Feedback please: new Sheffield start up

[dsorsby 10]

Hi all, I'm needing some honest feedback on my new business venture and website either right here or via PM.

 

http://Www.livelight.org.uk

 

Thanks!

[indizine 10]

From landing on a website you have less than 10 seconds to tell your traffic what it is you do. I have no idea what you do.

 

I'm not a fan of right hand menu's but overall the theme design is pleasant on the eye. It's just not compelling enough yet on the home page.

 

I'm using W8 and when on an internal page I cannot see your home page menu button, all that appears is a poorly placed grey text link inside the logo curve as I happen to know that most logos are clickable back to the home page. A lot of people still don't know this and are left wondering how to get back to the home page.

 

There is no onsite SEO but i'm presuming you are aware of this.

[dsorsby 10]

many thanks indizine, thats useful. i've had some similar feedback from other sources.

 

does anyone else agree with this comment? any other comments much appreciated.....

 

dave

 

---------- Post added 19-05-2013 at 11:10 ----------

 

also if anyone has comments about the concept of a membership scheme offering discounts on ethical goods and services....

[dsorsby 10]

Thanks to everyone who gave me really helpful feedback on my new website.

 

One of the main comments I received was that it wasn't clear what I was offering. I've revised the copy and the structure - and I'd be extremely grateful for your views:

 

www.livelight.org.uk

 

Thanks!

[steveroberts 10]

Reviewed it and I'm not sure what you are offering. I agree about menus on the right of the screen...very annoying.

 

I certainly would not sign up to a service where there is no track record of savings (Would I have to pay to sign up to wowcher and Groupon?). I'd suggest you will have to make the membership free and take commissions from the vendors providing the offer.

 

Good luck with the venture.

Edited June 11, 2013 by steveroberts
typo

[LizzyUK 10]

Its not a million miles away - however its still to clear enough what you do.

 

"LiveLight is the membership discount card with a big difference. " - this explains it but the visitor needs a few seconds to find this.

 

The "save money live well love it" bit - nobody cares about this. Id suggest removing and replacing it will "LiveLight is the membership discount card with a big difference. " - make this bigger and bolder too.

 

Your right hand menus are fine apart from the washed out background colours that just look dirty and don't work.

 

Id suggest a 3 step "how it works" image at the very top. Like on http://paydayliftoff.co.uk/how-it-works - this will help the visitor understand what you do and how it works

 

Lizzy xx

[dsorsby 10]

Many thanks for taking the time to have a look at this and feeding back to me Steve.

 

In terms of gaining a track record of savings, this is tricky for a new start up such as this. Would it help to have some member testimonials perhaps? Or is there other assurances that you/others would like to see?

 

Your point about whether people will pay for a card is valid. The idea behind LiveLight is that members will save more than the cost of the card. So, for example members can get their first year's membership of City Car Club for £1 instead of £60. In this case, joining LiveLight costs you £30, so you would save £29 straight away.

 

Other membership deals are smaller in value, but still save money over time - e.g. if you buy your Fairtrade organic bananas from Sharrow Marrow every week, you'd get 10% off - so £1.62 instead of £1.80. Admittedly it would take a long time to make back the price of the card on bananas alone, but if you use a number of participating businesses for both everyday and larger one off or treat items, then the money saved will quickly add up to much more than the price of the card.

 

I think that where the LiveLight membership idea appeals over Groupon or similar businesses is in:

 

- you save money regularly on everyday items you actually need, as well as one off's or 'treats' such as a nice meal out

- you don't need to cut coupons out, which I find really faffy, and

- there is a 'feelgood' factor - whether this is supporting local business, reducing chemical use in food, more humane treatment of animals etc.

 

not sure if I'm getting this across quite yet though!

 

Dave

[MaTReCS2 10]

I agree with the comments you have already had - It is not very clear what you are offering.

 

In regards to the right hand menu - Most people read from left to right.

 

The point you have put below is very useful to know the saving you could possible make rather than a %.

 

Hope this helps

[steveroberts 10]

Many thanks for taking the time to have a look at this and feeding back to me Steve.

 

In terms of gaining a track record of savings, this is tricky for a new start up such as this. Would it help to have some member testimonials perhaps? Or is there other assurances that you/others would like to see?

 

Your point about whether people will pay for a card is valid. The idea behind LiveLight is that members will save more than the cost of the card. So, for example members can get their first year's membership of City Car Club for £1 instead of £60. In this case, joining LiveLight costs you £30, so you would save £29 straight away.

 

Other membership deals are smaller in value, but still save money over time - e.g. if you buy your Fairtrade organic bananas from Sharrow Marrow every week, you'd get 10% off - so £1.62 instead of £1.80. Admittedly it would take a long time to make back the price of the card on bananas alone, but if you use a number of participating businesses for both everyday and larger one off or treat items, then the money saved will quickly add up to much more than the price of the card.

 

I think that where the LiveLight membership idea appeals over Groupon or similar businesses is in:

 

- you save money regularly on everyday items you actually need, as well as one off's or 'treats' such as a nice meal out

- you don't need to cut coupons out, which I find really faffy, and

- there is a 'feelgood' factor - whether this is supporting local business, reducing chemical use in food, more humane treatment of animals etc.

 

not sure if I'm getting this across quite yet though!

 

Dave

 

Dave,

 

Your problem will still be that I could probably get these discounts just by asking myself...and as everyone else offers 'coupons' for free, why would I pay for the privilege?

[SportsTrophy 10]

There are many funding ventures at the moment to catch up with the American marketing campaigns using personal data to target ads for people wanting things they don't even know they want yet.

 

If you succeed in partnering with a successful dissemination agent then I can see this working. Tesco (clubcard) use data to send you vouchers after figuring out your weekly monthly shopping routines.

 

One father stormed into an American shop demanding to know why his high school daughter was being sent vouchers for maternity products to which the manager apologised for not knowing what he was talking about. The dad called back a week later to the store to apologise himself as there was some activity in the house he was not aware of and his daughter was 2 months pregnant.

 

The buying of a few products together can anticipate the due date as well as when people are going on holiday. Data of this kind should be well guarded.

[dsorsby 10]

Dave,

 

Your problem will still be that I could probably get these discounts just by asking myself...and as everyone else offers 'coupons' for free, why would I pay for the privilege?

Hi Steve - there is undoubtedly a lot of cynicism about whether some of the 'deals' offered are really deals at all - regardless of who offers them, or how. Any ideas of how I could overcome this cynicism very welcome.

 

As an ethically-run business, LiveLight strives to offer 'real' deals you could not otherwise get: for example, The Milestone gastropub offers members two courses and a drink for £14 from 5-9pm, Sun to Thurs. The Milestone is a personal favourite of mine, and apart from fantastic food and atmosphere, they make real efforts to source their food sustainably and humanely.

 

My own feeling on coupons is that they are not that popular, free or otherwise. Postcode Gazette did some free coupons a few months back in a lot of the local shops, but they didn't seem to shift many at all.

 

Anyone out there like coupons? Is it just me that can't be bothered with them? :-)

[andygardener 10]

Had a brief look at the website and I use a lot of the businesses you have signed up, for a variety of reasons, but primarily because my office is close to many of them. Not having a prominent "how much does it cost" bit without giving you my details is a big negative and i'd recommend putting up a couple of worked examples of Lisa buys xyz and saves £x a year and John buys abc and saves £y a year as 10% on selected products isn't a bit grab.

 

I'd also really try and cast your net a bit wider as you'll get better offers from retailers if there is more change of driving significant new business to them which probably isn't the case at the moment.