I'm not sure what to do , would it put you off ?

[crumpetmuncher]

im starting to get on with the site now and ive come across a few hurdles.
first being do i have a shop on th site and if so how can i fit in the pricing system?
also it looks like i cant use paypal pro on monfruit as it says nothing about it just says you can only use paypal as payment on their sites. im going to email them about this.

i love the way i can modify the whole site on moonfruit its really good and relatively easy to learn and do ( well ive done a few things that i didnt know how to do before )

i have the colour scheme and logo sorted now so i need to decide if i shall have a store online or not. i think if i dont im probably alienating people that would otherwise order from me.

im just confused as to how i can put a shop onto the site. the stationery generally has a price code and then you check the table which says 20 invites are x ammount 30 are x ammount etc. can i do that on a shop? i need to get the site as user friendly as possible.

im keen to find the easiest way of doing this as i already have 100 designs to list and i have another supplier sending me another 100 soon plus im keen to get some independant designers on board too. so all in all around 300 designs on the site.

http://wedletterdays.moonfruit.com/#

thats the site so far, ive messed up the page order a little so far as i am just tackling how i order the site but it gives you and idea if you go to designs, then collisons and then misty rose.

i could do with some good advice as at the moment its a little daunting !

[knotjustjigs]

Have you done a business plan, if i were you i would write a list of wants and needs of the business and work out how that will expand into the future of the business...
This should give you some direction and help you decide what you want and how to market it.

Ketty x

[brooklyn]

Looks to me that you could use a couple of days to step back and think how you want to run your business.
Do your target customers buy their stationary online or it's only local people making an appointment to choose what they want. If it's people buying on line then yes you need a shop. And yes you can have a shop that has prices depending on quantities but whether moonfruit can do that, I don't know.
Place yourself in the shoes of someone buying stationary for their wedding, what do they want? being able to order samples? discount on large quantities? quick deliveries? what do they need to know about the product? size? weight? lettering? deliveries?
How do they want to pay, paypal, credit card, cheques...

Might be worth contacting Business Link and attending a couple of workshops on starting your business, they're free. It's a lot cheaper to get these things right the first time around that find out later what you wanted to do and have to start again.

I hope I'm not sounding too harsh.
I love the name and the banner at the top, it's really eye catching.:kisshands:

[chris]

Hi,
not a lot of help except to say what you are proposing is definitely possible with many software modules (my site has the facility you are asking about) but I am afraid I know nothing about moonfruit and what can be added to the main program.
There must be a moonfruiter who will know!

[crumpetmuncher]

Looks to me that you could use a couple of days to step back and think how you want to run your business.
Do your target customers buy their stationary online or it's only local people making an appointment to choose what they want. If it's people buying on line then yes you need a shop. And yes you can have a shop that has prices depending on quantities but whether moonfruit can do that, I don't know.
Place yourself in the shoes of someone buying stationary for their wedding, what do they want? being able to order samples? discount on large quantities? quick deliveries? what do they need to know about the product? size? weight? lettering? deliveries?
How do they want to pay, paypal, credit card, cheques...

Might be worth contacting Business Link and attending a couple of workshops on starting your business, they're free. It's a lot cheaper to get these things right the first time around that find out later what you wanted to do and have to start again.

I hope I'm not sounding too harsh.
I love the name and the banner at the top, it's really eye catching.:kisshands:

oh no your not being too harsh i know exactly what you mean , really my idea for the business was on a local scale where they get a free home consultation and more of a personal service. i just worry about how much trade ill do. especially as i cant get to do any wedding fayres myself this spring. although i am working some for another company i work for so i can hand out my leaflets when i have some done. ( i dont want to do this though until i have the site done i dont want to seem unprofessional)

i think maybe i should just stick to what i originally arranged and go without a shop so i can keep it more personal.i can still invoice for any orders theyd like to do if they live further away and maybe one day i could introduce a shop system but theres a few different places that sell some of the stationery i shall be selling so theres plenty of click and pay sites theres nowhere doing home consultations.

http://www.specialdayinvitations.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index
theres one ive seen and i dont want mine to be like this its too fussy and not at all personal. Ive worked in wedings for over 7 years now so i know a lot about how the wedding trade works and i know if i can offer a more one to one service. i can help them colour match their scheme , work to their budget and generally give them the service they wont get from somewhere faceless like an online shop. whilst it suits load of other products i think wedding things generally need more attention.

[antonia]

You certainly could start with a site without a shop, just a price list, and see how it goes.

[Powerlines]

Hi

I would keep life simple when your starting out. If it is desperate that you have an online shop go for it but if it is just a whim dont bother go simple.

It is very easy to get carried away with a first website by trying to do everything, but cutting to the chase a site is just basically an advert in a very large newspaper.

Keep it easy for you and your customers.

J

[MrTempleDene]

Nowt to do with this thread, but an all flash site is a bad idea, terrible for SEO and useless for the blind and partially sighted who will be visiting you site using a text to speech reader. On top of that, I think the last stats I saw said about 10% of people don't have flash so couldn;t view your site at all, that's 1 in 10 potential customers lost.

[emma57573]

You can start a shop on MISI very easily and link it to your site. We get a good amount of traffic so you might find that having your store externally on MISI will give you some extra traffic for your site also.

Heres a couple of stores on MISI for an example of what it could look like http://magicmakinghands.misi.me.uk/ http://ceegeejewellery.misi.me.uk/ You can have your own banner/logo and background to fit in with the design of your site. You dont need any special skills you just upload your products similar to how you would with an auction site.

Theres no charge for setting up and no monthly fees we just charge 20p per product uploaded (no matter what the quantity of the listing) and we will take 3% if your item sells

Have a look and see what you think http://www.misi.co.uk

[sizzlingscience]

You can start a shop on MISI very easily and link it to your site. We get a good amount of traffic so you might find that having your store externally on MISI will give you some extra traffic for your site also.

Heres a couple of stores on MISI for an example of what it could look like http://magicmakinghands.misi.me.uk/ http://ceegeejewellery.misi.me.uk/ You can have your own banner/logo and background to fit in with the design of your site. You dont need any special skills you just upload your products similar to how you would with an auction site.

Theres no charge for setting up and no monthly fees we just charge 20p per product uploaded (no matter what the quantity of the listing) and we will take 3% if your item sells

Have a look and see what you think http://www.misi.co.uk

I'm going to sell downloadable science experiment packs on my website, for example a guide on how to have a science birthday party or carry out a range of themed experiments (Easter, Summer, Christmas...), does this type of product suit your MISI site as it is not hand-crafted in the usual sense!

Melanie

[emma57573]

If its original and involves creative input from yourself its allowed as long as its not a mass produced item

[sizzlingscience]

Have sent you a PM.

Thanks, Melanie.

[crumpetmuncher]

Nowt to do with this thread, but an all flash site is a bad idea, terrible for SEO and useless for the blind and partially sighted who will be visiting you site using a text to speech reader. On top of that, I think the last stats I saw said about 10% of people don't have flash so couldn;t view your site at all, that's 1 in 10 potential customers lost.

hiya im not sure what your on about? mines not a flash site is it? im lost now

[crumpetmuncher]

You can start a shop on MISI very easily and link it to your site. We get a good amount of traffic so you might find that having your store externally on MISI will give you some extra traffic for your site also.

Heres a couple of stores on MISI for an example of what it could look like http://magicmakinghands.misi.me.uk/ http://ceegeejewellery.misi.me.uk/ You can have your own banner/logo and background to fit in with the design of your site. You dont need any special skills you just upload your products similar to how you would with an auction site.

Theres no charge for setting up and no monthly fees we just charge 20p per product uploaded (no matter what the quantity of the listing) and we will take 3% if your item sells

Have a look and see what you think http://www.misi.co.uk

hi thanks for the offer but i will be ok without a shop for now i think, i have had a good step back this weekend and thought about things and im going to stick to my original idea of having just a brochure site where people contact me to order.

[obscure]

hiya im not sure what your on about? mines not a flash site is it? im lost now

Yes Moonfruit sites are flash - or at least all the ones I've seen have been.

Ive looked at your site and it is indeed flash, though it does have a text only version - but the code is very heavily weighted with scripting.

Judging by the fact that I think you said you were selling cards from other producers (am I correct here?) then I dont think you fit in with MISI by: "If its original and involves creative input from yourself its allowed as long as its not a mass produced item".

I have several card makers that I've developed websites for and many of them (actually I think all of them...) started off with a brochure website displaying their selections. Some added in shopping carts later on, others are quite happy with the brochure site.

HTH
Sadie

[crumpetmuncher]

Yes Moonfruit sites are flash - or at least all the ones I've seen have been.

Ive looked at your site and it is indeed flash, though it does have a text only version - but the code is very heavily weighted with scripting.

Judging by the fact that I think you said you were selling cards from other producers (am I correct here?) then I dont think you fit in with MISI by: "If its original and involves creative input from yourself its allowed as long as its not a mass produced item".

I have several card makers that I've developed websites for and many of them (actually I think all of them...) started off with a brochure website displaying their selections. Some added in shopping carts later on, others are quite happy with the brochure site.

HTH
Sadie

sadie how much do you charge for your sites? and do you do a monthly payment option? i never realised that moonfruit sites were blooming flash im so gutted now ive spent ages trying to start that one. luckily im only on the 14day trial so no tie in.