I Quit My Engineering Job and Started My Own Online Business. I Would Like to Hear Your Feedback of My Website

AssociatedLbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 07/06/2021 - 18:14
Last edited 07/06/2021 - 20:12 by 1 other user

OK. This is my first post though I have bought countless evenloop batteries from this website.

Some background story about me. Like most of the ppl on this forum, I was a 9-5 weekday employee and never thought about starting my own business. I worked for a few large Australian and International energy corporations. I liked engineering and thought it was interesting and challenging. However after years of working in both office and fields, I found the sad truth about corporate life and I am tired of office politics. I found a lot (actually most) engineering decisions were not based on merits rather what the senior management would like to hear. Sometimes the decisions were already made beforehand. You just need to find ways to justify it.

People can use all sorts of ways such as risk assessment to justify some poor decisions to suit their needs. I decided to leave the industry and started my own online business.

I would like some honest feedbacks of my website so I can improve the site before I wasting all my ad money.
My website is www.aloak.com.au

If you believe this post does not belong to this forum.I will change or delete it immediately.

mod: forums not an appropriate place to post competition.

Education & Work

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Comments

    • Thinkscape on 08/06/2021 - 10:43

      From a fellow businessman, this is some good advice.

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 11:31

      Thank you for taking your time to review and your feedback.

      Will put them onto my action list.

      Not sure about the second point. Some ppl dont like getting phones due to privacy?

    • thanatos350 on 10/06/2021 - 11:51

      Your edit is precisely what I was gonna say. Some of the comments here are pretty harsh, and while mostly accurate, OP's site doesn't fare too badly in comparison to some others.

      All it really needs is a little more character, so it feels less like a drop shipping website and more like a brand. Something a little more personal. I've seen moderately successful friends in similar small business sharing a little about themselves (not enough to give their identities away, but enough to show the customer that they are buying from people with a passion in their niche), and it seems to help.

  • Richard Axe on 08/06/2021 - 10:29

    In my view, your biggest differential from dropshipping is the fact that you are not.

    State clearly that it is not dropshipping.

    The site ends up looking like drop shipping as it is a Shopify one.

    Tell people that it is not the case and you'll set yourself apart.

  • freefall101 on 08/06/2021 - 10:41
    +4

    Have you spent an hour to sit down and click through every page on your site? It feels like you came to the internet before bothering to check it yourself. Considering this has already been launched and it's your sole income it feels pretty slapped together in your spare time.

    At the loading bubbles forced on every page? It feels like I'm waiting for that animation to end before it shows the page. There's far too much animation in the site in general, if the user wants to see more images of a product, let them click through rather than the mouse over animation (it's jarring). Think less is more.

    The images are really hard to look at comparatively, some are photos of the product, others are diagrams, all right next to each other. The Handles and Knobs page looks a lot better than the Solar Lights page.

    Every page has "Notify when available" on it regardless of whether it's in stock.

    Update the privacy policy.

    The returns policy should state what the warranty is on items. It looks like if there's a warranty issue you need to deal with it in 7 days.

    There's a bunch of info "Flat $9.95 delivery or FREE delivery for orders over $100 1 YEAR guarantee 7 DAYS returns 5/5 on Powerreviews" on the front page, each of those should link to something. I have no idea what Powerreviews are but there's no link.

    It looks like 90% of your stuff is sold out as well. For a new site, you shouldn't have sold out of everything.

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 11:43

      Thank you for taking your time to review and your feedback.

      I did check the website. Like anything at work, there should be a reviewer and approver. Being a one man band, I have no resources for that. Thats why i decided to come here for help.

      Regarding the "notify when available", even when one variant is not available, it will show up there. Need to talk to the app developer.

      Some are sold out due to small quantities I had. Some are coming soon. When the stock is 0, the website shows sold out.

      Thank you

  • JimB on 08/06/2021 - 11:11

    Just on this

    https://aloak.com.au/collections/handles-and-knobs/products/…

    I worked out what CTC stands for, but you may want to explain it.

    Also you probably got the photo from the supplier, you may want to check for erros- CTC of 96cm with an overall length of 104mm.

    Good luck and I wish all you the best.

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 11:30

      Thank you for taking your time to review and your feedback.

      Just check the product. The holes are at both ends. So the centre to centre dimension is correct. Will add explanation of CTC.

      • JimB on 08/06/2021 - 12:07

        96cm = 960mm

        • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 12:26

          sorry misread the unit. Thanks

  • HelpMeiCantSee on 08/06/2021 - 11:51
    +3

    It reeks of pre filled template. Fake reviews immediately turn me off a site- I stop looking as soon as someone shows a bs review. Maybe a review page/tab to click on and leave a review (GENUINE CUSTOMER REVIEWS ONLY) and have them all listed there for all to read. DO NOT REMOVE NEGATIVE OR NEUTRAL REVIEWS! reply to them and show/describe how you fixed the problem and made sure it won’t happen again.

    Also, ensure everything written is of an acceptable standard. Forgetting an s on a plural, or mucking up possessives does you no favours.

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 09/06/2021 - 16:59
      +1

      Maybe have real reviews marked as Genuine Review and the fake ones as Staff testimonials

      • HelpMeiCantSee on 16/06/2021 - 07:43

        Or, I know it’s crazy but, don’t use fake reviews at all?

  • Kill Joy on 08/06/2021 - 12:21
    +4

    I'm going to be brutally honest

    Critical
    - Site took 8 seconds on the loader indicator before loading content (should be 3 seconds or less)
    - Some page are stuck on loading and dont show at all
    - Colors are mute and dont look like they are WCAG 2.0 AA accessible as required by Aus Government
    - Modal appears instantly, it should be on a timed delay or exit trigger

    Other
    - UI is not modern or exciting
    - Name is not memorable
    - header is huge, taking up valuable realestate to grab users above the fold

    Overall I wouldn't personally even spend more than 3 seconds on your website without the critical list addressed, and likely wouldnt purchase without the other issues resolved.

    • nwa on 08/06/2021 - 12:58
      +2

      Username checks out.

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 13:15

      Thank you for taking your time to review and your feedback.

      May I ask your browsing environment? Try to replicate the issues

      • Kill Joy on 08/06/2021 - 13:54

        no problem.

        Windows 10 Chrome 90.0.4430.212 (64-bit)

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 09/06/2021 - 16:54
      +2

      "dont look like they are WCAG 2.0 AA accessible as required by Aus Government"
      Lucky it's not a government web site or that could be an issue.

      • Kill Joy on 09/06/2021 - 20:07

        Australian websites are not directly required to support WCAG standards, but I've been across several lawsuits where failure to meet WCAG standards has triggered penalties under Disability Discrimination Act 1992. So sure, roll the dice on a technicality and hope no one looks deeper into it.

        • Heaps for Cheaps on 09/06/2021 - 20:09

          Can you provide a link or name of the lawsuits? OP would appreciate the heads-up.

          • Kill Joy on 09/06/2021 - 20:14

            @Heaps for Cheaps: My line of work brings me in contact with these cases, but are often resolved under terms that I cant discuss.

            However, here is a high profile example;

            LEGAL ACTION AGAINST COLES OVER WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY

            I'm sure OP can find more examples if they need - but more importantly, OP should care about enabling access to their business to the incredibly large percentage of potential users who have a disability, even if it were not legally enforceable.

            • Heaps for Cheaps on 09/06/2021 - 20:24

              @Kill Joy: With having to make websites that must be "Maximise compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies."
              OP better have a crystal ball.

              • Kill Joy on 09/06/2021 - 21:04

                @Heaps for Cheaps: While I agree wholeheartedly that WCAG is an obfuscated mess in terms of 'total compliance', as long as you address all the low-hanging fruit you are fine. Essentially, as long as someone can navigate your website without a display and/or mouse, you are 99% the way there. It's not hard really.

                To come full circle, in OPs case he would benefit from checking his head colors against a WCAG AA contrast checker and be in a much better position.

  • Seni0r El Cheapo on 08/06/2021 - 12:45
    -4

    Cool stuff.

    Where is the OZB discount coupon?

    I will make my first purchase once I get the coupon.

    Thanks.

  • sagas007 on 08/06/2021 - 13:00

    How many products do you have ? A garage sale would have more products to sell than this. Do you think you can make money out of it ?

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 13:19
      +2

      Thank you for taking your time to review and your feedback.

      Everything starts small. Google started from a garage. I dont expect my business to be a fortune 500 but I hope it can grow.

  • frewer on 08/06/2021 - 13:26

    Website looks alright, with the current political, social, environmental, public health, yours would stand out more if you offer
    - Hygiene stuffs - copper door knob https://cuverro.com/copper-vs-stainless-steel, there are more credential source if you search for it.
    - Environmental friendly, recycle plastic ect
    - Funny, funky stuffs

    Think about it to most people ( except me ) buy Cocoa Cola products in PLASTIC bottle to EVERYONE, black, brown, hipster, normal, weirdo, tree hugger, vegan, meat eater ect …

  • MrMoo on 08/06/2021 - 13:39

    Shopify website. Looks good and data entry was done nicely, everything looks up to scratch.

    I don't see any issues with the site and I think it is good to go.

    Wish you luck with your business. I found the hardest part was getting people to go to your site and converting clicks into sales. If you can get over that hurdle and believe me it is a big hurdle. Then your business will do well =)

  • misfitt1911 on 08/06/2021 - 14:03

    Website stuck on loading animation. Server issue?

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 15:15

      thanks.
      May I ask your browsing environment? Try to replicate the issues

  • suntap on 08/06/2021 - 14:36

    E-commerce isn't as easy as some people think. I quite liked your site and wish you the best of luck with it. {Brisbane business owner with e-commerce site}

  • jaimex2 on 08/06/2021 - 15:04

    Doesnt load.

    Uncaught ReferenceError: jQuery is not defined
    at (index):1646
    scripts.js?4152:12 Uncaught TypeError: $ is not a function
    at initPromoFixed (scripts.js?4152:12)

    Don't quit your job.

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 15:15

      thanks.
      May I ask your browsing environment? Try to replicate the issues

      • misfitt1911 on 08/06/2021 - 15:23
        +1

        Firefox and Chromium. Linux.

        • jaimex2 on 08/06/2021 - 15:24
          +2

          Same as misfitt1911

          • misfitt1911 on 08/06/2021 - 15:25

            @jaimex2: I have tried loading your website with adblock, enhanced tracking and NoScript disabled. Still not loading.

            • jaimex2 on 08/06/2021 - 15:27

              @misfitt1911: Import jquery earlier in your code and it should sort itself out.

  • pulpfiction on 08/06/2021 - 15:31
    +4

    Nice one. There's some good critical feedback from people, but the reality is the site is fine (edit: except for maybe the jQuery issue above!). You're not Amazon so have plenty of time to optimise it. Keep testing, learning and simplifying the UX based on usage stats. A few throw away thoughts:
    1. Why did you do this site? I read the about us section and it sounds a bit like "I like walking along the beach at sunset". Some of the issues people are calling out may be down to the site being a bit soulless. Nice thing is this is easy to fix. Think about your why and embed it in the site. If it's about aesthetics, then bring that intent into the site. Your socials are just product posts. That's lame. Show pics of the products in use or share customers' pics of the products in their yard.
    2. Why would I buy from you? This relates heavily to the above. If you stand for something and it resonates with me, then I'll buy. You need to grab people's limited attention and make them stick.
    3. Will you F@#K me? And not in the good way. Make it clear buying from you is easy and low risk. Right now, 7 days seems a bit tight, possibly having the opposite effect. Also, there may be benefit from repeating some of the warranty and returns info between the FAQ and Returns page. You'll need to do more than what I've mentioned here. Buying online is all about trust - do everything you can to build it.
    4. Consider using your hero banners for curated content. Be it a collection of products and ideas on how to set them up in your yard or simply sale items.
    5. Nice work on the email subs and discount. Your email list is pure gold.

    You got this. Now go and market this bastard like you're going back to your corporate job if it fails. Be carful with spending marketing dollars on Ads. Easy to burn for little return.

    Bonus tip: Go to the local library and offer to buy people a coffee if they'll use your site to buy an item, return an item etc. It's the best real world insights you'll ever get.

  • DiscoJango on 08/06/2021 - 16:53

    My honest feedback:

    Website looks too clean, genericly boring and some of the photos have that fake, AliExpress “everything is a luxury mansion” feel to it

    The name: aloak? What does that even mean. Makes me suspicious that it’s a fake website

    Love that your going out and doing your best, but if I didn’t read this thread or know anything about the background, I personally would not use it

    Stay at home soccer mums may love it tho!

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 08/06/2021 - 18:28

      Thank you for taking your time to review and your feedback.

      The name is a combination of my kid's name and the area we live in.

      Hope the business can grow, so when the kid grows up, he/she can have the freedom to do things or choose a career he/she really enjoys. Not like a lot of ppl stuck in a job, they hate or not happy with.

      • DiscoJango on 09/06/2021 - 08:28

        100% my friend, and you’ve taken a big risk going down this path, takes a lot of courage

        Don’t be afraid of failure either, you will learn from it and grow. I’m sure 6-12 months from now the website will have evolved from all your learnings

      • nickj on 09/06/2021 - 19:33
        +2

        On the name: Oh!!! Sorry, I just assumed "aloak" was "koala" spelt backwards, by someone who likes Australian animals (don't we all?), and has mild dyslexia, and was trying to virtue signal that they're as Australian they come, to people who like reading backwards?

  • treeman on 08/06/2021 - 17:32

    My wife wants one of those dog with Holding Plate statues.
    When are you getting more in and do you have a discount code?
    😂

    • treeman on 08/06/2021 - 19:15

      Website looks OK to me but I'm no expert.

  • centrelink on 08/06/2021 - 17:59

    Sell different dog breeds because I know people are quite attached to dogs and their breeds.

    Then you can better utilise the SEO to be much more targetting for those breeds only.

    Disclaimer: I'm not an expert at all, just my opinion based on my own experience.

  • zrmx on 08/06/2021 - 18:08

    Hi OP, all the best with your new business!

    For the $10 Subscription Discount code, you can probably advertise it at the top as well without any pop-up (which sounds like you've disabled already).

    Just in the top 'tabs' or line where "Flat $9.95 or FREE delivery for orders over $100* 1 YEAR guarantee 7 DAYS returns AU Domestic Shipping" live, if you can have another one that says "Subscribe For A $10 Discount Today!" or "Get A $10 Discount Today!" and have it as one of those auto-scroll straight down to the bottom to where the user can enter the email to subscribe.

    Also it seems like a few have mentioned about the name of the website. You can still keep your current ALOAK name while having a more memorable name with "by ALOAK".

    For example, maybe "Shop For Home, by ALOAK" (if it hasn't been registered/TM-ed already). You might need to get a new domain name, so have both linking to same site, or both sites displaying same contents. Then you can keep all your existing ALOAK name in T&C, invoicing, and everything really, while also having a more easily remembered name. Just something that people can easily say with simple vocabulary, and easily remembered.

  • TK Deadwalker on 08/06/2021 - 18:14
    +1

    Pretty cool website.

    How does one meet Andrew the quirky bird eater?

  • CalmLemons on 08/06/2021 - 19:09

    Get rid of the loader for the page.

  • erbasaki on 08/06/2021 - 19:59

    Website down lol. No graphics, just what looks like HTML being loaded with no css? Or bootstrap/whatever you’re using is corript

    • Richard Axe on 08/06/2021 - 20:01

      That's a bummer…

      • erbasaki on 08/06/2021 - 20:18
        -3

        Not really looks pretty shit anyway. Who tf buys doorknobs off a niche website?

  • squidz on 08/06/2021 - 20:25
    +2

    just wanna say..
    good on taking the leap

  • phillystyle on 08/06/2021 - 20:38

    Hey brissywalker,

    Please don't forget about securing your website!

    Simple things like ensuring that any customer details are not left in an unsecured location that is accessible to visiting users, not allowing directory browsing etc.

    Also, just because robots.txt says don't look here doesn't mean crawlers/people wont try an access them - be sure to test that access is restricted.

    Cheers

    • muzzamo on 09/06/2021 - 11:09

      It's shopify. I imagine all that will be handled already.

  • Htu08 on 08/06/2021 - 20:47

    https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?id=58604772330

    Best of luck, looks good! I think your pics are too big perhaps, everything was pretty slow to load.

    Make sure you keep on top of your GST obligations!

  • havabeer on 08/06/2021 - 20:52
    +1

    It looks like a good start, use the highest quality pics you can get your hands on, as the site is responsive on my ultrawide screen the main pics look pretty pixelated.

  • JelIyfish on 08/06/2021 - 22:11
    +2

    The website isn’t too bad, it fits the purpose. You aren’t selling tech or in a creative field, it isn’t the most professional but I think that is fine.

    Your product range is confusing and I can’t quite see your focus. It reminded me of “Nope! We got spaghetti, and blankets.” — Mitch Hedberg

    I’ve recently built and decorated a house and the majority of products we purchased were from specialty suppliers. The fire pit came from a company that specialises in fire pits, shed from shed company, bed from bed company etc.

    Your site seems to sell a bit of everything and my perception is that you’re just casting a wide net and I’d question if you were the best in any of these markets. Why would I buy a discounted finger print door lock whose main business appears to be garden ornaments? It just seems odd. It has a wheeler and dealer appearance in that you’re just trying to offload whatever stock someone has dumped in your warehouse.

    Sorry if this sounds harsh. I think you’d benefit from narrowing your focus, making progress, and then expanding into new markets.

    • Member 0230 on 08/06/2021 - 22:23

      ^ This.

      Learn about the "Grunt Test", and craft your website to pass it.

      From Andy Hooke's Does your website pass the grunt test?:

      The idea: If you showed your website to a caveman, could they “grunt” exactly what you do just by looking at the homepage?

      If they can’t then you’re likely losing money.

      To conduct the Grunt test on your own website, show someone your website for FIVE seconds, then close your laptop and ask the following three questions:

      1. What does my business offer?
      2. How will it make your life better?
      3. What do you need to do to buy or get started?

      If your website visitors can’t easily answer those 3 questions after 5 seconds, I guarantee you’re losing business.

  • Member 0230 on 08/06/2021 - 22:18

    Don't. Use. Sliders.

    They can look pretty, but from a UX, SEO and Conversion perspective, they've proven surprisingly awful:

    A fair counterargument: "When to use them" — Usability Geek

  • [Deactivated] on 08/06/2021 - 22:30
    -2

    op where me $100 gift card???????????????????????

    ps: maybe don't put clickbait titles next time…

  • Mistredo on 09/06/2021 - 00:01
    +2

    The first impressions, the site took forever to load, products looked like cheap gimmicks from China, so I checked Aliexpress, and I can see I can buy it there more cheaply. That's not good. It would be nice to source unique products.

    Nonetheless, I admire your courage to start such a business, good luck!

  • Yiddos on 09/06/2021 - 04:43
    +1

    Nothing to add regarding your website, but just wanted to say that although I don't know your personal circumstances, you have made a brave decision to quit a paid employment and venture into a startup business.

    Look after your mental and physical well being. All the best.

  • abccba57 on 09/06/2021 - 08:20
    +4

    As many have pointed out the site does look a bit generic. I would say that spunkyfondue's advice is on the mark for you.

    A lot of the advice here concern things like UX, page performance, etc. I wouldn't worry about those. There are many merchants on Shopify that people will sit through a terrible checkout experience in order to buy from. However, the key differentiator is that their customers already have a reason to buy from them - specifically there is usually a brand association that they care about.

    I think there are two things for you to think about. The first is short term strategy concerning how to move product you already have. The second is how to make your site a destination for the category of product you are targeting.

    In the short term, as spunkyfondue mentioned, you need to make the product the focus. As much as everyone hates drop shippers, you should review some of their forums and subreddits and see how they market products. A key tactic they use is branding. So rather than just calling your product something generic like "Smart Fingerprint Door Lock", call it "[brand|product] [adjective] Door Lock". If you can get your branding on the product and packaging, it will make you stand out from everyone else reselling those from Alibaba. It also means you now have an in-house product that you can charge a premium on. You may not order enough quantities to have your OEM do this, so you can explore custom printed boxes and transfer stickers to "fake it till you make it".

    Once you have a "unique" product, it means that you won't be able to rely on stock/vendor photos anymore. This is a good thing because you should be getting your own photos taken. Ideally you should find a photographer that you can have a longer term relationship with so that your images on site starts to develop a consistent visual style. If that is beyond your budget, then it's time to learn photography. You can also go the video route and demonstrate the products in action and try to "sell" them that way. You can also post your reviews on YouTube if you feel that is on-brand for you.

    In terms of being on-brand, you need to figure out your audience. Using smart-locks as an example, I find a lot of the marketing is generalised for home owners. That leaves you an opportunity to target specific demographics. For example, elderly that forget their keys, in which case you would also offer complimentary services to help them set-up their lock. Or safety conscious families that want to provide access to the whole family. Or landlords that want to secure their property. You need to test these keywords and marketing to see which yield the best results.

    With all these marketing materials it should enable you to create a landing page and heavily optimise the customer journey for conversion. All this is a lot of effort, so you need to make sure that your product has enough margin to cover all these costs. I would say that an in-house product should aim for 50-80% gross margin, while a resale/retail product you can accept lower.

    In terms of long term strategy, you need to figure who is the audience for your brand. A lot of people will say "everyone", but that is too broad, because Bunnings target everyone. With the financial assets of Woolies Group, they failed to make Masters work. So you need to go narrow. Once you figure out your audience you can then start content marketing towards that audience. A lot of contemporary e-commerce brands have risen on the trend of influencer marketing, so it will no longer be cheap for you to do this, but you can negotiate with content creators that already have the audience you want, it's an effective way to get eyeballs and raise awareness.

    With a known audience and proof-of-demand, you can continue polishing up your brand, designs, website, and back-of-house/operational-efficiency. Although what I presented here is somewhat sequential, in reality you need to be improve all of these at once and either one of these could result in improved sales for you, but results depend greatly on your audience and what they care about.

  • moneyhungry on 09/06/2021 - 11:22
    +2

    You quit your job for this this? I hope you have a backup plan because there are thousands of other sites all doing the same thing.

    • nickj on 09/06/2021 - 22:35

      Actually I think more people should try quitting their jobs and starting a business. The downside is rarely as large as people worry (you can always go back to what you were doing beforehand, and if you are willing to cut loses after giving it a reasonable crack the max loss is limited), and the upside is reasonable (you might be very successful), the new skills you learn are considerable (in a small business you have to learn to do everything, and it broadens your perspective considerably), and when you work for yourself all the decisions make sense, and once you've done it once you're better equipped to try again, and I'm quite happy to live in a nation of entrepreneurs.

  • AustriaBargain on 09/06/2021 - 11:35
    +1

    Looking at desktop view first. Header is too big. Afterpay logo should be in white instead of black. Your "door locks" image doesn't match the same shape as the other five. You can't instantly tell what your site is all about above the fold, are you "modern home security", modern home nicnacks, one stop shop for upmarket home decor, or what. Your logo isn't animated with Lottiefiles or something. On mobile your hamburger menu isn't centred in the header. The favourites logo also isn't centered (same distance from the closest edge and top and bottom of header). What even is "Powerreviews", would the average person know or care? Why doesn't clicking "shop by category" bring up all the categories, are there only 6? On mobile you have your footer then a white space then another empty purple footer then another tiny white space. Also within that empty purple footer is the "back to top" thing which you can barely see because the shade of blue it is almost matches the purple background. Also through the page the very light grew text is barely readable against the white background.

  • goms on 09/06/2021 - 11:59
    +2

    Has the site been ozbargained? It doesn't go past the array of dots bouncing sideways.

  • R4 on 09/06/2021 - 13:56
    +1

    That dog side table/statue is seriously awful! People actually buy those?

    Wow

  • MessyG on 09/06/2021 - 14:04
    +2

    From a consumer perspective:

    I recognise a lot of these pics from Aliexpress so might want to re-photograph some of them.
    Rather than having random products all over your front page, you might want to photograph a few them in the environment they're supposed to be used in - Ikea and Temple and Webster do this well. The splash page is usually a living room or garden with their products in them.
    I'd add some filters to each section based on style - i.e. for the knobs section you'd want to be able to filter by modern/traditional/quirky etc. And add more products to this section too.

    I actually think you've done a great job for a starter website, you've got it all going, you just need to work on the window dressing now.

  • Gaz1 on 09/06/2021 - 14:08
    +1

    Website looks fine but haven't really compared the value & exclusivity of the products to know how successful it might be.

    By the way, I'm surprised that you quit your job to start this website business.
    I would have thought you would wait until your sales reach a sustainable level before quiting (the website being easy to ramp up in your spare time).

  • squall3031 on 09/06/2021 - 14:14
    +2

    I may grab this one day and lay it down on top of my dog's grave. Damn, I miss that dog so bad. Agh, my heart hurts….

    https://aloak.com.au/collections/garden-statues/products/gar…

  • blorx on 09/06/2021 - 14:27

    Free testing. You're pretty good at this business thing.

  • CocaKoala on 09/06/2021 - 14:40
    +2

    Looks like just another drop shipping shopify website that gets in cheap stuff from China. Watermarked images, fake reviews, the whole 9 yards. What's there to review?!

  • 100KK on 09/06/2021 - 17:29

    Coming on ozbargain for this … it is the next step up from does my bum look big in these jeans ?

    • serpserpserp on 10/06/2021 - 15:31

      Yes

      • 100KK on 11/06/2021 - 01:48

        The rhetoric is lost on you 🤦‍♂️

  • gromit on 09/06/2021 - 17:49

    agree with a lot of the other comments. So nothing much new.

    a) the reviews to me read as fakes, that is far worse than no reviews at all. remove until you have some decent volume of real reviews and don't hide negative or mediocre reviews, respond to them.
    b)site layout is ok, seems to be just a generic shopify template. Drop shipper?
    c) lose all the animation, it adds nothing, Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) is a great enduring design principle for a reason.
    d) probably not much you can do about it, but for the sort of content I would have wanted a more memorable name than aloak.
    e) you need to update your policies, especially the default privacy policy you have there.

  • tikei on 09/06/2021 - 18:10
    +3

    Are you sure the electrical products are compliant? There's quite a few certifications you need from the supplier if you are selling in Australia.

    • Associatedbrissywalker @ aloak.com.au on 09/06/2021 - 21:16

      Thank you for taking your time to review and your feedback.

      Everything was specified with AU power plug, cable and switches with certificates. Adding certs photos to the product page. Thanks for the reminder.

  • lazarski on 09/06/2021 - 19:08

    might need better hosting, if you do a site speed test with gtmetrix or similar you'll see the TTFB is quite slow

    the my account tooltip in the top right is cut off

    suggest aligning those blue add to cart buttons

    that let the customers speak for us slider at the bottom is bugged out

  • Bananawon on 09/06/2021 - 22:41
    +1

    From the perspective of someone who is drunk, you should get rid of the shop by category part from the front. I would rather see examples of products, you can see the categories from the menu thing on the side anyway

  • TheBird on 10/06/2021 - 02:48
    +3

    Taking from a business perspective, from a first glance, it's a disaster. It comes across as a hobby site. The kind that someone put together on a weekend to try to start a business without knowing the first thing to do.

    I come from a family of engineers. It's exactly the kind of site they'd set up. They'd find some successful established business in the local industry and copy their web site without the undertstanding that their website generates virtually zero sales.

    I could be wrong. I'm not the target market for this kind of stuff. I guess the proof is pudding. Do you have decent amount of sales? If not, I wouldn't spend too much on advertising until you know your web site converts customers.

    My guess (taken a fair bit from how you wrote this post) is you're thinking like an engineer instead as a business person. It can take a while to rewire your perspective/thoughts.

    You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.

    You're an online seller. Why on earth wouldn't you know whether you sold the item or not?

    I am very serious about this business. I turned down a few job offers from agents.

    If I were you, unless this is already generating decent income to replace your job or you're wealthy enough to not need an income for a decent time, I'd get a job while you work on this in your spare time.

    Maybe you should sell at the markets on weekends to develop a customer base and/or feel for the market. It's a hard road ahead of you.

    Good luck with your endeavours. As harsh as I sound, I do hope you succeed.

  • rektrading on 10/06/2021 - 09:54
    +1

    Adding Bitcoin and other digital assets as a payment option could help increase your revenue.

    Strike.me

  • johndowy on 10/06/2021 - 10:28
    +2

    Not really a review on the website but just curious what finally make you decide on going to start a new business.

    How old are you?
    Do you have any family?
    How do you support yourself now?
    Do you find that you are working more than 9-5?
    Have you tried any other online businesses?
    Are you worried about not being able to make money online?

  • twotwotwo on 10/06/2021 - 14:23
    +1

    Hey there. I have so many questions for a business person for you!

    First off it's slow loading, I don't know why. Is it my computer have you had any others say the same thing. Layout looks pretty good for me.

    Out of curiosity, how do you source these items. Do you buy lots from the wholesaler or do you contact someone else buy from them and resell? How much do you markup these items? Do you have a warehouse to stock them all? I've always wondered how this works.

  • serpserpserp on 10/06/2021 - 15:29

    My feedback is: where are the bargains?

  • Philthy on 10/06/2021 - 16:21

    website seems to take a bit to load ?

    has load testing been conducted?

  • fredk1000 on 10/06/2021 - 17:04

    Your photos/images look really high quality was the first thing I noticed, I liked that.
    Not sure how long it would take to load on a slower Internet connection.
    Looks good, not my type of products though.
    Good luck.

  • coffeeinmyveins on 21/06/2021 - 09:56

    increidbly slow to load the site, why? when there is things like shopify etc. Going from page to page was a pain.

  • lifeisasimulation on 21/06/2021 - 12:07

    What kind of engineer where you, does your previous experience as a engineering help with this business?

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