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Ed in Tampa
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 5832
- Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:45 am
- Location: North Tampa Bay area Florida
First let me say I probably should keep quiet, for two reasons. First is I'm an instant gratification person, I will go without before I would order something and wait for it. I wanted a Shopsmith for 10 yers before I found a salesman that had one squirreled away in his warehouse and would sell it to me and I could take home that day.
Second I have to touch it, wiggle it, feel it, and kick its tires before I buy.
I don't think I'm alone, example the outcry and drop in sales for Ridgid tools since Home Depot removed actual demo machines and went to pictures of the tools. Talking to HD sales associates the number of sales had fallen drastically limited almost exclusively to frantic runs on deep discount sales.
I know I bought a 100 times more merchandise when Shopsmith had a local store than I did before or since. In fact before they had a store in Tampa I was more likely to drive to Atlanta to purchase something than I was to order it. I only buy from Shopsmith mail order now because I don't have any other choice. Even then I place all my orders by phone. Sorry but that is the way I'm wired and so far it's worked for me.
Sadly (for Shopsmith) this makes my local Woodcraft, and tool stores my primary supplier.
Monday I did place an order for some parts taking advantage of the no shipping. I had priced each item out from the website (no small feat) and called a very helpful and courteous person. When I gave her the item number she gave me the prices and in every case my price was different than the one she first gave me. The instant I objected she immediately corrected the price and we went on. However I was left wondering if I got the Shopsmith's best price or just the one I knew about.
If I were Shopsmith management the first thing I would do is stop listening to the voices that got the company to where Shopsmith found itself a few months ago. That was bad advice!
The second thing I would do is stop having one sale overlap another. An item would either be regular price, or on sale until that sale ended. There wouldn't be another sale price.
Third I would insure the website accurately reflected the actual current price, along with a complete description and picture.
Case in point the last Sawdust session includes a list of Special discounted product offerings. I understand the philosophy of trying to stir up business and having a way to measure your success but take one item as an example.
Item number 515714 Hardware Kit reg price $21.73 sale price $18.47.
Can anyone tell me what this is? I have done search after search every way I can think and can't find what the kit contains much less find it anywhere in a regular catalog. It might be something I want but I have no way of knowing so it really doesn't make much sense to me.
Fourthly I would play on these aspects of the Shopsmith,
* Made in the USA, that does influence some of us even today.
* Full line of accesories made especially for Shopsmith and made by Shopsmith or other manufactures in agreement with Shopsmith.
* Full line of readily accessable parts and maintenance parts with a complete part index and exploded diagrams available on line and included with every new Shopsmith.
* The Shopsmith community with Academy, Sawdust sessions, forums that are monitored and responded to by Shopsmith employees and representatives.
* Extensive plans and archives of tips, techniques, dealing with all aspects of woodworking and addressing known how to questions.
* Expert help and advice readily available by E-mail or phone. Stressing the fact that Customer Service reps are more than phone operators but instead are highly trained professionals willing and able to help resolve any Shopsmith technical or sales problem.
* Quality of the machine, I would list some of the manufacturing tolerances and assure that if a buyer finds something outside these tolerances that they will be replaced.
* The assurance that once you buy the machine that Shopsmith does not turn its back on you but rather is there to help you fully utilize and use the machine and new accessories. That there are weekly tips, how to's and advice emails sent out along with online copies of Hands On magazine.
* That every owner of Shopsmith products becomes an automatic member of Shopsmith owner family. Where everyone is there to help everyone else.
Lastly I would design the Shopsmith website so every visitor can easily find a part/accessory by name, description or part number, can find the sawdust sessions, the latest sales flyer, can find the forum, the Hands On, Tips and E-mail video post card archives all just by clicking an icon or typing a part name or number from the first page.
I would build a wish list/gift registery accessable online or by calling the Shopsmith number where owners could list the tools and accessories they most want and family members could explore to get the perfect present.
Lastly instead of overlaying sales I would offer free shipping based on order size to spark interest when sales begin to flatten out.
In the future I would forget many of the mail order paradigms and investigate product regional warehousing by national shippers where orders could be filled and shipped within hours and received overnight without excessive additional cost. Many corporations are now exploring this as a way to eliminate product stock overhead, shipping and receiving cost and eliminate the headache of inventory control.
As always free advice is usually worth what you paid for it.
Ed
Second I have to touch it, wiggle it, feel it, and kick its tires before I buy.
I don't think I'm alone, example the outcry and drop in sales for Ridgid tools since Home Depot removed actual demo machines and went to pictures of the tools. Talking to HD sales associates the number of sales had fallen drastically limited almost exclusively to frantic runs on deep discount sales.
I know I bought a 100 times more merchandise when Shopsmith had a local store than I did before or since. In fact before they had a store in Tampa I was more likely to drive to Atlanta to purchase something than I was to order it. I only buy from Shopsmith mail order now because I don't have any other choice. Even then I place all my orders by phone. Sorry but that is the way I'm wired and so far it's worked for me.
Sadly (for Shopsmith) this makes my local Woodcraft, and tool stores my primary supplier.
Monday I did place an order for some parts taking advantage of the no shipping. I had priced each item out from the website (no small feat) and called a very helpful and courteous person. When I gave her the item number she gave me the prices and in every case my price was different than the one she first gave me. The instant I objected she immediately corrected the price and we went on. However I was left wondering if I got the Shopsmith's best price or just the one I knew about.
If I were Shopsmith management the first thing I would do is stop listening to the voices that got the company to where Shopsmith found itself a few months ago. That was bad advice!
The second thing I would do is stop having one sale overlap another. An item would either be regular price, or on sale until that sale ended. There wouldn't be another sale price.
Third I would insure the website accurately reflected the actual current price, along with a complete description and picture.
Case in point the last Sawdust session includes a list of Special discounted product offerings. I understand the philosophy of trying to stir up business and having a way to measure your success but take one item as an example.
Item number 515714 Hardware Kit reg price $21.73 sale price $18.47.
Can anyone tell me what this is? I have done search after search every way I can think and can't find what the kit contains much less find it anywhere in a regular catalog. It might be something I want but I have no way of knowing so it really doesn't make much sense to me.
Fourthly I would play on these aspects of the Shopsmith,
* Made in the USA, that does influence some of us even today.
* Full line of accesories made especially for Shopsmith and made by Shopsmith or other manufactures in agreement with Shopsmith.
* Full line of readily accessable parts and maintenance parts with a complete part index and exploded diagrams available on line and included with every new Shopsmith.
* The Shopsmith community with Academy, Sawdust sessions, forums that are monitored and responded to by Shopsmith employees and representatives.
* Extensive plans and archives of tips, techniques, dealing with all aspects of woodworking and addressing known how to questions.
* Expert help and advice readily available by E-mail or phone. Stressing the fact that Customer Service reps are more than phone operators but instead are highly trained professionals willing and able to help resolve any Shopsmith technical or sales problem.
* Quality of the machine, I would list some of the manufacturing tolerances and assure that if a buyer finds something outside these tolerances that they will be replaced.
* The assurance that once you buy the machine that Shopsmith does not turn its back on you but rather is there to help you fully utilize and use the machine and new accessories. That there are weekly tips, how to's and advice emails sent out along with online copies of Hands On magazine.
* That every owner of Shopsmith products becomes an automatic member of Shopsmith owner family. Where everyone is there to help everyone else.
Lastly I would design the Shopsmith website so every visitor can easily find a part/accessory by name, description or part number, can find the sawdust sessions, the latest sales flyer, can find the forum, the Hands On, Tips and E-mail video post card archives all just by clicking an icon or typing a part name or number from the first page.
I would build a wish list/gift registery accessable online or by calling the Shopsmith number where owners could list the tools and accessories they most want and family members could explore to get the perfect present.
Lastly instead of overlaying sales I would offer free shipping based on order size to spark interest when sales begin to flatten out.
In the future I would forget many of the mail order paradigms and investigate product regional warehousing by national shippers where orders could be filled and shipped within hours and received overnight without excessive additional cost. Many corporations are now exploring this as a way to eliminate product stock overhead, shipping and receiving cost and eliminate the headache of inventory control.
As always free advice is usually worth what you paid for it.
Ed
Since we are all having fun here I was wondering if anyone has seen this catalog idea:
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store ... nerid=vcs1
Ed
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store ... nerid=vcs1
Ed
{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
Good Idea Which Could Improve Easily
Ed,
I too like that idea. Yet every time I look at it I wonder why the page turner isn't shown at both the top and bottomof the page. Aren't I picky?! Jim
I too like that idea. Yet every time I look at it I wonder why the page turner isn't shown at both the top and bottomof the page. Aren't I picky?! Jim
F. Jim Parks
Lakewood, Colorado:)
When the love of power is replaced by the power of love the world will have a chance for survival.
Lakewood, Colorado:)
When the love of power is replaced by the power of love the world will have a chance for survival.
The specific details and bells and whistles aren't so important (remember, not everybody is on broadband!); but the site must certainly be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and get the Shopsmith virtues Ed listed up front. Since SS is moving to an inernet-based business model, the website is their ONE AND ONLY storefront, so it had better be good.
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paulmcohen
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 1577
- Joined: Fri Dec 08, 2006 8:10 pm
- Location: Beaverton, Oregon
- Contact:
At first I really hated the site because looking at the online catalog was a real pain. Everything was too small to read and the process to make it larger was slow. Then by accident I clicked on something of interest and I was taken right to the page on the site with details on the product and a click to purchase and I was sold.reible wrote:Since we are all having fun here I was wondering if anyone has seen this catalog idea:
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store ... nerid=vcs1
Ed
Paul Cohen
Beaverton, OR
A 1982 500 Shopsmith brand upgraded to a Mark 7 PowerPro, Jointer, Bandsaw (with Kreg fence), Strip Sander, Ring Master and lots of accessories all purchased new
12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, 1200 CFM DC
Beaverton, OR
A 1982 500 Shopsmith brand upgraded to a Mark 7 PowerPro, Jointer, Bandsaw (with Kreg fence), Strip Sander, Ring Master and lots of accessories all purchased new
12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, 1200 CFM DC
Now they need to go flip book or what ever apple calls it to flip through the pages and put the index up front. My DSL seem to keep things fast enough for me but then they might not have much load on their end yet.paulmcohen wrote:At first I really hated the site because looking at the online catalog was a real pain. Everything was too small to read and the process to make it larger was slow. Then by accident I clicked on something of interest and I was taken right to the page on the site with details on the product and a click to purchase and I was sold.
I think I might just go buy something from them...
Ed
{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
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paulmcohen
- Platinum Member
- Posts: 1577
- Joined: Fri Dec 08, 2006 8:10 pm
- Location: Beaverton, Oregon
- Contact:
I like paging through the online catalog like a book, the issue is the interface to zoom is really clunky. I have a 12 megabit connection so network speed is not an issue.
I do prefer this to downloading pieces of the Shopsmith catalog, if they are going to post a PDF I want the whole catalog so I can search and than link directly to the buy page with possibly more information.
I do have a lot of sympathy, my department is taking over 12 months to implement vBulletin but our P&L is not dependent on it.
I do prefer this to downloading pieces of the Shopsmith catalog, if they are going to post a PDF I want the whole catalog so I can search and than link directly to the buy page with possibly more information.
I do have a lot of sympathy, my department is taking over 12 months to implement vBulletin but our P&L is not dependent on it.
Paul Cohen
Beaverton, OR
A 1982 500 Shopsmith brand upgraded to a Mark 7 PowerPro, Jointer, Bandsaw (with Kreg fence), Strip Sander, Ring Master and lots of accessories all purchased new
12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, 1200 CFM DC
Beaverton, OR
A 1982 500 Shopsmith brand upgraded to a Mark 7 PowerPro, Jointer, Bandsaw (with Kreg fence), Strip Sander, Ring Master and lots of accessories all purchased new
12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, 1200 CFM DC
Another thing: there's a great deal of useful educational information hidden under addresses like "http://www.woodworkingtablesaw.com", with no obvious link from the Shopsmith page. These all need to be grouped under "education", and given new URLs like "shopsmith.tablesaw.com.
It wouldn't hurt if the B&W photos were replaced by spiffy new color ones (they do look rather like an old shop textbook), but that's luxury money.
It wouldn't hurt if the B&W photos were replaced by spiffy new color ones (they do look rather like an old shop textbook), but that's luxury money.