mobile web site...... can't buy pictures?

outdooreventphotos.comoutdooreventphotos.com Registered Users Posts: 50 Big grins
edited February 7, 2012 in SmugMug Support
I use smug mug to sell my pictures online. With everyone going to smart phones and tablets, I'd hope that they could look at my pictures and buy them in the mobile site. Nope just a long alphabetical listing of galleries.

I don't suppose there is a way for me to change any of this? The new design (long promised but in development still) has become the old design to me. I'm looking at what is coming up and it looks like phones and tablets will be how people are purchasing their digital content more and more. to pass on this is a lost opportunity for more sales. That is where I would like the focus to be.

I realize that a lot of time and effort has gone into the "new" design but at what cost? Is smug mug in danger of becoming a KODAK?
www.outdooreventphotos.com

Comments

  • SamirDSamirD Registered Users Posts: 3,474 Major grins
    edited January 21, 2012
    Mobile sales are on the rise, no doubt. But there's still so many different standards out there to make it ubiquitous. I think SM's concentration is on the ios, the platform where it seems most purchases are being made.

    But I don't think it's a large market for our business yet. Yes, I can see people buying a digital print via mobile because they like it, but I don't see anything more than that being done. And what's the percentage of digital sales vs print/product sales? I don't know, but I'm guess it's less than the print/product sales by a large margin right now.
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  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited January 21, 2012
    outdooreventphotos.com wrote: »
    I use smug mug to sell my pictures online. With everyone going to smart phones and tablets, I'd hope that they could look at my pictures and buy them in the mobile site. Nope just a long alphabetical listing of galleries.

    I don't suppose there is a way for me to change any of this? The new design (long promised but in development still) has become the old design to me. I'm looking at what is coming up and it looks like phones and tablets will be how people are purchasing their digital content more and more. to pass on this is a lost opportunity for more sales. That is where I would like the focus to be.

    I realize that a lot of time and effort has gone into the "new" design but at what cost? Is smug mug in danger of becoming a KODAK?

    Hah, we're not going bankrupt I can assure you. And we're continuing to plow a ton of $ and resource into mobile, some of which you'll see very soon :)

    You can purchase via mobile browser right now on iOS and Android, but not via the apps. I hope to see that change.
    Andy

    Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
  • outdooreventphotos.comoutdooreventphotos.com Registered Users Posts: 50 Big grins
    edited January 21, 2012
    Andy wrote: »
    Hah, we're not going bankrupt I can assure you. And we're continuing to plow a ton of $ and resource into mobile, some of which you'll see very soon :)

    You can purchase via mobile browser right now on iOS and Android, but not via the apps. I hope to see that change.

    I don't expect my customers to download an ap to their phone just so they can see and buy my pictures.

    you can purchase through the full site on your mobile phone but the mobile app that smugmug kind of encourages you into via the large bright banner on top is nothing more than an alphabetical list of galleries with no ability to purchase. these days with paypal and other digital payment schemes, it seems like just being able to press and hold a picture on the webpage should be able to pull up a menu with among other things the ability to purchase.

    as far as print vs download, for me personally, I'd say that 75% of my sales are download. I'm sure it isn't the same for everyone but I'm willing to bet that prints will be moving off of center stage much like film did. 5 years from now people will be doing more and more stuff on gadgets like tablets or whatever comes next. I just dont want to see smugmug stagnate.
    www.outdooreventphotos.com
  • SamirDSamirD Registered Users Posts: 3,474 Major grins
    edited January 21, 2012
    outdooreventphotos.com wrote: »
    as far as print vs download, for me personally, I'd say that 75% of my sales are download. I'm sure it isn't the same for everyone but I'm willing to bet that prints will be moving off of center stage much like film did. 5 years from now people will be doing more and more stuff on gadgets like tablets or whatever comes next. I just dont want to see smugmug stagnate.
    And I agree that this is a growing trend. But it's a trend that also can cause problems when people use the images against the license agreement. Policing that is going to become the next big boom, and there's already several companies that offer services that do just that.

    I do see SM stagnating at any point in the game. I looks at some of the various competitors forums and support sections from time-to-time, and things that we've had for years they've been screaming about for years and vice-versa. We're not ahead, we're not behind, I'd say we're par for the course.
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  • outdooreventphotos.comoutdooreventphotos.com Registered Users Posts: 50 Big grins
    edited January 21, 2012
    SamirD wrote: »
    And I agree that this is a growing trend. But it's a trend that also can cause problems when people use the images against the license agreement. Policing that is going to become the next big boom, and there's already several companies that offer services that do just that.

    I do see SM stagnating at any point in the game. I looks at some of the various competitors forums and support sections from time-to-time, and things that we've had for years they've been screaming about for years and vice-versa. We're not ahead, we're not behind, I'd say we're par for the course.

    well as for people stealing stuff, i use a multi hued watermark that would take a little work to get off. not sure how much of my stuff is stolen but it does deter most of the honest folks.
    www.outdooreventphotos.com
  • SamirDSamirD Registered Users Posts: 3,474 Major grins
    edited January 21, 2012
    outdooreventphotos.com wrote: »
    well as for people stealing stuff, i use a multi hued watermark that would take a little work to get off. not sure how much of my stuff is stolen but it does deter most of the honest folks.
    Oh, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about someone buying a license for personal use and then using it online for a commercial website. Or they post that to facebook and someone else steals it and uses it for commercial purposes. This is new age theft is what's really tough to combat. Once someone has a digital copy, it can end up as a full page in a local magazine--as just happened to me recently. This was without any type of license agreement--I'm upset to say the least and will be taking legal action.
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  • outdooreventphotos.comoutdooreventphotos.com Registered Users Posts: 50 Big grins
    edited January 21, 2012
    Ouch that would be bad. But they could do the same thing with a picture they purchased on smugmug too
    www.outdooreventphotos.com
  • SamirDSamirD Registered Users Posts: 3,474 Major grins
    edited January 21, 2012
    outdooreventphotos.com wrote: »
    Ouch that would be bad. But they could do the same thing with a picture they purchased on smugmug too
    Yes they can. And it's happening A LOT now. There's been articles where people had their personal fb images used for commercial print.

    "Oh what a cute baby in that diaper ad...hey wait! That's my baby!" eek7.gif
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  • AthenaAthena Registered Users Posts: 13 Big grins
    edited February 7, 2012
    Eek - I just looked at the mobile site for the first time today. My phone went directly into it when I was checking to see how changes I made to my website would display on it. It's rather disappointing after all the time and frustration I've put into making my website look nice that the first thing people on a mobile device will see is an ugly listing of my galleries - some of which I don't even want them to see ever....

    Is there any way to turn off the mobile feature??
    ~Athena
    Athena Carey Photography

    "It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are." - Edward Estlin Cummings
  • zacHer0zacHer0 Registered Users Posts: 655 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2012
    Athena wrote: »
    Eek - I just looked at the mobile site for the first time today. My phone went directly into it when I was checking to see how changes I made to my website would display on it. It's rather disappointing after all the time and frustration I've put into making my website look nice that the first thing people on a mobile device will see is an ugly listing of my galleries - some of which I don't even want them to see ever....

    Is there any way to turn off the mobile feature??

    Sure, go into your Control Panel > Settings tab, then under Site Wide Features check Disabled next to Mobile Site.
    Zac Williams
    Support Hero
  • outdooreventphotos.comoutdooreventphotos.com Registered Users Posts: 50 Big grins
    edited February 7, 2012
    The full isn't very good on mobile devices either. :-(
    www.outdooreventphotos.com
  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2012
    outdooreventphotos.com wrote: »
    The full isn't very good on mobile devices either. :-(

    what issues are you having and on what devices?
    Andy

    Portfolio • Workshops • Facebook • Twitter
  • outdooreventphotos.comoutdooreventphotos.com Registered Users Posts: 50 Big grins
    edited February 7, 2012
    Andy wrote: »
    what issues are you having and on what devices?

    I have one desire with my smugmug account. that is to sell more pictures. if my customers look at my site on a android phone, they aren't going to buy. it is way too difficult to navigate the full site on a phone. I don't know how it looks on an ipad but if I wanted just something to pass around then the mobile ap would be fine.

    In my opinion, the focus is off when it comes to the mobile site.

    To me both the ap and the mobile site should allow folks to buy pictures. Why do I need a prettier email message to tell me when I have made a sale? the old one worked fine. that seems like more time wasted on the back end which could have been devoted to the front end.

    Really, I wonder what is up there. What are the priorities?

    heck, we still can't even sell a download along with a print in a package deal.... something that supposedly was being promised back in March of 2010.

    I'm sorry to seem like someone who is on a soapbox all the time but when I see stuff that is promised not appearing and then out of the blue stuff like prettier emails or the wacky new pricing system fiasco, then I get frustrated.
    www.outdooreventphotos.com
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