Will my shopify website make enough money to buy a Ferrari
Discussion
I run a small manufacturing company up in Aberdeen and, because Pistonheaders are not driving their V8s fast enough, demand for oil and gas has dropped. So, we need to make things that appeal to other markets.
In this day and age, that probably means selling online but I know next to nothing about it. Apparently lurking in Pistonheads for years does not make you an e-commerce guru.
I've set up a website using Apple's ancient iWeb and it sucks pretty badly. I tried again using Shopify and its noticeably less rubbish but it doesn't seem to show up in google searches.
What's the Pistonheads collective wisdom here. Is Shopify a good medium for a website in addition to the shop front part of it? How do I get google to notice me. Is sport a good market to get into? Are people involved with coaching or running teams prepared to pay more for training equipment personalised in team colours?
Any advice and constructive criticism will be gratefully accepted.
https://tackletyre.myshopify.com/
In this day and age, that probably means selling online but I know next to nothing about it. Apparently lurking in Pistonheads for years does not make you an e-commerce guru.
I've set up a website using Apple's ancient iWeb and it sucks pretty badly. I tried again using Shopify and its noticeably less rubbish but it doesn't seem to show up in google searches.
What's the Pistonheads collective wisdom here. Is Shopify a good medium for a website in addition to the shop front part of it? How do I get google to notice me. Is sport a good market to get into? Are people involved with coaching or running teams prepared to pay more for training equipment personalised in team colours?
Any advice and constructive criticism will be gratefully accepted.
https://tackletyre.myshopify.com/
I wouldn't be worrying about which Ferrari to buy if I were you. There are numerous things wrong with your site that need addressing
- no domain name, it appears tackle tyre.com is not set up yet
- your site does not once say "rugby" .......... if this is your primary use/market then you need to be making it clear what it is, what its for, who its for and why it will help them to the point they must buy it.
Assume people are dumb, you are there to help them, impart knowledge and add value and they will buy. No one cares what colour Ferrari you want, they just care about how you can make their lives better, or in your case make their tackle better, their training better, make them stronger, faster etc... play to that and you will sell.
There are numerous design flaws as well. Dodgy colours, not enough content, no address, no phone number, no trust implied. Do you sell across multiple channels? (eBay, Amazon etc) and I feel social media is vital for you.
Can it be filled with weights and used for cross fit style training rather than normal tyres that are only one weight? I could see these in gyms, especially these unit gyms that are popping up everywhere (not that I go to the gym!)
You should have more videos, more pictures, how to/guides.. either write blog posts or hide it until you have some worthwhile content. Every button, text and image on your site should have a clear purpose, a reason all pushing to the required action, which is a sales conversion. Anything that doesn't aid in this conversion is worthless and shouldn't be there.
Hope you find it constructive. I've been doing this for a while now and I still haven't got the formula quite right, getting closer though.
- no domain name, it appears tackle tyre.com is not set up yet
- your site does not once say "rugby" .......... if this is your primary use/market then you need to be making it clear what it is, what its for, who its for and why it will help them to the point they must buy it.
Assume people are dumb, you are there to help them, impart knowledge and add value and they will buy. No one cares what colour Ferrari you want, they just care about how you can make their lives better, or in your case make their tackle better, their training better, make them stronger, faster etc... play to that and you will sell.
There are numerous design flaws as well. Dodgy colours, not enough content, no address, no phone number, no trust implied. Do you sell across multiple channels? (eBay, Amazon etc) and I feel social media is vital for you.
Can it be filled with weights and used for cross fit style training rather than normal tyres that are only one weight? I could see these in gyms, especially these unit gyms that are popping up everywhere (not that I go to the gym!)
You should have more videos, more pictures, how to/guides.. either write blog posts or hide it until you have some worthwhile content. Every button, text and image on your site should have a clear purpose, a reason all pushing to the required action, which is a sales conversion. Anything that doesn't aid in this conversion is worthless and shouldn't be there.
Hope you find it constructive. I've been doing this for a while now and I still haven't got the formula quite right, getting closer though.
Hi guys, thanks for the speedy feedback. I've put the Ferrari order back a week.
I've probably become a bit blind to what I know about the TackleTyres and what I have forgotten to explain. Not helped by moving information from my original website designed in Apple's iWeb to the shopify site. www.tackletyre.com now redirects immediately to tackletyre.myshopify which might make it seem as if the domain is not set up yet.
I was quite impressed by Shopify as a platform so I'd hoped to forget about the original site.
What I clearly need to explain far better is what Tackletyre does better than existing products, how its construction enables this and why individuals or teams should buy them. Some of this information is included in the product details but I need to make it more obvious.
Most teams use tackle shields/bags for helping to coach and practise rugby tackling. These are large heavy bags similar to punchbags and they aren't very mobile.
TackleTyres encourage better head positioning in the tackle and will hopefully help reduce the risk of concussion. As they are made from foam they give a nice soft landing to players which helps build confidence to make tackles, especially in kids.
It would obviously be far more instructive to see videos of coaching rather than me saying it and this will be coming soon.
I haven't really concentrated on rugby on the site so far because I believe the biggest market for the tyres will eventually be (American) football where they are all learning to "Hawk Tackle" and finally taking concussion seriously. it would probably be clearer to have 2 different sites, one for the US and one for the UK
Although its a fairly new idea, I believe thought up by an Australian coach, there are already a half dozen or so companies making similar rolling tackle shields. Our USP is the ability to print them in any colours, with text, logos etc added as we use digital printing.
I know the site is not particularly ready now but I wanted to get some feedback before I start trying to promote it to rugby teams and I am very grateful for the help you have already given.
I've probably become a bit blind to what I know about the TackleTyres and what I have forgotten to explain. Not helped by moving information from my original website designed in Apple's iWeb to the shopify site. www.tackletyre.com now redirects immediately to tackletyre.myshopify which might make it seem as if the domain is not set up yet.
I was quite impressed by Shopify as a platform so I'd hoped to forget about the original site.
What I clearly need to explain far better is what Tackletyre does better than existing products, how its construction enables this and why individuals or teams should buy them. Some of this information is included in the product details but I need to make it more obvious.
Most teams use tackle shields/bags for helping to coach and practise rugby tackling. These are large heavy bags similar to punchbags and they aren't very mobile.
TackleTyres encourage better head positioning in the tackle and will hopefully help reduce the risk of concussion. As they are made from foam they give a nice soft landing to players which helps build confidence to make tackles, especially in kids.
It would obviously be far more instructive to see videos of coaching rather than me saying it and this will be coming soon.
I haven't really concentrated on rugby on the site so far because I believe the biggest market for the tyres will eventually be (American) football where they are all learning to "Hawk Tackle" and finally taking concussion seriously. it would probably be clearer to have 2 different sites, one for the US and one for the UK
Although its a fairly new idea, I believe thought up by an Australian coach, there are already a half dozen or so companies making similar rolling tackle shields. Our USP is the ability to print them in any colours, with text, logos etc added as we use digital printing.
I know the site is not particularly ready now but I wanted to get some feedback before I start trying to promote it to rugby teams and I am very grateful for the help you have already given.
Shopify is as good as any other platform but the main issue you have is explaining whats actually for sale. The first thing you need to do is showcase the core product in a 30 second video then make it very easy to understand who the product is aimed at, its benefit and why everyone should buy one.
Do you have any existing customers who could do a testimonial video? Have you given any out to big teams to play with i.e offer the Glasgow Warriors a couple free with branding and ask them give you 10 minutes of video using them.
You have to many options you need to break it down into sub cats like for schools, for clubs etc then give them limited options. You should start with the base option then offer the upsell into custom logos etc.
Once people are aware of the product and an audience has been built sales should follow. Right now you need to get the basics right before marketing the site.
Do you have any existing customers who could do a testimonial video? Have you given any out to big teams to play with i.e offer the Glasgow Warriors a couple free with branding and ask them give you 10 minutes of video using them.
You have to many options you need to break it down into sub cats like for schools, for clubs etc then give them limited options. You should start with the base option then offer the upsell into custom logos etc.
Once people are aware of the product and an audience has been built sales should follow. Right now you need to get the basics right before marketing the site.
ttfun said:
Hi guys, thanks for the speedy feedback. I've put the Ferrari order back a week.
I've probably become a bit blind to what I know about the TackleTyres and what I have forgotten to explain. Not helped by moving information from my original website designed in Apple's iWeb to the shopify site. www.tackletyre.com now redirects immediately to tackletyre.myshopify which might make it seem as if the domain is not set up yet.
I was quite impressed by Shopify as a platform so I'd hoped to forget about the original site.
What I clearly need to explain far better is what Tackletyre does better than existing products, how its construction enables this and why individuals or teams should buy them. Some of this information is included in the product details but I need to make it more obvious.
Most teams use tackle shields/bags for helping to coach and practise rugby tackling. These are large heavy bags similar to punchbags and they aren't very mobile.
TackleTyres encourage better head positioning in the tackle and will hopefully help reduce the risk of concussion. As they are made from foam they give a nice soft landing to players which helps build confidence to make tackles, especially in kids.
It would obviously be far more instructive to see videos of coaching rather than me saying it and this will be coming soon.
I haven't really concentrated on rugby on the site so far because I believe the biggest market for the tyres will eventually be (American) football where they are all learning to "Hawk Tackle" and finally taking concussion seriously. it would probably be clearer to have 2 different sites, one for the US and one for the UK
Although its a fairly new idea, I believe thought up by an Australian coach, there are already a half dozen or so companies making similar rolling tackle shields. Our USP is the ability to print them in any colours, with text, logos etc added as we use digital printing.
I know the site is not particularly ready now but I wanted to get some feedback before I start trying to promote it to rugby teams and I am very grateful for the help you have already given.
Given how few products you have, you might look at ECWID instead, which can be embedded within your existing site instead of using the Shopify redirect. Very simple to set up. I used Webplus by Serif for the website itself - very easy.I've probably become a bit blind to what I know about the TackleTyres and what I have forgotten to explain. Not helped by moving information from my original website designed in Apple's iWeb to the shopify site. www.tackletyre.com now redirects immediately to tackletyre.myshopify which might make it seem as if the domain is not set up yet.
I was quite impressed by Shopify as a platform so I'd hoped to forget about the original site.
What I clearly need to explain far better is what Tackletyre does better than existing products, how its construction enables this and why individuals or teams should buy them. Some of this information is included in the product details but I need to make it more obvious.
Most teams use tackle shields/bags for helping to coach and practise rugby tackling. These are large heavy bags similar to punchbags and they aren't very mobile.
TackleTyres encourage better head positioning in the tackle and will hopefully help reduce the risk of concussion. As they are made from foam they give a nice soft landing to players which helps build confidence to make tackles, especially in kids.
It would obviously be far more instructive to see videos of coaching rather than me saying it and this will be coming soon.
I haven't really concentrated on rugby on the site so far because I believe the biggest market for the tyres will eventually be (American) football where they are all learning to "Hawk Tackle" and finally taking concussion seriously. it would probably be clearer to have 2 different sites, one for the US and one for the UK
Although its a fairly new idea, I believe thought up by an Australian coach, there are already a half dozen or so companies making similar rolling tackle shields. Our USP is the ability to print them in any colours, with text, logos etc added as we use digital printing.
I know the site is not particularly ready now but I wanted to get some feedback before I start trying to promote it to rugby teams and I am very grateful for the help you have already given.
In terms of SEO, you have a niche market which should make it easier, but I still find it more effective to concentrate on paid advertising rather than SEO.
We find selling on Amazon very effective - could be well worth it for you - you can put up the price to account for their fees as customers using Amazon seem happy to pay for their professional "wrapper".
Thanks again gentlemen. You are all helping me learn more and clarify my thoughts before I start to promote TackleTyre to rugby teams. Hopefully I can get my website showing up in google searches by then as this seems to be slow going. I've tried getting Facebook shares but constantly annoying friends, and friends of friends, only gets you so far.
I have paid for a Google Adwords campaign but this seems far from intuitive and the campaign management site seems very, very slow. Perhaps it would work better in Chrome.
I think the general consensus I am seeing is that the www.tackletyre.com website needs to explain the product far better and that some coaching videos of TackleTyre in action would probably be the best way to go about that.
In addition it would be nice to personalise and customise the tyres from within the website. I have seen this done on many sites, uploading images, typing text etc but does anyone know if it's possible within Shopify?
I think digital printing offers great advantages in this regard but the website is not getting that across so far.
I have paid for a Google Adwords campaign but this seems far from intuitive and the campaign management site seems very, very slow. Perhaps it would work better in Chrome.
I think the general consensus I am seeing is that the www.tackletyre.com website needs to explain the product far better and that some coaching videos of TackleTyre in action would probably be the best way to go about that.
In addition it would be nice to personalise and customise the tyres from within the website. I have seen this done on many sites, uploading images, typing text etc but does anyone know if it's possible within Shopify?
I think digital printing offers great advantages in this regard but the website is not getting that across so far.
ttfun said:
Thanks again gentlemen. You are all helping me learn more and clarify my thoughts before I start to promote TackleTyre to rugby teams. Hopefully I can get my website showing up in google searches by then as this seems to be slow going. I've tried getting Facebook shares but constantly annoying friends, and friends of friends, only gets you so far.
I have paid for a Google Adwords campaign but this seems far from intuitive and the campaign management site seems very, very slow. Perhaps it would work better in Chrome.
I think the general consensus I am seeing is that the www.tackletyre.com website needs to explain the product far better and that some coaching videos of TackleTyre in action would probably be the best way to go about that.
In addition it would be nice to personalise and customise the tyres from within the website. I have seen this done on many sites, uploading images, typing text etc but does anyone know if it's possible within Shopify?
I think digital printing offers great advantages in this regard but the website is not getting that across so far.
Shopify can do almost anything but it does require some custom setup and good planning. If you want any advice DM me and I will talk you over what I would suggest.I have paid for a Google Adwords campaign but this seems far from intuitive and the campaign management site seems very, very slow. Perhaps it would work better in Chrome.
I think the general consensus I am seeing is that the www.tackletyre.com website needs to explain the product far better and that some coaching videos of TackleTyre in action would probably be the best way to go about that.
In addition it would be nice to personalise and customise the tyres from within the website. I have seen this done on many sites, uploading images, typing text etc but does anyone know if it's possible within Shopify?
I think digital printing offers great advantages in this regard but the website is not getting that across so far.
Thanks 2ono! Commission will be paid in the form of beer!
I accept this is a very niche product but it's probably a bigger niche than I realised at first. There are round 2000 rugby clubs in England, usually with half a dozen or so teams. I've trialled Tackletyres with my own club's Mini rugby players, who are just learning to tackle, and they all seem to enjoy practicing with it.
The less niche market is probably in the USA where "Football" is a huge market. But that might require buying 2 Ferraris, one for the US and one for here.
I accept this is a very niche product but it's probably a bigger niche than I realised at first. There are round 2000 rugby clubs in England, usually with half a dozen or so teams. I've trialled Tackletyres with my own club's Mini rugby players, who are just learning to tackle, and they all seem to enjoy practicing with it.
The less niche market is probably in the USA where "Football" is a huge market. But that might require buying 2 Ferraris, one for the US and one for here.
Hi ttfun,
I'd suggest also maybe inviting Rugby World to review the TackleTyre etc (maybe provide them with a few for review) And equivalent in the US for American Football perhaps ?
As you say this is promoting safe tackling - and grass roots rugby is where this should start. Reach out to Rugby England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland/France/Italy/USA All of whom I'm sure have development budgets/could actively promote this on your behalf ...
Cheers,
seyre1972
I'd suggest also maybe inviting Rugby World to review the TackleTyre etc (maybe provide them with a few for review) And equivalent in the US for American Football perhaps ?
As you say this is promoting safe tackling - and grass roots rugby is where this should start. Reach out to Rugby England/Scotland/Wales/Ireland/France/Italy/USA All of whom I'm sure have development budgets/could actively promote this on your behalf ...
Cheers,
seyre1972
I would forget about that site at the moment.
Get an advert up on eBay and Amazon. Keep refining your advert on those platforms until you're doing well with sales. Then take what you've learnt and only then apply it to making a website. This also has the advantage that you'll (hopefully) be earning enough money to have a web designer do the website for you properly.
Get an advert up on eBay and Amazon. Keep refining your advert on those platforms until you're doing well with sales. Then take what you've learnt and only then apply it to making a website. This also has the advantage that you'll (hopefully) be earning enough money to have a web designer do the website for you properly.
Hi Mike, that looks pretty slick and polished to me. I think the consistency helps. I'm going to have a better look at your site at the weekend.
How have you found Shopify to deal with? Do they pay promptly?
Hopefully after Saturday's coaching session at Deeside Rugby I will have better photos and videos for my website.
We are looking for more players if anyone fancies it!
How have you found Shopify to deal with? Do they pay promptly?
Hopefully after Saturday's coaching session at Deeside Rugby I will have better photos and videos for my website.
We are looking for more players if anyone fancies it!
Is website design not something that is better outsourced these days?
Surely - unless you're prepared to put massive hours in - its always going to look amateurish?
I dont see web design and development as core skills of running a business.
When i was motor trading, i bought a customisable off the shelf package for the website and it was brilliant. My time was far better spent trying to grow the business rather than developing the skills to re-invent the wheel.
Surely - unless you're prepared to put massive hours in - its always going to look amateurish?
I dont see web design and development as core skills of running a business.
When i was motor trading, i bought a customisable off the shelf package for the website and it was brilliant. My time was far better spent trying to grow the business rather than developing the skills to re-invent the wheel.
I've been in the sports trade for over forty years, dealing with and supplying, amongst other things tackle shields/bags, to a large number of Rugby Clubs, both League and Union, and (whilst I agree the product seems excellent) the market will be very small, you certainly will not be selling thousands and thousands of them.
I would put your Ferrari on hold for a few years.
Happy to be proved wrong though.
I would put your Ferrari on hold for a few years.
Happy to be proved wrong though.
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