Ecommerce store with default template - will people buy?

[lschmidt]

I've got X-Cart set up, configured, and ready to start accepting orders. I've hired somebody to do a custom design for me, but it won't be done for another 3 weeks or so. I also have only ~100 products out of 3,000 that will be added ASAP, but manually - so it takes time. So I have the options:

1) Don't go "live" until the custom design is done and all 3,000 products are available.

PROS: No potential customer will see anything except the final storefront.
CONS: I have to wait another 3 weeks to start making $$.

2) Start advertising individual products, accepting orders, etc - but the X-Cart template is default with the exception of the logo, and the product line is incomplete. Will the average customer recognize this and view it negatively?

PROS: I can start advertising, get the site indexed in SE's, and making $$.
CONS: The default template and incomplete product lines might deter some customers and perhaps lose that customer forever?

What do you think?

Thanks

[Essex_boy]

Im assuming like me you have several ranges, id finish all ranges first or at the very least complete a range before starting to sell that range.

[lorax]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld!

I recommend waiting until the design is done - especially if your products are repeat purchases (e.g. you expect the customer to return). They'll do a double take if the design has changed that radically (the default x-cart designs are ugly).

I don't think it's a bad thing to start with less products though.

[Brock]

I personally would not open it up to the public or advertise until the look of the website is complete... If you're just waiting on products, just sell what you have at the moment.. but I think you would definitely want to wait till the design is complete.

[BananaFish]

Go live and add products over time. Much to your amazement, you probably won't be deluged with orders the minute your site goes live.

[BradleyT]

Go live and start "aging" your site in the search engines. Just don't spend any marketing money advertising.

[Wlauzon]

Go live and start "aging" your site in the search engines. Just don't spend any marketing money advertising.

My thoughts also. Not like you are going to be flooded with any orders for the first 2-4 months - you probably won't even show up in the SE's for many weeks.

What few people might have to put up with your upgrade transition will be so minimal that the time spent getting it "aged" is far more valuable.

But if it were me, I WOULD spend some money on advertising - not much, but get a Google Ads thing and set it up for $2-3 a day so you can start seeing how and which keywords are worth pursuing.

[edited by: Wlauzon at 3:02 am (utc) on July 14, 2007]

[walkman]

agree with Banana...
you will be surprised at how much time people give you to improve...by not visiting and not ordering right away. It takes time--a lot of it--to get traffic and people to actually buy.

go live even if all you have is a "Not ready yet, but here is this product I have for sale"

[derekwong28]

I take an opposite view to Lorax. I think you should make it live now. I don't think you are going to get many visitors in the first few weeks and therefore should not have to worry too much about repeat customers.

My site was doing nicely with the default litecommerce design, but then plummetted after I switched to a custom design. Of course, I cannot be absolutely that the custom design had anything to do with it. But there have been many posts here which said that a custom design doesn't really matter that much, but sometimes it may even harm you.