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1. Humans are creatures of habit by nature – so I agree with you on what shoppers have come to expect and they naturally look for. Its great to stand out from your competition, but you don’t want to stand so far out, you are on a island all by yourself with no sales because shoppers can’t figure out where everything is!!!!

   Comment by Liz — October 3, 2008 #

2. While i agree that shoppers expect the navigation to be on the left and cart upper right, my suggestion is for Yahoo to make the navigation more customizable. Having just the main categories without subcategories is not helping the customer or seo. Also having to pay someone outrageous prices to customize this, while many, many other carts already offer this. Please help your customers succeed. Not everyone can afford the 4000.00 – 5000.00 to have their stores fully customized.

   Comment by Camping Dude — October 3, 2008 #

3. Camping Dude — I agree. Not everyone can afford $4000 – $5000 for a customized site. Checkout the Yahoo! Store Developer Network and you’ll find quite a few designers. Not all of them charge an arm and a leg for design.

   Find a designer that you like and give them a call. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

   Comment by Kevin — October 3, 2008 #

4. I agree. While I have had Solid Cactus do some of my more fancy work, they are very expensive, take 2-4 weeks to “get started” and are sometimes difficult to get someone on the phone. Most of the time, their “live chat” during normal business hours, seems to be unmanned. Recently yahoo made some changes to the SSL, and Solid Cactus wants $200 to “fix” the SSL link in something they created and installed for $1000. I think this is high. The other person that I usually have do my work (shameless plug) is Istvan Siposs of http://www.ytimes.com He has not only designed web sites and add-ons, upgrades, etc – but he has also written books on RMTL – the yahoo proprietary programming language. He is very fair in his fees and package prices, and is very easy to get a hold of. He can normally get working on projects faster than the bigger companies, and he gives a lot more personalized service. I highly recommend him.

   Comment by Pat — October 5, 2008 #

5. Very well said. We have identified this with our customers’ conversion rates – when we keep it simple, it pays off more than something different.

   I am all for the thought of being creative in branding and services – while presenting the content in a manner what the visitors expect. If they don’t find it – they’re not for it.

   “Keep it Simple – and Usable!”

   Comment by Jigar — October 8, 2008 #

6. I use Solid Cactus and while they may be a little more expensive they are very reliable, and I think they have a wonderful group of employees. I’ve never had issues with their employees not responding to me. I don’t think my business would be as successful as it is today if I didn’t use Solid Cactus

   Comment by Vance — October 9, 2008 #

7. Great post Mike. There is a fine line between making your site unique and alienating customers from the expected functionality. Making the key links like the “Cart” button prominent on the page is extremely important because customers do not like to get the feeling of losing their direction while scanning your site. Also important is not making your navigation a maze in order to get to particular items. I can not remember where I read the article but ideally it should only take about 2 or less clicks to get to items for best conversion.

   Comment by Greg — October 9, 2008 #

8. I agree that costs can be a factor in web design and programming. However, there is always a price to get the best. Like the difference between a Timex watch and a Rolex. Both names very familiar and ‘popular’ but there is definitely one that stands out from the rest- I’m sure you’d all agree. Pat, on the SSL update…to update this on a fully custom store, which is what Solid Cactus does, there is programming time that is involved in this to get it just right. I’m very glad that you are happy with your current designer. I’m sure you want the ‘best’ for your business. Sometimes the ‘best’ comes along at a price..or should I say ‘Value’.

   Comment by Lou Everett — October 9, 2008 #

9. I was surprised and dissapointed to read that some people find Solid Cactus Inc. “Very Expensive” “difficult to get someone on the phone” etc…I had my entire site re-done by these people and had nothing but an AMAZING experience with them. My questions about SSL were answered almost immediately, and truth be told…$200.00 may be high, however if someone came into my store and asked me to spend my time on a task for less than it would take me to complete?? I’d look at them like a “deer caught in the headlights”. I have considered myself to be a lucky woman to have found Solid Cactus. Not only did they design a store that ACTUALLY GETS CUSTOMERS NOW! They did so for more than fairly. I was quoted upwards of $6000.00 by some web designers, for LESS than I got with Solid Cactus.
   My site took no longer than I would have accepted from anybody else, and truth be told…perfection is ALWAYS worth the wait in my eyes!!! Thank you once again Solid Cactus Inc. Adelia Galloway/Founder-Dell and Kim’s Tee-Party LLC.

   Comment by Adelia Galloway — October 9, 2008 #

10. I have to say that Solid Cactus is aware of the timeline issues and has make strides towards rectifying the situation. Structural changes have been made to optimize procedural and administrative tasks to cut the fat and get our products to our valued customers faster. I can say this because I am experiencing it. Additionally, Solid Cactus never ceases to amaze me with its innovative products and beautiful designs. Look at Rapid Start and Rapid Start Plus. Two new products aimed at getting new stores up and ready to sell in 48 hours, and with features to enhance the beauty, functionality and marketability of the site. And neither of these products are above $2000. I belong to the Solid Cactus team, and it is my belief and that of my team that we must provide the utmost quality of service at all times. About the rental car in the new city without the GPS: Get a map. It is still a valuable source of information. Ask others about their experiences in that city. Plan ahead before actually buying the tickets and renting the car. I plan my vacations in advance, and although they never follow the plan completely, I never find my self completely lost. Careful planning and dutiful research can make your vacation much more enjoyable.

    Comment by Mike — October 9, 2008 #

11. Hi Mike,

    I completely agree with your assessment on standardization of feature placement. We always follow “best industry practices” that are in accordance with the Marketing Sherpa report. Customers are looking for a shopping experience that is fast and easy. Confusion equals abandonment and lost sales. In your driving example, picture the chaos that would result if we were to reverse the positions of the gas and brake pedals!! In this day and age of instant gratification, fast and easy sells and sells well.

    I also agree with your statement about branding. It’s what sets you apart from your competition as well as helps to develop a loyal following of repeat Customers and sales. In the most successful branding campaigns the companies name have become synonymous with the product. For example, is it a Band Aid or a plastic adhesive strip?

    I’d like to take the opportunity to address some of the other posted comments. First of all I truly believe that the Yahoo! platform is the most flexible and customizable hosted solution in existence today. You provide scalable solutions that make it extremely easy and affordable for small business owners with little technical expertise to achieve success online. That’s why for three years running, more Top 500 Internet Retailers are hosted by Yahoo! than any other hosted e-commerce provider (based on 2006, 2007, and 2008 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guides). Simply stated, unless you have a multi million dollar IT budget, Yahoo! is the solution for you.

    As far as the cost of development is concerned there are many dedicated and talented Companies listed in your network that can provide a customized solution for less than 4 to 5K. Solid Cactus (shameless plug) is one of them. I know this from experience as I am the VP of Sales. For over two years I was the Director of Account Management and can tell you that our commitment to Customer Service and Satisfaction is second to none. If you ever have any issues, please just let us know and we will strive to provide a quick and satisfactory resolution. As we have grown we have implemented new processes to streamline the way we do business. For example, we have recently streamlined our development processes and in most cases can now have your custom design or redesign done in less than 1 month from start to finish.

    Solid Cactus – Proven Experience, Reliability, Innovative Products, World Class Service – Your total e-commerce solutions provider and partner in success!! That’s why we have done more than 3,500 stores to date and have more Internet Retailer 500 Clients than any other Developer. Priceless!!

    Thanks,
    Lou Pagnotti

    Comment by Lou Pagnotti — October 9, 2008 #

12. We’ve used Solid Cactus now for a couple of years. We had them do a complete redesign for us and it has really paid off. Our webiste is easier for customers to use and easier for us to manage. They are not the “cheapest” out there but sometimes cheapest is not always best.

    We’ve had them do several projects for us and they have always done a professional job and we feel like they have been a big part of our success.

    It is true they’ve had some timeline issues in the past because of their rapid growth but they have gotten better with that. They have always responded to me within a day or two and solved my issues in a timely manner.

    Bottomline is that they know how to build effective SEO friendly e-commerce websites and they can pretty much do whatever project you have in mind .

    Comment by Scott — October 9, 2008 #

13. Our company actually learned most of the ecommerce basics from Solid Cactus and have been with them for over 5 years. We’ve done 2 major site upgrades and redesigns including advanced custom programming. As project coordinator for our company, I was impressed with the efficiency and attention given to our project. I appreciated having a dedicated account manager to contact at anytime and always received a call back if I had to leave a message. Most of all, we are grateful to Solid Cactus for being actively engaged with our project. They are truly customer oriented and we knew they cared about our success. As a growing retailer, we needed a reliable partner to help us with advanced features that not many other sites have requested. This is to keep up with industry trends and to be competitive with other sites. Solid Cactus never kept us in a box and always encouraged us to request anything we needed and provided exactly that! We would not go with any other companies and can’t imagine anyone else programming our Yahoo store. Solid Cactus services are well worth the price considering how much resource and expertise they provide.

    Comment by Marge — October 9, 2008 #

14. I’ve been using Solid Cactus since 2001 and I’ve witness their amazing growth over the years. You don’t have growth like that, because you perform shoddy work and treat customers poorly. Sure you will have growing pains and make a few mistakes along they way, but thats human nature. The bottom line is Solid Cactus is a top notch company, run by people who care and know how to run/build e-commerce sites. As far as prices are concerned, you don’t need to design a 4-5k website to be successful. There are plenty of things that can be done to a website on a shoestring budget.

    Comment by Mike E. — October 9, 2008 #

15. As a savvy online shopper and internet business owner I couldn’t agree more with Mike. I would also like to comment on the work of Solid Cactus and their customer service. I have worked with Solid Cactus as a customer since before they were Solid Cactus! I can tell you that with all of their growth, they have always managed to “wow” me with their comeback customer service. They have never left me in the dark and even when there has been an issue (we are human after all) they always strive to resolve the issue quickly and professionally, going the extra mile to make sure I am satisfied. They have redesigned 4 stores for me and we are currently going through our 2nds redesign on all 4 stores and they really have streamlined a lot of their processes, and have improved their customer service and response time tremendously (although I have to say, they have always had world class customer service to begin with). I also am a firm believer in giving a person a chance to correct their mistake and turn it into something positive. Solid Cactus has never ceased to amaze me in their designs, innovative technogy, ideas and knowledgeable staff. We love Solid Cactus and look forward to keep improving our sites with the newest designs, technologies and ideas their company has to offer!

    Comment by Shery — October 10, 2008 #

16. Hey Pat, not sure what number you are dialing for the Solid Cactus folks but my experience has been the complete opposite of yours. Yeah, we got the notification from Yahoo on the SSL changes and received the email from Solid Cactus offering analysis and help (if I needed it). I sent them an email and within an hour I had a response back saying that my site was fine and required no modification.

    Solid Cactus designed both our websites, and redesigned our first one recently. In all instances I was reassured that the job would not be complete until I was completely satisfied. How often do you hear that kind of commitment?

    Not only are these folks consummate professionals and, in my opinion, the most knowledgeable group of e-commerce, SEO, Internet marketing, technology focused companies in the industry but their insistence on top-notch customer service is unparalleled. With their guidance, assistance and immediate response to what have fortunately been minor problems, we have grown our business exponentially in less than three years.

    I have shopped their services and find them to be fair and reasonable. The key point of differentiation is that they do what they promise to do in the agreed upon time frame. And, they never try to “sell” a feature that will not provide a direct and measurable benefit. In fact, my account rep has talked me out of a couple of changes that I suggested as he thought they would not make an appreciable difference in our site. For my money, time and e-commerce business, Solid Cactus sets the standard that other Internet companies should seek to emulate.

    Comment by Pam Hawthorne — October 10, 2008 #

17. Thank you for the great feedback about our developer partners. We have an extensive network of developer partners whose businesses range in sizes, specialties, and geographic locations. We always encourage you to speak with several developer firms in order to find the right partner to address your business’ unique needs. Please check out the directory to learn more: http://developernetwork.store.yahoo.com/
    Melissa Chaika Sobel
    Sr. Manager, Yahoo! Small Business Partner Programs

    Comment by Yahoo! Merchant Solutions Developer Network — October 10, 2008 #

18. We have worked with Solid Cactus consistently over the last two years, and I have nothing but great things to say about them. When we first approached Solid Cactus, we were starting a website from scratch, and we were releasing our website to the world on network TV in less than 3 weeks. In that short amount of time, Solid Cactus made themselves available to us around the clock, and finished an excellent product for a very reasonable price. We are a nonprofit organization, so their competitive pricing really made a difference in our bottom line. Since the development of our initial site, Solid Cactus has always been responsive and helpful when we have had issues, and I would recommend them to anyone as a knowledgeable, affordable organization that cares about their customers.

    Comment by Jason — October 15, 2008 #

19. Great article. It is definitely best to stick to what has been proven to work. You don’t want to confuse your customers right when they are about to make a purchase. You want to make the whole process easy and streamlined. Thanks for the helpful reminder.

    Comment by Jon — December 31, 2008 #

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