consumer that I did not see answered are (and what lowers your conversion rate as most people will not ask, they will just leave the site):

- What do the products look like? All I see are names. What's so great about Uncle Woody's Caramel Popcorn, for example? There should be a snippet there from their sales literature. Where are they in Washington? Since you're going for state pride, deeper location info would be good. What portion size, volume?

- What size is the box? How much of each is going to be in there? How is it packaged? Is it going to look all nice and be giftable as is? A picture of a completed box ready to go would help here.

- The best sellers box contains sausage, popcorn, salt, soap and a mystery 3-pack. The items don't really work together and each box probably should. All ready to eat items together, all items used for gourmet cooking together and all smells nice, pamper yourself items in a box.

- How much is shipping? How long will it take to ship? And how long will it take to get to me?

Now it's possible lots of these questions are answered elsewhere on your website but folks don't look, they just bounce. For an example of a business that does "ship you giftable stuff" really well and might be good to look at for how they organize their boxes and the types of pictures and information on a single listing page: http://www.mancrates.com

This is all excellent feedback.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: MustachioedPistachio on December 08, 2017, 06:33:30 AM
Just spitballin' here.

Are you doing or planning on any marketing? I used to work in hotels...this type of product would be great for loyal guests that live out-of-state. Businesses will likely be your best bet! Custom packaging for high volume business clients? Have you sent any boxes to friends, family, acquaintances?

Are you showing up in search results? From a super cursory search, here's your top competitor: https://www.madeinwashington.com/ . Personally, the type of merchandise on that site looks gimmicky and overpriced. Like, too gift-baskety. Devoid of thought and creativity. How can you offer a better alternative?

Do you plan on adding any more non-perishables? I'd imagine you could get some good wholesale pricing from local Etsy folks or artisans. Graphic tees, candles, hygiene products, small pieces of art, fridge magnets, cool infographic of "Did you know...?" about WA, etc.

Foresee any royalty issues reselling the sports team items?

Consider eventually investing in 49+ other domain names? ;) This seems like an interesting "franchising" type opportunity. If it really takes off in WA, then OR, ID, etc, then you could sell the business framework and brand awareness for a royalty or what have you.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: katsiki on December 08, 2017, 06:36:29 AM
Site looks great!

This sort of web site was huge 5-10 years for Louisiana / Cajun items.  (It still may be).  You might get some ideas if there are still good cajun sites out there.  They would do gift baskets and individual products (red beans, beignet mix, etc).

Good luck!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on December 08, 2017, 08:24:17 AM
Ok, so a little update here.  I have updated my site with some items that you all recommended.  First of all, I fixed the typo in the "What's Washington in a Box" and I added a line at the end to lead people to click "What's in the Box"... hopefully this helps get people to see the items before grabbing a box.  Next, I added "$5.99 Flat Rate Shipping" to the announcement bar, right under the Promo Code, so I hop that helps people know ahead of time what Shipping will be.  Finally, I took photos of an actual example 3-item and 5-item box so that my customers can see what they look like (I still need to do an 8-item tonight).

I started pumping the Facebook ad machine hard last night, here's hoping for today!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Blonde Lawyer on December 08, 2017, 09:49:52 AM
One more marketing idea - wedding expos! Couples getting married love to have welcome gifts in the hotel rooms for their guests.  You could market to them at the expos, advertise in local bridal magazines and talk to hotels about offering your packages to engaged couples booking rooms for their weddings.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: webguy on December 08, 2017, 10:02:13 AM
I don't have much time but here's some quick feedback:

1) This is too confusing:

12/1 - 12/8 Promo Code!
TAKE5 = 5% Off Entire Order
$5.99 Flat Rate Shipping


Personally, I would just offer a promo for free shipping, replacing the above with:

FREE SHIPPING on all orders until 12/8!

And make it big and bold at the top so it's obvious.

Or if possible, I would either include the cost of shipping permanently in the price of each box and either increase the price slightly if needed or just absorb the cost for now as you try to gain traction.  You want to try to eliminate any reason someone might have not to complete their purchase.  It's confusing to see a price, try to calculate 5% off that price, and then have to mentally add $5.99 for shipping. Just make it simple and easy for the customer to make a decision.

2) When ordering I would definitely replace the drop down list with something more visual.  This could be something as simple as an image that appears when hovering over the name of an item, a grid of images w/names to select from, or perhaps a more elaborate UI.  A dropdown of text like that isn't very helpful unless I know exactly what each item is, as I end up having to cross reference each item with your "What's in a box" page.

3) What's your main source of potential customers to the site?  Perhaps run a promotion or giveaway?  Do you include any marketing material/discount in the box to encourage re-ordering or purchasing the gift for someone else?

I don't think the site needs much improvement beyond just making things easier for the customer to order and removing any potential barriers. I think most of the effort is going to have to come on the marketing side.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: surfhb on December 08, 2017, 03:07:46 PM
Great looking site and a great idea!   I mean, it belongs in the MMM Hall of Shame but great idea for the sucka consumers out there. 
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: tag on December 09, 2017, 05:55:52 AM
I only looked briefly but I really like it! I'm from Seattle. I'm going to forward your link to all of my family who still lives there.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on December 09, 2017, 08:33:47 PM
I only looked briefly but I really like it! I'm from Seattle. I'm going to forward your link to all of my family who still lives there.

I appreciate that.  Thank you!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: belly05 on December 28, 2017, 08:28:12 AM
The site looks great, especially for it being your first website! A few things I noticed that could be useful/beneficial to you are copied below:

1.) Conversion Rate.  You mentioned your conversion rate was in the 1 - 2% range (which is actually pretty solid).  Conversion rate optimization is really a fascinating topic.  You can get far down the rabbit hole and run conversion rate experiments using all kinds of different tools.  Optimizley is a great (paid) tool.  You can also set up A/B tests for free with google analytics.  Looking at your website briefly I noticed it was in Shopify so here is a link explaining how you can set up a split test on your Shopify site (https://www.shopify.com/partners/blog/how-to-split-test-in-shopify-to-increase-revenue)

2.) In the same vein of conversion rate optimization, one of the best things you can do to improve conversions is to improve website load times or site speed. You can test your site speed with lots of free tools, two great free options are Google Page Speed Tool (https://developers.google.com/speed/) and Pingdom page speed (https://tools.pingdom.com/).  Load your URL in both of those and they will spit out recommendations for you on how you can increase site speed. Every 1 second you shave off of load times will improve your conversion rate by 7% Source; https://blog.kissmetrics.com/loading-time/

3.) SEO Figure out what you want your website to rank for, then tune it to rank for those terms!  SEO is obviously a huge topic, and it quickly gets into the snake oil salesmen types but there are several very easy things you can do to help figure out what your site can/should rank for.  The first step is to identify profitable keywords that your site can realistically rank for.  You can do this by opening up the Google Adwords Keyword Planner and typing a huge list of search terms into it (everything you can think of for your site).  The tool will process this list and spit out how much traffic each term gets, and how competitive (think how hard to rank for) each term is. From there you can load that list into a tool like the keyword difficulty planner from Moz (https://moz.com/).  Once you widdle the terms down to the highest traffic and least competitive you can try them out on your site, keeping track of your traffic as you slowly optimize over a few months.  One quick tip, it takes a while for Google to register changes to your site, don't expect to update your site and come back in one day to see a difference.  Give each change you make a minimum of 2 weeks.

4.) If you have not already, claim your webmaster tools account and link it to your google analytics account.  Webmaster tools shows you if your site has any crawl errors (which will hurt your rankings) and it will also show you how your site is performing organically.

5.) Looking at your sitemap it looks like it does not include all of your pages (https://www.washingtoninabox.com/sitemap.xml).  Sitemaps are useful in that they show search engines which pages to crawl.  Cleaning up your sitemap wont transform your site to suddenly ranking well for all your terms, but its a basic building block and not having a completed sitemap is just shooting yourself in the foot.

6.) Paid advertising. I noticed you mentioned running Facebook ads.  Personally, I've never had much success with standard Facebook ads.  Loading Custom Audiences to Facebook does work very well if you have a customer list.  But seeing as how you just launched the website you probably don't have a big customer list yet.  The advertising that has the most bank for the buck that I always advise people to start with is re-marketing.  A good remarketing campaign will run right around 300% ROI.  The reason being is these customers are already farther down in the buying cycle comparied to visitors from other paid verticles. Two great companys you can setup re-marketing through are Critio (https://www.criteo.com/). and Adroll (https://www.adroll.com/).  Both are great options but Critio typically outperforms Adroll.


That's all I can think of for now (its a slow day at the office with most people off for Christmas break).  If you have any follow-up questions just let me know!




Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Smokystache on December 28, 2017, 09:29:09 AM
The site looks great, especially for it being your first website! A few things I noticed ...

Wow, belly05! Solid first post filled with awesome advice. I'm not the OP, but I appreciate the info. Welcome to the forums and hope you get as much out of them as I do.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: SC93 on December 30, 2017, 11:39:27 PM
That was a great post! Those snake oil salesmen are why I learned to do my own SEO. It was useless trying to find someone that would actually do what I wanted and then when I did find someone they would either go out of business or be so busy their prices went sky high!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Michael in ABQ on December 31, 2017, 10:40:44 PM
That was a great post! Those snake oil salesmen are why I learned to do my own SEO. It was useless trying to find someone that would actually do what I wanted and then when I did find someone they would either go out of business or be so busy their prices went sky high!

I started a new website for a side gig a few weeks ago with literally about three paragraphs of content thus far between 4-5 pages. It's already showing up on the second page of Google and I've done nothing as far as getting other links. Just a few basic things with the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress. Hopefully once I start putting some real content in place and getting internal links, etc. it will get up to the first page of results. Still, it's a slow and steady type thing and it may take months to see any significant results.

After listening to many podcasts from the EcomCrew talking about SEO the consensus was that 95%+ of SEO "professionals" are worthless, and the other 5% are too busy/expensive to help you out. Basically, if they promise amazing within six months or less they're full of BS and may even end up hurting you in the long run if they do things that Google doesn't like. Provide good content, a good user experience (i.e. fast loading pages), and make sure you are filling out the basic meta tags and titles, etc.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: SC93 on December 31, 2017, 11:44:03 PM
The trick is to show up on Google under the search terms people actually use. If I'm selling used toilets, people probably wouldn't search USED TOILETS. They would more than likely either search for a plumber or plumbing supply. I bet getting the top spot under USED TOILETS would be pretty easy and could be done by tomorrow. I bet getting on the first page for plumber or plumbing supply would cost a pretty penny and would take a long time. I know you probably know this Michael but some others might not.

So the moral of the story is..... go to google, search for others in your business. What did you type in to google to find them? Now go to the bottom of the page and see what other terms it gives you.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: belly05 on January 03, 2018, 09:08:50 AM
Wow, belly05! Solid first post filled with awesome advice. I'm not the OP, but I appreciate the info. Welcome to the forums and hope you get as much out of them as I do.
[/quote]

Thanks, Smokystache! I found MMM about one year and have been reading/lurking since then.  Finally decided to jump in on the forum!  Its such a cool community and everyone is amazingly respectful and positive, I'm really looking forward to being more active here and picking up good advice/habits from the community.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on January 03, 2018, 09:27:17 AM
Awesome feedback, thank you all.  Well the Christmas season is over, and I am happy to say we met our goal!  We would not have gotten there, had we not had a corporate order of over 60 boxes!  We ended up with a conversion rate of about 1.5% with a much heavier visit to purchase rate as Christmas got closer.  We are now getting ready for a special Valentines Day box.

Regarding SEO... that is something I need to seriously work on.  If you google "Washington in a Box" it does not show up... at least not in the first 10 pages of results, I stopped looking after that :(
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: SC93 on January 03, 2018, 09:59:20 AM
After the 1st page most people stop and after the 2nd for sure. A few years ago a site might have had a chance on the 2nd or 3rd or even 4th page, but people nowadays look at the 1st page and move on.

Washington in a box probably isn't what needs to be ranking anyway. If they know about you then all they have to do is google your exact .com. You want to be ranking under all the many other search terms such as Washington state... souvenir, gifts, gift shop, themed gift ideas and all the others.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Chippewa on January 03, 2018, 10:17:06 AM
add in-box pictures to your 5-item Best Seller's Box and Carl's Box. Get the Instagram running for further connection to box and company (add link to site in profile).

As for SEO without a blog, hire someone to write press releases but caution where to publish them. They don't need to be all high ranking sites to publish. A mix is fine. All low ranking sites, won't do you justice. Or write guest posts on people's blogs within your target location. Doesn't have to be about the box or co.  Could be about any niche you have experience in (gardening, family, etc..). What your looking for is the blog or website author putting a link back to your site.

What would people google search to find your site? Add that to your Tag line (i.e., Washington in a Box - Unique Gifts for Friends)

Great looking site!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Roots&Wings on January 04, 2018, 06:18:35 AM
What would people google search to find your site? Add that to your Tag line (i.e., Washington in a Box - Unique Gifts for Friends)

Great looking site!

+1 to tagline.

If I was looking for local Washington-made products or gift basket, I would never think to search for "Washington in a Box" (and have no clue what that even means without scrolling through the website). Great idea!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Smokystache on January 04, 2018, 09:17:30 AM
I definitely think that selling bulk orders to business that want to send them as gifts is a place to focus on:
(you probably realize many of these things, but just to emphasize them):

- each client results in 5-500+ boxes
- better possibility of recurring orders
- easier to plan your inventory when you have several large orders
- assuming they give you some decent lead time, you can pack these orders during times when you're slower (or hire some short-term help to complete the orders)
- businesses are spending from a corporate budget- which is always better than an individual spending from their own family budget
- businesses see this as an investment to earn money, not just purely an expense

You might consider asking your friends and family if they rememeber when they have gotten similar types of baskets from a company/business. This will help you know who to approach. My family and I have received baskets/gifts from insurance agents, funeral homes, bed and breakfast inns, business development centers .....

Looks like you're doing great!!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: mustachedali on January 04, 2018, 10:34:37 AM
Looks good. I'd put a tagline or some kind of summary so people know what you are selling upon immediate visit. Also add a favicon (can see it's a shopify shop). Maybe catchier images of the boxes would help boost sale (something other than a plain box).
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: SC93 on January 04, 2018, 01:16:20 PM
Yes. aside from everything else..... those pictures don't even rank a 1 out of 1-10. Show a made box. Present it. Once someone finds your site, the picture will either make or break the sale. Make a video. Maybe even stage an opening. Get someone to open a box and act happy and surprised!!! Lots of things you can do for once they find your site.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Northern gal on January 05, 2018, 05:29:08 AM
Awesome feedback, thank you all.  Well the Christmas season is over, and I am happy to say we met our goal!  We would not have gotten there, had we not had a corporate order of over 60 boxes!  We ended up with a conversion rate of about 1.5% with a much heavier visit to purchase rate as Christmas got closer.  We are now getting ready for a special Valentines Day box.

Regarding SEO... that is something I need to seriously work on.  If you google "Washington in a Box" it does not show up... at least not in the first 10 pages of results, I stopped looking after that :(

Congratulations! And thanks for reporting back.

I'm sure there's people out there who achieve 1.5% conversion and give up rather than reaching out to hear that they are doing just fine :)

keep on keeping on!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: MrMoneyMullet on January 05, 2018, 09:20:41 AM
Beautiful site and nice work, v8rx7guy!

Best of luck with the side hustle. I'm posting to follow for this awesome site advice getting doled your way!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on January 05, 2018, 09:40:38 AM
I did some screwing around and I believe I should be on the 1st page of search results for "Washington in a Box" on Google now... baby steps!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: jambongris on January 05, 2018, 10:06:05 AM
Awesome feedback, thank you all.  Well the Christmas season is over, and I am happy to say we met our goal!  We would not have gotten there, had we not had a corporate order of over 60 boxes!  We ended up with a conversion rate of about 1.5% with a much heavier visit to purchase rate as Christmas got closer.  We are now getting ready for a special Valentines Day box.

Regarding SEO... that is something I need to seriously work on.  If you google "Washington in a Box" it does not show up... at least not in the first 10 pages of results, I stopped looking after that :(

I just googled “washington in a box” out of curiosity and your site was the 3rd result for me.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: jambongris on January 05, 2018, 10:10:11 AM
It also looks like there are two shipping rates posted ($5.95 in the FAQ and $6.95 on the front page).
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: jpdx on January 06, 2018, 01:51:39 AM
Someone else mentioned and it's worth repeating:

These days you need to offer FREE SHIPPING. Amazon has conditioned customers to expect this. People want to feel that their dollar is paying for the items inside the box, not towards transporting the box.

Nothing is free, of course, it needs to be worked into your pricing. But it needs to feel free to the customer.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on January 07, 2018, 10:29:10 PM
Someone else mentioned and it's worth repeating:

These days you need to offer FREE SHIPPING. Amazon has conditioned customers to expect this. People want to feel that their dollar is paying for the items inside the box, not towards transporting the box.

Nothing is free, of course, it needs to be worked into your pricing. But it needs to feel free to the customer.

Ugh... I know, amazon has spoiled a lot of people, including myself!  Believe it or not, I am already heavily subsidizing the cost of shipping into my price!  My average box to like the Midwest is $11.00, I am charging $5.95 (or sometimes $4.95 during a sale) for shipping, and have another $5.00 or so built into my price just to cover the shipping.  Crazy, my boxes only weigh 3-5lbs
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Michael in ABQ on January 08, 2018, 04:14:02 PM
Someone else mentioned and it's worth repeating:

These days you need to offer FREE SHIPPING. Amazon has conditioned customers to expect this. People want to feel that their dollar is paying for the items inside the box, not towards transporting the box.

Nothing is free, of course, it needs to be worked into your pricing. But it needs to feel free to the customer.

Ugh... I know, amazon has spoiled a lot of people, including myself!  Believe it or not, I am already heavily subsidizing the cost of shipping into my price!  My average box to like the Midwest is $11.00, I am charging $5.95 (or sometimes $4.95 during a sale) for shipping, and have another $5.00 or so built into my price just to cover the shipping.  Crazy, my boxes only weigh 3-5lbs

I think it's reasonable to charge shipping but at a certain point you should consider offering free shipping. That might be $100 or it might be something less. Find a number where it makes sense for you, and the customer is incentivized to place a larger order. After all, one order of 5 boxes is easier to handle than 5 orders of one box.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: tag on January 09, 2018, 07:55:51 AM
I just ordered a box! Thank you!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on January 09, 2018, 08:39:52 AM
I just ordered a box! Thank you!

Wow thank you!  This was very unexpected, but much appreciated.  I'll make sure you box gets to the other end asap!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: tag on January 10, 2018, 04:37:29 PM
My pleasure! We stayed with family in Boise for a week, this was the perfect thing to send them. Well done!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: thedayisbrave on January 20, 2018, 08:02:28 PM
It is a great idea! I just looked it up for my state (NC) and looks like someone is basically doing the same thing.

You have a great, very professional looking site.  I agree with offering free shipping on orders above a certain dollar amount.  It's a great way to upsell and feel like the customer is appreciated.

As far as marketing goes, this may seem obvious but try to appeal to the "local" market.  Everybody is touting "local" these days.  If you search social media (I'm thinking of Instagram specifically), you will probably connect with tons of people in the tourism/hospitality/local business area and get great exposure that way.  Partnering with local influencers could be really great for you, but I wouldn't expect it to be a one off thing... you'd probably have to do it consistently before it started paying off.  Typically with any sort of marketing your customers have to see your name 3-5x before they will consider buying from you.  But if you're associated with a company or brand they already know and love, the conversion may be that much easier.  Plus, you can usually do local influencer campaigns with minimal capital... either do a product trade or shoutout campaign (where you promote their product/service in exchange for them promoting your product/service, etc). 

Just an idea!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Bicycle_B on January 23, 2018, 03:05:12 PM
Hi, v8rx7guy!  Just found this thread and therefore your site. 

Fwiw, Googled after a few minutes and my Google now has your site as both the #2 and #3 listings (it takes me to separate pages on the same site - the main page, and the collections/allitems page).  #5 is a pesky competitor, "Design Your Own Gift Baskets - Made in Washington".  If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, be flattered.  Annoyingly, when I clicked on their site, it forced me to into a "pick a basket" popup and wouldn't let me access their actual site, so yours had a better visitor experience IMHO.

Ideas for promotion/marketing:

1) Send press releases/story ideas to local media.  Give the local business press a summary of your Christmas startup experience, ask if they want to interview other recent startups for a combined article.  They might just print a version of your press release instead of doing further work.  Ditto for any hyperlocal news outlets.
2) Maximize item 1 by contacting local celebrities and asking if they would like to give their significant other a free gift basket for Valentine's in exchange for a photo op / blurb.  Post blurb/ photo on website and social media.
3) Create a Washington In A Box Twitter feed that posts funny OR just plain Washington-loving tweets related to Washington human interest stories.  Congratulate celebrities on weddings, local football teams, etc.  Follow said celebs on Twitter, tweet nice things at them, see if they reply. Got any downtime that can be used for tweeting?
4) Offer local heroes a freebie to give to their loved one (again, photo op / press release/ tweet). Ask your suppliers for free goods in exchange for them being the supplier featured in the gift basket.
5) Same as 4, but monthly or related to various calendar events.  Could be general holidays, or very local things.
6) Maybe read local historians/humorists/etc to find dates/events for 5, then you could package the whole thing into amusing human interest stories that can be press released to local media as well as tweeted.

PS.  Forgive me, why does the socks' description say 12th Fan?  Isn't it 12th Man?  (I could be wrong... I live in Texas, the local version is 12th Man but it's been around for 95 years... if ya'll's version is more feminist friendly, ignore this PS.  Just seeking to maximize your localist cred).
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: mustachepungoeshere on January 23, 2018, 03:11:52 PM
Quote
HAVE A QUESTION NOT ANSWERED HERE?

Shoot us an e-mail: sales@WashingtoninaBox.com

Quote
If you have any questions, please visit our FAQs page, or contact us by e-mail: sales@washingtoninabox.com


Hyperlink the email address or, to keep spam to a minimum, embed a contact form.

Quote
A portion of every box sold goes to restoring wild salmon habitat

A portion of the profits of every box sold.

Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Cashonda on February 25, 2018, 08:30:37 AM
Ooh I love this idea, I have seen the same concept where I live too - actually thought of it myself and then someone else did it right afterward hah. They closed down since. I think it was very seasonal for them, they would do well around December but then the rest of the year it was difficult to get traction.

I feel like this concept is cool and very Shark Tank.

The website is indeed very nice and professional looking. And I see that you have been working on SEO to get to the top of SERP for Washington in a Box. Great! I don't know if this has already been discussed (edit: I see that Belly05 gave some amazing advice) but have you analyzed keywords already for what people are actually searching for - not your brand name but like "gifts from Washington" or "local gifts seattle" or "valentines day gifts washington" I dunno what the heck people search for, I am cheap and dont buy gifts lol.

You want to be the first page of those searches. Yes, of course your brand name too but honestly I think that is way less important than what people are searching for who have never heard of you. You want to reach those people, not people who know about you and can type in your url already.

People have given amazing advice about marketing like reaching out to the local hotels to have gift boxes in the rooms for corporate events, weddings and the like. I agree. I guess it depends if you want to go for the offline marketing and/or online marketing. If you hope to make most of your sales through google searches and not through relationships built with local businesses then you need to get great at SEO.

As other people have mentioned there is some serious snake oil sh*t in the SEO world. But the basic truth is you gotta get on those first pages of search results for 'buying keywords' for your product or you better have another marketing plan. One way to do that is to add a blog type section to your site where you can write about the products or local businesses or whatever. This allows you to have fresh new content (which google likes) and to get some of your keywords on the site. You could for example interview one of your suppliers about how they started their business or about their amazing new product range. Or write about your favorite local hikes or best local coffee shop. Doesn't matter - but extra content is the way to get more traffic.

SEO is a huge topic that requires a lot of learning to be a pro but the basics aren't too difficult and can be gleaned in a few hours of research. If you'd like a list of my fave SEO experts let me know! Moz Whiteboard Friday is excellent but can be overwhelming if you are total newbie :)

I also loved the suggestion of having  a funny local twitter.

Your instagram link is broken. Do you have instagram? This could be a huge marketing opportunity if you are good with hashtags and compelling photography.

Finally - for bringing more eyeballs to the site - PINTEREST. It is an amazing marketing tool for bringing traffic to your site. Check out the podcasts from Simple Pin Media to learn how to market your business on Pinterest. It could be a game changer for a business like yours.

Good luck! :)
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on June 17, 2018, 10:00:40 PM
Thought it might be interesting for some folks if I came back here to give a little bit of an update. 

I am just coming off of a nice Father's Day spike in sales, which was only 2nd to Mother's Day.  Year to date I have sold $2,600 in boxes and about $8,000 (about 140 boxes) since starting before Christmas last year. I am expecting a lull in sales until Christmas picks up again, maybe a box or two a month.  My conversion rate is only about 1% this year, but during Mother's / Father's weeks I can get up to about 4-5%.  I am running about a 33% profit margin, but that is before advertising which is a pretty big expense for me right now.  I started the business with $3,000 and I am have that back in my business checking account now (and also about $1,100 in inventory), so I guess I am in the black all things considered.  I have used the business to churn a checking account for $500 (Wells Fargo) and a credit card for $200 (Bank of America).  I am going to "go big" at Chrismas and try to churn the Chase Ink Cash card ($500 for $3,000 in spend). 

I have stopped using Facebook for advertising besides the occasional post boost, and am relying mostly on Google Adwords at this point.  I have spent almost $800 in advertising this year alone, it's crazy how fast you can burn through advertising money.  I did make a pretty big mistake and waste over $200 in advertising for Valentine's day for a whopping 2 box sales... ouch, never doing that again!  I changed my pricing scheme after Christmas to 4, 6, and 8-item boxes for $39, $49, and $59 respectively, this is a change from 3, 5, and 8-item boxes for $29, $39 and $55.  Now more people lean toward the 6-item box bringing my average sale price up nicely.  I also introduced the 24-item corporate / part crate for $179 which I have actually sold 2 so far.

I am still having a lot of fun with the concept, it's not a lot of work for me by any stretch of the imagination, so that's nice.  I am getting gaining followers on Facebook fairly steadily and have started using Instagram a bit.  I have some inventory that will not make it to Christmas, so I am hoping to drum up some advertising by doing some giveaways from now until Christmas to get some more followers.  I have seen quite a few return customers, so I think that people are pretty happy with their buying experience.  I have gained a lot of confidence with bringing in new products, I almost have some sort of wholesale pricing with all of my food products.

Ok, that's it for now!  I'd be happy to answer any questions.  Again, still not sure if I'm doing "good" or just "meh" but I do think the best is yet to come.  In the meantime, I am not losing money, and I am learning a lot!
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Bicycle_B on June 18, 2018, 03:13:46 PM
Nice update! Glad it's going well, and enjoyably so far.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Michael in ABQ on June 18, 2018, 04:31:59 PM
Glad to hear things have worked out pretty well so far.

One way to leverage what you've learned so far would be to offering to help people startup a similar business in a different state or region. For instant California or Texas is pretty broad but if someone narrowed it down to a specific city or region you could potentially franchise something like this for 100+ locations. If you wanted to spend the cash up front you could start buying up domain names for other states/regions/cities now and then build a brand. Cross links between the sites "Interested in an Oregon or Idaho box, click here" could help build up your SEO rankings.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: frost7777 on June 19, 2018, 08:12:12 AM
Congratulations @v8rx7guy!  I would consider what you described to be a very successful first year for a side gig startup.  Excited to see how things work out for this upcoming year.  You won't need to build a website from scratch and you probably have dialed in your order processing at this point, so less work and more time to innovate.   
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: MrsDinero on June 20, 2018, 06:48:10 PM
Congrats!  I've enjoyed following your story.  Look forward to hearing more updates. 
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Rosy on July 02, 2018, 12:48:35 PM
@v8rx7guy

Well, cranky ole lady here:) You invited critique and I have a couple of bones to pick, but first I will say that I love the website as such - perfectly in sync with my expectations of Washington State - love the slideshow pics, pleasing to the eye, color choices and the graphic on the box are spot-on with the "feelings" associated with Washington state. 

1. The first thing I noticed is $5.95 flat rate shipping all in red letters - big turn off since it is a reminder before I've even considered buying a thing. Just show it right underneath your price in the same color as your price - it's reasonable - a lot of us old ladies are used to online shopping networks charging 4.95 and 7.95.
Yes, I saw where someone else said the shipping fee was missing, but:)... You could also show the $5.95 flat rate shipping right by each merchandise and cardboard box, that way it is easy to find, but not front and center.
Just approach it as if it is normal to charge for shipping - Amazon might spoil us all, but people do understand that thankfully not everything is part of the Amazon universe.

2. Next, I see - What's Washington in a Box? and I'm curious for an answer - which isn't there. Instead, it says "Are you ready ..." and only in the second paragraph do you tell me what it's all about. Just switch those paragraphs for a natural flow.

3. Followed by - Build a box ??? - why am I seeing cardboard boxes? What am I building? - Where is the merchandise? - I might like to see the merchandise before I'm shown blank cardboard boxes, right?:)
Took me another irritating second to finally scroll down and see the actual merchandise. Not good.
The more enticing and intuitive flow would be to show the merchandise choices first and cardboard boxes in the very last row instead. Just switch your sequence.

4. Showing three rows of cardboard boxes is overwhelming - two rows are sufficient. Half the landing page filled with pictures of cardboard boxes is not appealing. Move the featured boxes into the second row and here is where you can utilize that red ink:) to set them apart.

5. I do love the crate for corporate and parties. It is where the money is, so it only makes sense to make it more prominent by showing it as the first item in the first cardboard row. It shouldn't be mixed into the second row - it should have the cash cow importance as the first option in the first row.
You may want to spotlight it during the holidays.

Consider adding a crate at the very top of the page to draw immediate attention to it. Clearly identify it as corporate-party box right next to those first two boxes with your cool graphic/logo on the box.

6. Now that I've re-arranged your landing page by eliminating the third row of cardboard boxes - you have space for what someone else already suggested - an entire row of smiling people opening up your fabulous gift boxes.

Like a box as a hotel welcome gift - talk to a few local hotels or even a B&B - ask them about staging a photo shoot in their establishment.
... and/or show a corporate environment surprising say Asian clients with gifts from Washington State (whatever might connect with the global business world in Washington State).
... and/or a guy opening a box right next to his hiking gear (he could be wearing a Seattle sports team shirt or a T-shirt like that graphic logo on your box).
It's good to put suggestions in people's minds and the all American girl or hot outdoorsy looking guy always sell well:) 

7. Things that make a difference and escalate profit: Glossy and slick sells!
Professional product shoots and a photo story/ad shoot are basically a one time expense - refresh once a year. The site looks slightly unpolished - but only and of all things - when it comes to the pictures of your products. Major fail - to attract.
 
If you want to save a bit of money - contact a local photography school or media/design institute for recommendations or ask the teacher/institute/college if they would consider you for a class project. They are usually happy to give you referrals to recent graduates or a senior student.

7. Suggestions to experiment with:
That graphic art print on your box would make a great T-shirt. I'd buy that for my son if I were to send him a box.
Add something to your line up that has PREMIUM in the description - the right words have an impact. (You could add a T-shirt or a toy black bear or a book with hiking trails ... two of those mugs that keep everything hot or cold for hours - I'd take one of those Olympia beers just to see the slogan again "It's the water:) .. or a guide to local craft breweries)
Limited time offer buy two get third one 50% off - same or smaller size. Try variations of this and see what works.
The second order of corporate boxes receives a free T-shirt with your graphic logo - you could do a tan/light brown T-shirt with a pocket and have the logo only on that pocket...
Offer a 10% military discount as a promo for 4th of July or the holidays. How about a 10% AARP discount - get on their list of businesses offering discounts - free advertising for you.

One last observation, small websites can look stale or practically abandoned rather quick. To let people see immediately that you are active and up to date - reflect a holiday - a static fireworks explosion at the top of your page for the Fourth - a promo announcement - a new product announcement -  a black bear, sports team win etc. when you've got nothing else.
 Just something visual to change out often so that people know you are constantly involved.

Think of it as a potential customers experience  - a ten on the products and a ten for the feel of the website and all the other pages - a five on the lackluster product presentation and sequence on the main page. I do love that salmon picture and your decision to donate to their habitat.       
Good luck going forward.

All around well thought out website and products, Kudos! I'll keep you in mind for my Christmas shopping this year.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on July 02, 2018, 09:03:18 PM
@v8rx7guy

Well, cranky ole lady here:) You invited critique and I have a couple of bones to pick, but first I will say that I love the website as such - perfectly in sync with my expectations of Washington State - love the slideshow pics, pleasing to the eye, color choices and the graphic on the box are spot-on with the "feelings" associated with Washington state. 

1. The first thing I noticed is $5.95 flat rate shipping all in red letters - big turn off since it is a reminder before I've even considered buying a thing. Just show it right underneath your price in the same color as your price - it's reasonable - a lot of us old ladies are used to online shopping networks charging 4.95 and 7.95.
Yes, I saw where someone else said the shipping fee was missing, but:)... You could also show the $5.95 flat rate shipping right by each merchandise and cardboard box, that way it is easy to find, but not front and center.
Just approach it as if it is normal to charge for shipping - Amazon might spoil us all, but people do understand that thankfully not everything is part of the Amazon universe.

2. Next, I see - What's Washington in a Box? and I'm curious for an answer - which isn't there. Instead, it says "Are you ready ..." and only in the second paragraph do you tell me what it's all about. Just switch those paragraphs for a natural flow.

3. Followed by - Build a box ??? - why am I seeing cardboard boxes? What am I building? - Where is the merchandise? - I might like to see the merchandise before I'm shown blank cardboard boxes, right?:)
Took me another irritating second to finally scroll down and see the actual merchandise. Not good.
The more enticing and intuitive flow would be to show the merchandise choices first and cardboard boxes in the very last row instead. Just switch your sequence.

4. Showing three rows of cardboard boxes is overwhelming - two rows are sufficient. Half the landing page filled with pictures of cardboard boxes is not appealing. Move the featured boxes into the second row and here is where you can utilize that red ink:) to set them apart.

5. I do love the crate for corporate and parties. It is where the money is, so it only makes sense to make it more prominent by showing it as the first item in the first cardboard row. It shouldn't be mixed into the second row - it should have the cash cow importance as the first option in the first row.
You may want to spotlight it during the holidays.

Consider adding a crate at the very top of the page to draw immediate attention to it. Clearly identify it as corporate-party box right next to those first two boxes with your cool graphic/logo on the box.

6. Now that I've re-arranged your landing page by eliminating the third row of cardboard boxes - you have space for what someone else already suggested - an entire row of smiling people opening up your fabulous gift boxes.

Like a box as a hotel welcome gift - talk to a few local hotels or even a B&B - ask them about staging a photo shoot in their establishment.
... and/or show a corporate environment surprising say Asian clients with gifts from Washington State (whatever might connect with the global business world in Washington State).
... and/or a guy opening a box right next to his hiking gear (he could be wearing a Seattle sports team shirt or a T-shirt like that graphic logo on your box).
It's good to put suggestions in people's minds and the all American girl or hot outdoorsy looking guy always sell well:) 

7. Things that make a difference and escalate profit: Glossy and slick sells!
Professional product shoots and a photo story/ad shoot are basically a one time expense - refresh once a year. The site looks slightly unpolished - but only and of all things - when it comes to the pictures of your products. Major fail - to attract.
 
If you want to save a bit of money - contact a local photography school or media/design institute for recommendations or ask the teacher/institute/college if they would consider you for a class project. They are usually happy to give you referrals to recent graduates or a senior student.

7. Suggestions to experiment with:
That graphic art print on your box would make a great T-shirt. I'd buy that for my son if I were to send him a box.
Add something to your line up that has PREMIUM in the description - the right words have an impact. (You could add a T-shirt or a toy black bear or a book with hiking trails ... two of those mugs that keep everything hot or cold for hours - I'd take one of those Olympia beers just to see the slogan again "It's the water:) .. or a guide to local craft breweries)
Limited time offer buy two get third one 50% off - same or smaller size. Try variations of this and see what works.
The second order of corporate boxes receives a free T-shirt with your graphic logo - you could do a tan/light brown T-shirt with a pocket and have the logo only on that pocket...
Offer a 10% military discount as a promo for 4th of July or the holidays. How about a 10% AARP discount - get on their list of businesses offering discounts - free advertising for you.

One last observation, small websites can look stale or practically abandoned rather quick. To let people see immediately that you are active and up to date - reflect a holiday - a static fireworks explosion at the top of your page for the Fourth - a promo announcement - a new product announcement -  a black bear, sports team win etc. when you've got nothing else.
 Just something visual to change out often so that people know you are constantly involved.

Think of it as a potential customers experience  - a ten on the products and a ten for the feel of the website and all the other pages - a five on the lackluster product presentation and sequence on the main page. I do love that salmon picture and your decision to donate to their habitat.       
Good luck going forward.

All around well thought out website and products, Kudos! I'll keep you in mind for my Christmas shopping this year.

Wow... these are Fantastic ideas!  Thank you for taking the time to type all of this up.  I am definitely going to work on integrating a bunch of these ideas and suggestions over the next few weeks.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: Mon€yp€nny on July 08, 2018, 04:46:36 PM
Looks good and a good idea.
I think a lot of customers will appreciate that you let them pick the contents of the box but there are also people that will want to buy something quick and easy.
Could you create themed boxes and offer those? Maybe come up with funny or catching names. Something for men, ladies, a date box, movie box, sweet things, Washington's finest food box,  etc. A box for people that are getting married to someone from Washington etc etc.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on November 18, 2018, 10:57:20 AM
Hi again everyone.  I am so grateful that so many of you spent time to take a look at and critique my website, it's so valuable to have strangers give meaningful feedback!  I spent some time on the site this month gearing up for what I hope is another big Christmas sales season.  I incorporated a lot of you all's feedback, so I hope the site has improved since last year:

www.washingtoninabox.com


Any new feedback? 
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: tralfamadorian on November 18, 2018, 11:54:44 AM
It looks great! You made so many great changes.

A few suggestions:
-Put the pre-chosen boxes above the select your own on the front page.
-Name the best seller boxes instead of #1 and #2.
-Instead of a pin map of where your customers are from, I expected a pin map of where in the state your items are from. I think that would be more useful information for your customers.
-In the What's in a Box page, could you separate out the items by category?
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on November 18, 2018, 05:43:02 PM
It looks great! You made so many great changes.

A few suggestions:
-Put the pre-chosen boxes above the select your own on the front page.
I think I am going to keep the build a box options higher on the page - they are my higher profit margin choices and also what sets me apart from my competitors.

-Name the best seller boxes instead of #1 and #2.
I think you make a good point on the Best Seller Boxes - I hate to be to gender specific, but maybe "Best Sellers for Him" and "Best Sellers for Her" might be a better Description?

-Instead of a pin map of where your customers are from, I expected a pin map of where in the state your items are from. I think that would be more useful information for your customers.
I think the location of manufacture pin map is a fantastic Idea.  I wonder if I could make a screen shot of the map with a flag where the item is made as one of the pictures for each item... will look into this!

-In the What's in a Box page, could you separate out the items by category?
Unfortunately, No... not with my current Shopify Scheme

Thank you! My thoughts are in Bold.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: rulesforrebels on November 26, 2018, 10:31:51 AM
I'd suggest actually putting together a corporate box. Corporate gifts are huge business and due to the nature of your business companies in Washington would likely give these as gifts to clients but honestly nobody has the time to contact you, wait for you to get back to them, then discuss what goes in a box. Have an offering they can actually click and buy immediately.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: AlexMar on November 28, 2018, 05:31:19 AM
Hi again everyone.  I am so grateful that so many of you spent time to take a look at and critique my website, it's so valuable to have strangers give meaningful feedback!  I spent some time on the site this month gearing up for what I hope is another big Christmas sales season.  I incorporated a lot of you all's feedback, so I hope the site has improved since last year:

www.washingtoninabox.com


Any new feedback?

Not much about it I would change.  The Corporate Gifts idea is great and maybe expand on that with just some boxes in a few price ranges.  If I landed on a contact form, I would personally leave.

Otherwise, the site is good and it's a matter of whether there is a market for it.  Most of your effort is probably going to be in marketing at this point.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: rulesforrebels on November 28, 2018, 02:44:18 PM
I agree, OP, or anyone else running an eCommerce store should make the process of giving you money as easy and painless as possible, that means streamlining your checkout process and in the case of the corporate gifts, secretaries and office managers are probably even busier than your average online shopper so having to contact you to hear back about options to then make a decision people are just gonna leave, however if you had a corporate package that someone could buy with a couple clicks I think that would turn into a huge percent of your sales. Companies in Washington could make you there go to corporate gift spot ie here's something from our state.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: HPstache on December 24, 2018, 03:08:19 PM
Hi everyone, just checking in to let everyone know how business went this Holiday season... in short, this have improved significantly since last year!  From Cyber Monday thru December 21 I ended up selling right around 100 boxes and in addition my big corporate order came through for an additional 68 boxes, for a grand total of about 170 boxes at an average of $55/box!  I almost hit 10K this holiday season... extremely happy with that for my first "real" Christmas season.  My conversion rate was right around 3% which is almost double from last year, and I spent right around $1,000 in advertising between Google and Facebook.  My profit margin is around 30-35%, so I'm not exactly rolling in the dough yet... but it progress!


I am reinvesting a bit into the business for 2019 buying a "light box" for some more professional photography (~$100) and I am going to be working hard on my SEO over the next few months to rank higher for organic searching.


I have learned SO much in this adventure and I cannot thank many of you for chiming in and getting my website cleaned up before the big sales season.  More updates to come.
Title: Re: Critique my new side gig website?
Post by: momo2 on January 13, 2019, 12:01:15 PM
Here's my 5 minute heuristic analysis:
Rotating banner content pulls focus away from more important content, it also pushes important content further down the page.
There are 2 workflows that are poorly communicated (build your own box and prebuilt).
Your buttons are poorly labeled, "start here" should really say something about products/items. "Click here" should be "build your box".
Supplement written copy with pictures, show us what a "showcase" item looks like in a box.
Being able to select images would be preferable to selecting product names. I read in an earlier post someone mentioning the use of bring up info for a product on hover which works for desktop users, not possible on mobile.

You have a proven business, an excellent website that is more than functional, sure it could use some work but you're on the right path