Shop update new look new stock

[john]

I've been busy over the past couple of days doing a little bit of redesigning of the shop, hopefully the new menu will make it easier to find stuff, over the next day or two I will be breaking the category's down a little more.

I would appreciate it if a few of you could just have a look around and try things out and let me know if there are any issues with it.

New stock in at the beginning of April, I will be stocking all the Tamiya X & XF paints and as I did with the Vallejo there will be extra discount offered for a while once I have got them in, and I have to put quite a large value order in to Tamiya for my first order so there will be lots more kits added.

Finally I will introducing a future release category, I will list all the new models that will be released over the coming months and you can pre-order and have them delivered within days of their release date.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

John, where you have the two areas at the bottom you have latest products on the left and you have Scale Model Shop on the right but the area on the right is still populated by individual items so you find yourself looking for the categories you are after.

Could you break the area down on the right into the categories of the shop and have say kits, paints, brushes, airbrushes, tools etc... these can then be populated by sub categories so you go into paint and you see further categories for Tamiya, Humbrol, Valejo etc... That would be more logical to me and a lot easier to find something.

Say at the moment I wanted a Tamiya 1/48th Spitfire, a couple of pots of humbrol enamel and a brush. I really don't know where to start looking for them all so a tree arrangement that I could go into then out of again would be useful.

A bit like the headings you already have at the top at the moment but make them jump out at you a bit more

 

[AFC]

Hi John,

The shop's new look is lighter and overall looks really cool! Great job!

I agree with Richard though...one thing I miss is the "old" left hand side menu...was a bit easier to go from prod to prod.

Cheers!

 

[AlanG]

I like the idea of the future release catagory. I'm waiting to hear when Hobby boss are gonig to release the new 1/48 Me262 B-1a/U2

 

[john]

I see what you mean about the middle bit but that's only meant to show the latest few products, the what's new link is on the menu at the top but I could also link the latest products title to it as well, they style isn't setup for a side menu I thought the top menu was quite clearly set out, if you want a 1/48 aircraft go to model kits and it's listed in the drop down, same with paints and brushes, I'm not sure how I could improve on that?

 

[Bunkerbarge]

I think using the bit in the middle to show the latest few products is wasting valuable real estate. You should be using the bit in the middle, which is far more eye catching, to go to your main products and have the latest few products more on the periphery.

The drop downs at the top serve the purpose but they really are not as eye catching as they should be and you make far more of a few products than you do of the main stock area. It would be nteresting to know if the majority of your trade is passers by, looking to be tempted, or whether it is modellers looking for something specific and wanting it quickly and without any fuss.

Only chucking ideas out.

 

[john]

Thanks Richard I want feedback, I personally think I could tone down the pictures on the front which I will do once I've finished do the category's, I've finished the category listings now instead of being in a list they are in nice neat blocks in rows of 3 so you don't have to scroll to the bottom of the page to see eveything

 

[Ian M]

Looks fine and works quick and easy, things I like in a www shop.

Richard might be right about the bit at the bottom, Latest releases on the left and Scale Model Shop on the left if I recall. Drop the Scale Model Shop and just have the whole bottom section as latest additions, just with slightly larger pictures.

I think the drop downs are fine. To much info can be overwhelming. (think Hannants.....)

Nice work otherwise.

Ian M

 

[homechild]

Is it just me or has the link to the shop disappeared from the tabs at the (almost) top of the page?

I'm sure it was there before but has now vanished.

 

[phalinmegob]

it does seem to have gone,now i have members underneath the search box

 

[andygh]

Yes I noticed that the other day, there's a bigger link just underneath now

 

[john]

The banner has always been there, but I did remove it because it was creating too many links in to the site and talking to someone the other day that's not good for SEO, I've put it back again

 

[phalinmegob]

the members contributions tab is now under some words i cant read except for calender and also paint conversion chart,the word chart is under the search box. could those two tabs be moved along so that they are next to quick links.

 

[john]

Is that better? I've moved them to the quick links

 

[phalinmegob]

that looks better now they are not jumbled, if it helps ,i am using internet explorer in 1024 x 768 size

 

[phalinmegob]

just out of curiosity,i know nothing of web design,but every time i come to the site, i click the button "post last 24 hrs".this gives me a list of every topic that has been started or replied to with the ones i have not looked at highlighted.this suits me fine as i see all new posts. i have just clicked on the "new posts" button and it showed three posts.i am just wondering if this button "new posts" is superflous to needs,maybe you could remove that button and use the space for something else. does anyone else use this button ?

 

[phalinmegob]

just tried the "what's new" button and that gave the same result, three posts.

 

[john]

I use the new posts all the time on every forum I go on, the difference is that the new posts only shows posts since your last visit, so if you was last on 4 hours ago and there has only been 5 posts those are the only one's that show, with the last 24hrs button it will show all the posts within a 24hr period.