New E-commerce Platform

Ezra, please mind the tone. You’re coming on too strong. You can criticize without being condescending or rude.

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@xolubi Jobberman started off with Jobberbase, Konga started with Spree moved to Magento and now they’ve modified it beyond the original state, Radar that we’re on is built on Discourse and so on. If there’s a system to easily get stuffs done for you, just go for it. I guess your point is not to criticise the platform he’s extending, but that of his design. The word “ugly” is offensive, I’m not saying we should praise mediocrity but there are more courteous way to address people in a public forum.

And for what it’s worth we both know how frigging difficult it is to get stuffs done.

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@logbon72 There you go. In your examples, there was a clear objective to be different. I’m not trying to take a crap on opencart or even his design, I’m instead disagreeing with the idea of taking the easiest route to being an eventual also-ran. Unless OP has a pitch I am yet to be aware of, I stand by what I have said.

@IBKTheBot I have never gotten this you’re coming off as rude thing. Call it being uncompromisingly forthright.

@xolubi I have no issues with your initial comments either.

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Calling a website ugly IS constructive criticism.

Any serious web developer knows this.

If you web developer does not know or cannot realize that your website is ugly, you are in very serious trouble and you possibly need a new web developer @onyeka

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Sorry, it is not constructive when it’s not followed with helpful reasons why it is what it is. Mentioning specific issues with the design could help the developer (who may not even be a designer) make changes. If you are going to be harsh and insensitive all in the name of criticism, then be useful. Stop calling out @onyeka

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I totally feel you.

The only reason I don’t help defend is because in the course of running a business you’ll get harsher criticisms.

He’ll grow a tough skin and a way to deal with criticism, no matter how unobjective they appear to be.

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Is it really Nigeria’s best online-market? Does the website Justify it? If no…then there’s a problem…

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I believe we can never have enough of these, it is a beautiful site and easy to navigate with good quality pictures.

A site’s purpose describes the function it must perform. In this case, ECommerce.

It is all too easy to be distracted by a site’s functionality that the primary purpose of the startup is obscured. That’s that!

@sugabelly, Courtesy rocks. Words are powerful, we should rather assist and not constrain. A straight-to-the-point advice will definitely still send home the message.
It’s easier if we break things down a bit. If @Ofemi knows what to look for, it’ll be easier to identify the product/service fault and do the wise afterwards.

And maybe we shouldn’t over-emphasize on just design alone, marketing and promotion is still at play.

WHILE I AM NOT TRYING TO give an excuse for AHIOMA’s current design with this remarks, here is what i think matters. (From a marketing and ROI point of view)

  1. Most times, experts can be wrong. And there obviously are many energy sapping comments here :grinning: @Ofemi should get the courage to run with the project despite the tough criticism of its baby - its your baby after all, so don’t throw it away.

  2. In Feberuary, i wrote a post on TC about design. You should read it . I compared Jumia (one of your competitiors) with another website called MOShoes.com. There was a CLEAR WINNER. And it was Jumia based on design.

  3. Surprise, read the post i linked to above again. Do you know that that the other poorly designed shoe website( I captured their page below) actually makes a lot of money too. What matters ABOVE design is SALES and that is what you need to get. As advised, pursue region-based deals and get your team to look around for growth hacks to grow your customer base. As a matter of WARNING; You have a lot of work ahead of you :slight_smile:

  4. I genuinely think you should NOT launch an unfinished product. You clearly have some finer details to work on. So, it is smarter to pre-launch your store by creating anticipation to your target audience via pre-launch campaigns. Jumia, Konga etc did that too at one stage. You can swap your current website with a COMING SOON page where you ask people to give you their emails in exchange for coupons. I wrote this guide that was published on TC to help you do that.

Best of Luck dude.

Wole (SpokenTwice.com)

Most great websites don;t even start the way they are now. A simple trip to WayBack Machine shows the history of every website.

@logbon72 Glad with you for calling out haters.

Hater means NOT helping with your comments and making a startup founder (or wannabe) so disposed to committing suicide.

Jokes apart, if @Ofemi is an Indian; he should be on a rope now (If you watched the 3 Idiots, you will know what i mean) Thank God he is a Nigeria.

Aluta Continua…

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Your site is still loading on my browser. You should also consider your users data(MB).

I see the term ‘haters’ can have its meaning changed on the fly and absolve its abusers from misuse. Keep the rather overt stereotypical flag flying.

The site is ok but it can be better. You can’t be coming in with a weak ui. You won’t make it against your competitors ( Jumia Konga ). I also hope you have a market strategy.

Good Luck.

The site works.

However, some of your tabs are bogus and confusing: it may be hard, for example, to know if a Scanner is categorized under Office or Computing or Electronics. Also, Hair and Chicken are advertised but can not be navigated to. There’s a typo in the search also: ‘All Category’. Those should be fixed.

On the whole, since you are starting in the East, you should try to promote items that people usually buy by shipping from Lagos or maybe, Port Harcourt; instead of selling drinks like Teem that people can buy from a store.

Good luck and may the force be with you.

Some of the responses here though…

Eh. I agree with the sentiment most people here shared, but calling something ugly is not really constructive criticism. Truth is, if the person can’t already see that the design isn’t great, telling them it is, without even trying to say how/why is not helpful. Constructive criticism should be specific and actionable.

Anyway @ofemi, I have just one question: What’s your angle? Going to go with @Bisong ere. The site itself aside, what would be the reason you would give someone to use your site and not tried-tested players like Jumia/Konga?

Tons of smaller e-commerce sites exist in the US alongside Amazon, and they’re doing okay because they’ve specialized in the way Amazon hasn’t. We here see one thing get big and try to replicate it, see Linda Ikeji and Nairaland. Along with yours those are the major products constantly being posted here. More often than not they’re not bringing anything new to the table. You get ahead in the market by being different and better, not the same.

PS. Not a fan of the Shopify logo ripoff.

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“The website works”

Better advice will be on your business model, not the fact that a website works in 2015 with website templates for sale all over the internet. A working website isn’t magic any longer (it hasn’t been for a while actually).

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I am going to criticise you just like you said I should and I am not sure if you would like it but then what do I care!!! First off! You say this is “Nigeria’s best Online Market” Na so!! That one sef dey!

  1. You want to activate my market experience? Did I tell you it wasn’t already activated?
  2. Ahioma? Seriously? What does that even mean?
  3. You have not learnt from Konga and Jumia abi? Or do you have a secret venture capital firm that has given you 8million dollars that we all do not know about? The only thing worth doing commerce for these days are Niche shops bro. Gloo.ng? Supermart.ng
  4. I added a Macbook to cart and till now since I started typing it is still “LOADING”
  5. The design is appalling
  6. And then you put a drop down select for all categories? I have never hated my 13inch macbook screen so much, thanks to your fugly design.
  7. I have to fill that form to checkout? Now this is where I would give up but I want to take my time to deal with you so I will continue with the process for that sake! Yes! I said you would not like this!
  8. If at all anybody will do commerce at large scale maybe consider same day delivery? This is something these other Kongas and Jumias don’t do.
  9. No pay on delivery? Ahioma can be trusted so easily, I guess.
  10. Nothing is going to save you if you continue this way not even if Phyno, Flavour and all other ibo men are you ambassadors!!! But I may be wrong!!!
  11. You fall Ibo men hand my brother! Haba!!! I thought you guys had at the ART OF COMMERCE AND TRADE IN THE BUCKET!!! But nothing do you we all get a chance to fail at something I hope you have found yours!!!
  12. I hope you don’t hate me I only did as I was told and CRITICISE I tried to do!!!
  13. God speed even though that one sef fit no save you and it’s sad you will be falling God’s hand.