Designing a pleasing website is tough

The web based marketing industry has matured in recent years. The average commercial website is far more sophisticated than it was say 5 years ago. Also, the big companies are driving the cost of advertising through the roof which makes it a difficult business to operate.

Since there is no product exclusivity and many of us are marketing the same products there are only a few ways to make a connection with the customer. The internet is also the great price leveler. Since comparison shopping is so easy prices are forced to be very similar and price is going away as a way a vendor can differentiate themselves.

That leaves us with only customer service and the design of the website itself as the key drivers for an online business.

We have had many interestng discussions about what makes a good site and what do people want. For our design, we have deliberately avoided the complex style so many sites use. The multi-column, highly fragmented page, with specials, and deals, and competing information that offers so many choices it overloads the eye is offensive from our perspective. We call it a tabloid strategy.

We have deliberately tried to make our site less frantic. Rather than presenting all possible choices, we have created a large number of pre categorized and pre sorted pages which are organized in the way people actually look for information and helps them focus in on what features they are looking for in a product. By simplifying the navigation process we let the customer pay attention to the products rather than how to get around the site.

We also organize the information in a consistent way so that moving around the site becomes intuitive fairly quickly and we present information in a standard format which aids the comparison between items. We also provide a "Lights I Like" notepad which can hold items of interest and it follows along as a person shops so they don't have to remember what it was they were looking at earlier.

Time will tell whether these approaches are really what appeal to people but its our story and we are sticking to it.

Wayne Eskridge

Notes on Lighting your home #1

Hello to all.......Lighting is a great way to make your house a home, while increasing the value instantly. In today's market, you frequently see the same lighting fixtures in every home; the basic, low end, hardware store lighting that builders purchase in bulk to save a buck or two. While they certainly serve a purpose, they just don't add any pizazz to your home.

Lighting should be planned to compliment your lifestyle. The right lighting will help you preform tasks more easily, while making you feel safe and comfortable, allowing you to enjoy your home to it's full potential. Lighting adds beauty and drama to any space; it can make small rooms appear open and airy, and larger rooms cozy and inviting. Lighting can create a stimulating atmosphere for a night of entertaining, or a quite feeling of relaxation after a long and tiring day.

And don't forget the outside! With path and spot lighting, you can make your home to spotlight of the block! What a wonderful way to showcase your home and landscape design. From the elegant coordinating fixtures to compliment to lights on your home to whimisical decorative lighting, the selection of low-voltage lighting has grown considerably in recent years. Low voltage lighting is is a simple way to add value to the outside of your home and it is relatively easy for the do-it-yourself weekend project.

Check back soon for more notes on lighting your home.

Anita

Local Advertising

As we began our journey, an associate of mine offered to feature us in a monthly news letter that is generated to his clients. Marc Rentz is the owner of a local mortgage company who I worked with to purchase my home a couple of years ago. In working with Marc, we thought it would be a wonderful idea to provide his clients with a discount on the purchase of lighting for their new homes. This is great for them and has allowed us to do some local advertising here at home in Boise, ID. This was just a small feature, but it turned out so well, I really thought it would be nice to share it with everyone else. So......here it is.....Oh! and that is me in the picture, so now you have a face to put with name.....look forward to talking with you soon!

Anita Turner

Customer Care Manager

This blog is a new adventure for us. We began building our website www.lightingshowroom.com in February 2007 and have been focused on adding products and getting the site architecture into a presentable condition. As the site is beginning to stabilize we wanted a way to open up a dialog with our customers and decided to give blogging a try.

We are a small company going into the retail battle with the giants of our particular industry. We can't compete with them on a capital budget basis so for us to succeed we must find ways to serve our customers better. The quality of what we do will, in the end, be the life or death question for us.

Our hope is that we will be able to develop better communications with our customers and get some good suggestions about how to improve the site or learn what things are wrong with it. We invite your comments. Praise is certainly appreciated, but knowing what we have screwed up is critical. Thanks in advance for your comments.

Wayne Eskridge