Web Design Solutions, Inc. News

In a recent article released by TruckingTimes.com entitled “How Many Exhibitors Does it Take to make a Good SEMA Truck Show?” 

David Herrmeyer makes some interesting observations about the current state of the truck industry. 

In today’s market which is full of iPhone apps and bargain basement discounters, it is important to look for a competitive edge to differentiate yourself and market your added value.  Web Shop Manager™ agrees with David that “…an Internet presence is now a requirement.”  There will always be a place for brick and mortar stores, but the Internet can help give them an additional stream of income and an online presence that is an extension of the in-store experience. 

Web Shop Manager™ (WSM™) is thrilled to be working with DCI/ Catalograck.com to bring the automotive aftermarket industry a powerful answer to their eCommerce concerns.  Together we can offer a comprehensive out-of-the-box solution that provides:

Custom Web Design – WSM™ will work closely with automotive aftermarket companies to provide a solution that blends the look and feel of their brick and mortar stores with an intuitive and powerful Content Management System (CMS).

Access to over 1 Million SKUs/ 60 Million Applications – Now online store fronts can have access to over a million up-to-date SKUs instantly.  DCI/ Catalograck.com has taken the cumbersome task of entering manufacturer catalogs away from eCommerce site owners.  This allows site owners to benefit from product updates automatically by utilizing WSM™’s Automotive Product Feed Integration. 

We may not have thought of everything.  Yet…

Coupling what we consider to be the most comprehensive CMS system with DCI/ Catalograck.com’s revolutionary product database will revolutionize the way business is done.  We realize there may be some items we have not thought of offering yet.  But, we have given it a pretty good shot:

• Intuitive Content Management System (CMS), easy enough for newbies and powerful enough to keep veterans satisfied
• Live Automotive Aftermarket product feed integration from DCI / Catalograck.com
• Year/Make/Model Selector allows customers to easily find their automobile application
• Brand/Logo Management to assist customers in finding parts from their favorite manufacturers
• Unique or Global Options to help differentiate various parts, colors, and sizes
• Event Calendar, Blog, and Photo Gallery features keep site visitors in the know
• Incredibly powerful data import-export tool
• Web Hosting
• Plug-in eStore module for an existing website using iframes
• Complete product data for specific engine displacement and years
• Google Shopping data feed for your store
• Yahoo! and other shopping site feeds available
• Live chat to answer questions and make suggestions
• Integrated shopping cart and one-page checkout
• Integrated wish list
• Interactive survey feature for easy online polling
• Cross selling, up-selling, and tell-a-friend features
• Live UPS, FedEx and custom shipping rate quotes
• Gift certificates
• Limitless coupon promotion and managed order discounts
• Credit card and PayPal processing
• Real-time QuickBooks and Shipworks integration
• Point of Sale order management & processing interface
• Total customer relationship management inquiry system
• Customer service support

Changes to the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Brings Opportunity 

For better or worse the way we do business has forever been changed.  But, thankfully WSM™ and DCI/Catalograck.com are providing a solution to the entering this marketplace.  eCommerce will never replace what customers can expect from brick and mortar stores.  eCommerce sites can, however, be used to extend the reach of those wonderful establishments.  Please visit the DCi & Web Design Solutions Demo Site for more information. 

Call us today to discuss a customized solution for your eCommerce automotive aftermarket needs.  

If you have been looking for the ultimate Automotive eCommerce solution you have come to the right place. Created by an automotive enthusiast for the automotive aftermarket Automotive Web Shop Manager has every feature you could want. The fact remains that people do not want to buy parts from a broker they want to buy from another enthusiast who will help them when they have tech questions and be there to if they need help. Our platform with its complete Automotive Content Management System allows you to post engine tech articles; upload classic car restoration photo; create frequently asked questions and answers; present a survey on what aftermarket lines you should offer next; show a schedule of events including what days you will be at SEMA; even link to partner performance automotive websites.

Here are some more advantages to Web Shop Manager our Automotive Shopping Cart...

• Entire team of passionate automotive aftermarket enthusiasts.
• Top shelf, conversion oriented automotive website design.
• Best in class seamless Catalog Rack DCi eStore integration.
• Year, Make, Model, Color, Size Attributes & Options.
• Statistical dashboard covering sales and inquiries.
• Extensive built in customizable & automatic SEO.
• Google feed uploaded automatically to Google Shopping.
• Yahoo and other shopping site product feeds available.
• Integrated live chat, increase conversions to 20%!
• Web Shop Manager your automotive content management system.
• Extensive Import and Export tools with scheduling.
• Photo Gallery, Event Calendar, News Blog, Surveys, Links.
• Domain Name, Dedicated IP, Secure Checkout, PCI Compliance.
• Internal credit card processing AND/OR paypal processing.
• Revolutionary cart, wish list, and one page checkout.
• Live UPS, Fed Ex or custom shipping rate quotes.
• Limitless coupon, promotion, & order discount system.
• Built in cross sell, up sell, product reviews, Tell-a-friend.
• Automatic real-time Quickbooks and Shipworks integration.
• Total customer relationship management inquiry system.
• Extensive logging and reporting to keep tabs on your business.
• Domain redirects and landing pages for marketing and SEO.
• Point Of Sale order management & processing interface.
• Spend your time making more car parts and truck parts sales!

Get a Free Web Shop Manager Quote Now!

Our biggest hurdle in meeting customer expectations is understanding what it is that they like or what creatively. Part of that is customer communication and feedback on the design services we provide, that is why I decided to share today the most amazing logo feedback we have ever received after building hundreds of website logos (and website designs) over the last decade. This is in response to 8 logo concepts...

I like the logos. Some more than others, but Here is my review of each:

Logo 1: I like how the font is two tone and the logo is appealing, but appears to 'fitness' and less holistic, though. The font is mediocre.
Logo 2: Less appealing logo than 1 but I prefer the side by side logo and words.
Logo 3: Excellent use of logo and name. However, I fear that the logo will not be sufficient standing alone.
Logo 4: I didn't know that was a tree. LOL. I'm not a fan of the red, but the logo is good (minus tree). Also, we are not fans of the stacked words.
Logo 5: Alien logo? Font is killer, though!! Logo I could do without.
Logo 6: Perfect. My partner still needs convincing on this, but I love it. It's very creative, fresh and alluring. I am inspired by the logo, font and color coordination. I would love to see this in grey instead of black with sherbert orange accents somewhere, though. Can we do that?
Logo 7: Very 'magazine' Great for print, bad for web. Seems motorsport looking. I love how you are not afraid to utilize shading and fade. Overall, I like where you were headed with this one.
Logo 8: Very eye catching and memorable, but same as 7, as it appears motorsport. Put that font on a motorcycle exhaust and I'll buy it. Maybe this look would be good for muscular health or strength training products for us, though.

Let's see some modifications based on these comments, as well as a closer look at logo 4,6, and 7 in particular.

Moving forward with this feedback we were able to create 8 more concepts and from those the client selected a few that were 'amazing' to mock up in the template design we began working on and the final logo was selected based on a combination of what looked best in the design as well as on a business card.

Being a Web Development firm at our core, we create a lot of big projects from the ground up. The most affordable, successful, complete, on time projects always start with a detailed specifications sheet. Literally a 10 page, outline format description of every view and page on the site that a visitor would see. There are multiple reasons for this...

• To get an accurate price quote quote before committing to the project and development team.
• Something to point to if later there is a question about what was going to be done for the money being paid.
• The web designers would use this as a basis for creating all the screen shots and UI for your site.
• The developers would use this to make sure they have a clear view of all features needed for initial planning.
• To show your investors or later your purchasing party for a better valuation of the company & website.
• Most important, it allows your team to get all your thoughts together in one place.

The only thing that could be done to improve on this, for pre-production documentation is a full set of wire frames ensuring information architecture is ideal. This is a service we offer, regardless of if your planning on using us or putting out the spec for bid.

We're always asked by our new clients if there is anything they can to to help our Web Designers through the process of creating their online presence. To that we reply with an enthusiastic and resounding YES! Of course you're hiring us to take care of the whole process, but the more direction we have the better the end result will be.

• Decide what style website you want - retro, future, art deco, classy, simple, contemporary, web 2.0, glossy, organic.
• Take note of other sites that you like or dislike, what about your competitors websites or even websites you visit every day?
• Take great care filling out our Website Design Questionnaire.
• Create your own basic flow chart on how you want the site to flow. Figure out what content pages you must have. Figure out how want a visitor to flow through the site? Are you going to have video, a blog, photo gallery. Planning these sort of site characteristics opens up creative doors at the beginning of the process and are much easier to implement sooner than later.
• Gather design elements and images that you would like to have on your site. If you see a great photo, or a perfect texture or graphic, collect them send them to your designer so he/she can incorporate them into the web design early on.
• Take an active role during the design process. Create a wishlist and push the envelope on what you think is possible. Let your website design team know if they are going in the right direction or sailing into left field. Be active, ask questions, give feedback and input. Don't be shy, this is your website!

As part of moving from Hillcrest to Normal Heights / Adams Ave. Web Design Solutions is being welcomed as members of the Adams Avenue Business Association. Stop by and see us any time for a web design consultation at our San Diego corporate offices...

Web Design Solutions, Inc.
2840 Adams Ave., Suite 302
San Diego, CA, 92116
Phone: (619) 282-0424
Fax:     (888) 819-2968