Aloha everyone,
This is more for Travelagent, but everyone is welcome to inject their opinions. I am adding "Buy a Gift Certificate" code to my Web www.waveshoppe.com and I am having a hard time deciding on best placement for the button.

I am thinking about placing it in the head of each sales page, but I also thought about placing it under the "Add to cart buttons" on the product pages or maybe even dedicating a page for Gift Certificates.

P.S. It is done in FrontPage so please dont remind me about its quirky code, just stay on topic. LOL

it will depend on where is the sales process you want them to start thinking about buying a gift certificate.

I think under a buy now button is far too late.

Gift certificates are an early decision aspect as how about on your main menu?

You could also have gift certificats as a  product in each category. As in - "Buying a Shirt as a Gift...Not sure what size or pattern? Why not give a gift certificate and let them choose"

Ohhhh -- you've come a long ways and I like your site!

I'd place a GC Button under each item, like on this page ... so; if I don't say anything about the code, do I win a FREE SHIRT?

we are thinking alike TA 

matte wrote:

we are thinking alike TA 

LOL -- got that right!

Hi Matte,
I am coding a GC page (for upper level navigation) as we speak, but Matte made me think some more about this… I don’t want the GC to take away from my sales because placing it on or too close to an actual product page because it may take away my “instant gratification”. LOL I seem to recall a scolding I got a long time ago from my buddy Travelagent about staying focused on presenting and selling the product, so putting a button under each picture on the main categories may not be best idea.

Now Travelagent.. you are not out of the running for a free shirt, but I will have to barter with you on the side and you refrain from commenting on the FrontPage code LOL.

Back to the GC button, Amazon has it in close proximity to the Shopping Cart, so what’s the take on placing it on the upper left hand side of the main categories on my site? I think it may also help to add some balance with the View Cart button

Personally -- I didn't like the View Cart button in the upper part of the pages ... most sites I've seen always place them at the bottom, after a visitor has had time to scroll down the page, and that's probably what I would do, along with a Gift Certificate button beside it.

Yep; we can use the old "bartering system"...

Then you should really enjoy the new Gift Certificate page, there are buttons on the top, and bottom.

FYI I will clean it up later, I am calling it a night

think about the gift certificate as being just another product, not an option.

Those buying shirts will still buy. Those shopping for gifts will like the opportunity of getting out of buying a pattern or size that the recipient may not like, but still have their needs met.

So the product GC links to your new page where they can select a value for it (equiv to one or more shirts) and this allows you to also legitimately place a link in the nav bar for it as well.

Thanks Matte and TA. I took your advice, hopefully you will like the new changes and they create an increase in sales. Now it's off to figuring out how to add options for selecting different shipping carriers at check out.

TA shoot me a email to my office address so we can work on bartering biz cards for a Hawaiian shirt.

No -- you still have the View Cart button in the upper part of the pages ... I meant, it makes more sense to place it below the last line of clothing you're selling.

Ok -- I'll email you at the Office.

I have to admit that I am not able to "read into" what you are saying. When I look at Land’s End, Old Navy, Sears, Marshall Fields, etc the View Cart, Shopping Bag etc is always in the upper right hand corner. What am I missing?

You can copy a page of my source and re-work it; maybe I will see the light. The View Cart code is easy to find

And, sometimes I'm not easy to follow...

Take a look at this site -- see how the Buy CD is under each item; and the View Cart is at the bottom of the page ... that's what I call a very well laid-out site when a visitor is scrolling down the page looking at all of the products

personally I think it often comes down to experimentation. Sometimes breaking the rulkes brings results, sometimes not.
Move things around - you could be surprised. Just remember to take noes and keep records so you can compare

I actually like all of the creative disagreement in here. Deep in my web I have been roughing out a new template for the product pages, which should help clean them up.

The only problem I see with having the “View Cart” button on the bottom is that people with Hawaiian shirts already in the cart may not be able to find it when they are ready to check out. Customers may leave the site with items still in their cart, especially if they elected to continue shopping and then decided to not add any more items.

I am still open to re-locating the button, but I do not want them to have to scroll to get to the the most important buttons in my web, the ones that collect the payments.

You're a HEATHEN but, it's your site ... like Matte said; experiment both ways and see what generates more sales -- I know I'm right; just can't get you to see the light...

Or... just ask some friends to go through a shopping dry run on your site, then have them fill in a survey you provide (say by email) Questions like, did you know where to clcik next when you had added an item and wanted to add a new one...etc This could bring some interesting feedback. Target least competent (web aspect) people you know as they will not be so intuitive and give the best feedback

We actually add a feedback card to each order and they rave over “the ease of ordering”. On a 1 to 10 we allways get 8s and 9s

Matte and TA gave me some really good input so the upcoming changes should really help make the site even better (I am even going to move the buttons that TA :o despises so much) I should have the new presentation style coded and implemented in about a week (I have 60 or so product pages to update). I will let you know when its posted and ready for critiquet. PS. no FP code bashing

Hmmm -- if you're getting that kind of feedback on "ease of ordering", then don't change it on my account ... "If it's not broke; don't fix it".

Now -- about that gawd-awful FP coding...

I make a compromise because some of the things you said made sense.  I left the View cart button (I am making a better looking one) on the top of the money pages but I did make some adjustments on the display pages. You worked at MS so you know that I cannot correct much of the code because the editor changes it back.

Any way, what do you think about the changes I made?