Pro pricing

Dan Knopp · January 22, 2005

Smugmug looks like just what I need, but must of my sales would be 8x12 prints. If this format were a standard print so shoppers don't have to look for it, I would give smugmug a try. The problem is that most of my photos can't be cropped for 8x10, and if a buyer did this they would be dissapointed with the result. As I looked at smugmug pro galleries, it took a bit before I realized 8x12 was even available. Is there a way around this?
Also I think it works better to be able to pick print size from a pulldown on the photo view page before going to the cart. If that were possible also I would surely go with smugmug.

Dan Knopp
www.danknopp.com

onethumb · January 23, 2005

Dan Knopp wrote:

Smugmug looks like just what I need, but must of my sales would be 8x12 prints. If this format were a standard print so shoppers don't have to look for it, I would give smugmug a try. The problem is that most of my photos can't be cropped for 8x10, and if a buyer did this they would be dissapointed with the result. As I looked at smugmug pro galleries, it took a bit before I realized 8x12 was even available. Is there a way around this?
Also I think it works better to be able to pick print size from a pulldown on the photo view page before going to the cart. If that were possible also I would surely go with smugmug.

Dan Knopp
www.danknopp.com

Hi Dan,

You can fairly easily "force" people to only be able to buy 8x12s by simply disabling the other print sizes in your custom pro pricing tool.

Then when they add the print to the cart, it'll automatically select 8x12, being the only option.

I'm sorry, but we can't offer a drop-down below each photo. There are a few threads on the subject here, but basically, it would both slow the page down and detract from the clean interface look & feel, so it's been shot down. We'll continue to think about things like this, so the door isn't closed on the issue, but for right now, it's not going to happen.

Thanks,

Don

marlinspike · January 23, 2005

At first I thought I wanted a drop down below the photo, but I like it the way it is and I haven't gotten any customer emails asking how they know what size theyre buying.
Richard

Dan Knopp · January 23, 2005

Thanks for the answers.

I wasn't aware I could disable parts of the pulldown pricing - that would be helpful. Basically I would also like to not have the two menus for standard prints and special prints. One menu with all the sizes I choose to use would be best.

As far as the dropdown on each photo, that would be very nice. I like for the customers to see what the price is at that point so they can make the decision. There is a psychological barrier to making the decision to buy if you don't see the price up front. I know it is there in the cart and they can decide at that point, but some won't even go that far - the feeling of commitment is there and people like to know a price before buying. Also you lose some of the impulse purchases. When the customer has to make more decisions after they've placed something in the cart, they have that opportunity to change their mind. I checked a few smugmug sites and it just bothered me to have to make the extra click to the shopping cart to find out what the price is.

Not many people will email you to let you know why they didn't buy something from you. I would be real surprised if that ever happens. So you really don't know how many sales you are losing.

Smugmug really is head and shoulders above the rest in so many ways, but I encourage you to keep working on it, especially on the commerce usabilty. I know nobody is ever going to give me exactly what I want, but this comes close. Study Jakob Nielsen's writings on web usability, apply them where you can, and nobody will catch up with you.

marlinspike · January 23, 2005

Dan Knopp wrote:

Thanks for the answers.
I wasn't aware I could disable parts of the pulldown pricing

Not many people will email you to let you know why they didn't buy something from you. I would be real surprised if that ever happens. So you really don't know how many sales you are losing.

[some sniping was done to make things shorter]

Well, you don't so much disable parts of the pricing What happens is anything you set the price to 0 for, won't show up. As far as the e-mails, what I meant is I didn't get any e-mails from confused people on that issue. I mean, I got feedback from people and nobody ever said the price after the photo thing is an issue. Plus, I like it because it's cleaner, like one thumb said. You might consider just sticking the prices in the gallery descriptions.

Dan Knopp · January 23, 2005

Thanks again!

I may just have to try it out to see what I can control and how it all works. Like I said, smugmug is so much better in a number of ways.

GREAPER · January 23, 2005

marlinspike wrote:

Well, you don't so much disable parts of the pricing What happens is anything you set the price to 0 for, won't show up. As far as the e-mails, what I meant is I didn't get any e-mails from confused people on that issue. I mean, I got feedback from people and nobody ever said the price after the photo thing is an issue. Plus, I like it because it's cleaner, like one thumb said. You might consider just sticking the prices in the gallery descriptions.

I have had people say that they didn't like the fact that they couldn't see the prices up front. They feel that adding something to their cart is a commitment and they wont go that step without the price. I have been thinking obout adding a price page to solve the issue but havent figured out the best way to do it..

savannahga · January 24, 2005

I have a price page, plus I have prices on each page.

Dan Knopp · January 24, 2005

savannahga wrote:

I have a price page, plus I have prices on each page.

Very nicely done there. I may try something like that.

Pro pricing

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