What Newfie products are you looking for?

[SherryNadra]

I appeal to the masses! What do we need to change?

Our My Dog Skookum booth at the National in 2009 did get a little business, and it was really great actually meeting some Newf Net folks, but our website store is really striking out.

My husband Kevin has been somewhat incapacitated for a few months, and we haven't been able to put a lot of work into the www.MyDogSkookum.com website for quite a while. The little "errors" I found on the first day we launched are still there! It's so frustrating having to depend on someone else to fix things like that. So I am now in the middle of taking a class on XHTML and CSS so I can get in there myself and make corrections and changes to the site on my own. (After I'm qualified, I'll get those "Meet the family" and other pages up...)

Our sales are non-existent, and I would really appreciate some feedback on what you think needs to change in order to get people interested in buying something from our store. We want to give you what you want!--so what would you like to see offered?

Landseer designs should be coming soon, now that Kevin is in a better position to work on it.

So, what do you think? Different designs? Different products? Prices too high? I really want to be successful, so thank you for your time and any comments.

You can reply here, or PM me, or send email to sherry@mydogskookum.com

Thanks again. I really appreciate the help.

Oh, by the way, Skookie is doing great, is a year-and-a-half old, and a couple months ago weighed 150 lbs. I'll post a couple pictures soon.

 

[Bella and Gabe]

Sherry, I cannot offer any suggestions because this is the first time I've seen your site, but I will say it looks great! In fact, I was hoping to place an order. Is it currently running? I mean, can we shop? I don't know what the problems were/are.

 

[SherryNadra]

Well, yes--we're ready to take orders! The problems include: spelling errors; in a couple places once you click in to a section, the name of the section changed; one shirt has two different prices!!

I'm a proofreader, so any infraction stings me!!

 

[Marikay]

If you are targeting a newf owner audience then a website named My Dog Skookum does nothing to attract newf owners. Most people probably think Skookum is a pocket puppy. What about My Newfie Skookum, Goodies for You and Your Newfie (or something along those lines, but I think you get my point). You need to indicate in your name that you are a business selling newf items and not just a blog.

 

[ardeagold]

I agree with Marikay. To have a web search come up with the name of your store, you have to have Newf in there, or Newfoundland, or something like that.

I never saw a link anywhere to your store and I look at Newf stuff all the time.

Also, as Marikay said, your site appears to be more of a blog and less of a retail site. It actually took a few seconds for my brain to register that there was a store link there. And I knew there was...since that's what I went there to see, but I still had to specifically look for it. It should be the FIRST thing that someone sees if you want them to visit the store.

And lastly, Jacques and I were just talking about Newf items. He wears T's, Sweatshirts, caps, fleece jackets, etc. with Newf logos. He wears them ALL the time. I don't.

I never wear Newf apparel except to a dog event, and then I don't wear things like T's, Sweats, etc, even there. I will wear it at home when I'm hanging around here, but I never buy it for myself. I do buy mugs, totes, etc, but they're usually "memorabilia" from a National, or something.

I like the "unique" items. Jackets with embroidered Newfs, or even with sequined Newfs...like Naomi Young Meyer makes.

I'd love to see a site that offers more "specialty" things like that ... along with the all of the other items that people wear and use routinely.

Oh, and people will tend to buy from sites that give a percentage of the proceeds to one or several Newf rescues. It's an added incentive!

 

[CMDRTED]

I think you need links and advertising. AKC Gazette, Dog World, Bark and the like. Pick a couple and see if you get traffic. If you don't have one put a visit counter on your site to track how many people are looking at it.

 

[JackandKelly]

I agree with some of the above posts. Your site needs to look like a traditional store and have a name that lets you know it's a Newf store. If I did not belong to NewfNet and get the link here and I happened across your store I would leave without even looking at the store. I would make it a professional store front with a link to the blog as a side item.
Also when I do a Google search your store does not come up on the in the first 10 pages of results...that's a biggie. You need to come up in the major search engines.

Submit your site http://www.google.com/addurl?continue=/addurl

 

[Newfobsessed]

I agree with Marikay,Donna and Kelly - make it more "Newfable" People respond when they see Newf in the name. If you do contribute some of your proceeds to a rescue, the rescue will most likely allow you to link to them, which may lead to other links...you have to get your "store" out there, like the Newf Emporium!! Get on Google, Facebook, whatever you feel comfortable having your Newf store on!! Good luck!!!

 

[CMDRTED]

I forgot to ad, I bought the ties (for work and shows) and liked them, I wear them all of the time. So you have quality stuff, but as others have put above, better marketing would be a big plus. Adveritsing is always worth it.