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I did it! Feedback please!

Spikeroo

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Hello everyone! I finally Got everything up and running. I just launched my Ecommerce website boraskins.com For awhile there I fell off, I will admit. With money being very tight, having to get a new car and my job lining up, its finally online. I wanted to wait until I had more products for my website before launching, but a good friend with a business major told me to just get it online and add new products when I finish them, so I get get a little return in the mean time. Bora Skins is 100% operated by me, I bought a machine for cutting, I buy the rolls in bulk, I even ship all my products as well. No out sourcing here. I did some selling on eBay for awhile there, which made me some money to support itself I actually really like doing everything myself, especially the shipping. I love cutting, and hand assembling all my skins and seeing what parts they are going to. Its such an amazing feeling! Anyways, I'm mainly posting on here to get some feedback, and possible a few likes on facebook :) ( fb.com/boraskins ) I've lost many hours of sleep putting this together. If its the graphics, which I did myself, or even hand measuring all my devices for the cut out process. I'm far from done, but It's nice to know that I'm out there.

How I started.
I finally bought my very own iPhone 5s! I was soo excited to go from an iPhone 4 to an iPhone 5s! I treated it like gold, but one thing that really irritated me was my case. I absolutely hated the fact that I have to fight with my pocket to get my big bulky phone out, so I threw the case out! It was much easier sliding the phone in and out of my pocket, until one day I had my keys in my pocket with my phone, later that day I pulled my phone out and noticed a huge scratch on the back -.- I wasn't super mad, but I was kinda disappointment. Then a little after that I dropped the phone on the concrete at work and got a huge dent on the corner! As a I watched my phone slowly lose its resell value I looked on ebay for a solution, and of course, I found a skin! So I bought it, installed it and was pretty satisfied until I dropped it on the bottom, and got an even bigger dent -.- I was thinking if the skins was more thick it would be a lot better. So that's where I started researching. Mostly all skins come in about 2 mils thick. That's when I found 3M architectural film, which is 8 mils thick. I couldn't find anyone who sold them for a reasonable price, So after with my income tax Money I bought a cutter, a roll of vinyl, and the rest is history. My friends and family started buying them, now I'm wholesaling to a Gadget repair store not too far from my house, and slowly getting into a few festivals in my city which are hosted pretty often. Things are going great! I have a few more ideas to improve my skins which I will more than likely work on this tax season. So to everyone who's like me and hate cases, but don't want their device 100% unprotected, check out boraskins.com!

Thank you for reading my story, It would be highly appreciated if you could give me a like on fb! I want to start doing giveaways soon!

Thanks guys!
Brad
 
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Digamma

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Awesome, man.
One thing I notice immediately: change your homepage. Who cares about facebook and twitter?
Tell people what you're selling. Tell the story you just told us. Tell them why they need your stuff.
 

jon.a

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jon.a

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MitchC

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Could you put a video up showing your product? I'm very curious and interested it what It looks like being 8mm thick? I think the homepage should have a polished sales video demonstration, but until then could you post a crappy one here or maybe just some actual photos?

Well done anyway
 

Phones

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Making a store is easy, specially on Shopify. Your product looks great tho, congrats :)

Now the real pain starts, build a profitable funnel and market the shit out of it :)

PS: Watch out for those hefty Shopify monthly charges + extra apps
 

Spikeroo

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Could you put a video up showing your product? I'm very curious and interested it what It looks like being 8mm thick? I think the homepage should have a polished sales video demonstration, but until then could you post a crappy one here or maybe just some actual photos?

Well done anyway

I'm working on it, I'm gonna try to use an iPhone camera to show the quality of the skins. eventually I'll get a good camera when I absolutely need one, and Thank you!


What is it that you're selling? I mean that sincerely. You have to educate and intrigue potential customers, and you have 5 seconds to do that. http://fivesecondtest.com/

I sell superior scratch resistant vinyl skins, while offering a unique, yet stylish look. All while keeping your device in brand new condition.


Making a store is easy, specially on Shopify. Your product looks great tho, congrats :)

Now the real pain starts, build a profitable funnel and market the shit out of it :)

PS: Watch out for those hefty Shopify monthly charges + extra apps

Once I have a good enough audience, I'll have a new site made with wordpress. For right now now shopify is easy and quick. I'm only paying 14$ a month for it.
 
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Aimee

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It looks good, I like the design and the logo is pretty cool. :)
I'm definitely not your target audience, but my major issue is that I couldn't tell what you were actually selling from looking at the first page - the skins on the the three phones in the icons don't catch my eye, and for a moment I thought you were selling the background images on the phone screens (or maybe I'm just stupid, who knows... :D). Perhaps get rid of the fb and twitter links and use one of the sliders of your banner to explain why you are better than all the other skins out there, because right now I can't find anything which tells me why these are better than a $2 case I can order from China.

Also, the pictures you've posted of your cases on facebook look much better than the icons on your website. I'd definitely take some good 3D photos and get those uploaded too; the icons make them look kind of cheap.

Well done, though, I'm glad you're finding success! Will give you a like on fb.
 

smithsta

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Firstly I like the idea, it's unique and you have complete control by the way your doing things. I'm not sure how popular it will be but that's for you to test and find out. It could potentially be a huge hit to younger audiences.

However, my first thought was 'what the hell is this product?'. I've figured it out now from what you have said and the images on your website, but as others have said you need to use the images on Facebook for your website to demonstrate your product better. Maybe you could play around with the words a bit. Consider what would be easier to understand to a potential buyer, 'stick-on phone protector', 'stylish scratch-resistant sticker', 'ultra thin protective stick-on case'. You can then use this to better describe your product along with your product images.

Maybe you could make or outsource an explainer video and even create an application video. Do as much as you can to show what your product is, how it works, what problem it solves and how it's hassle free.

Your main page (landing page) needs changing in my opinion. You need to show off your product not just have product listings and a social media image. This is where you need a high quality banner (perhaps a slider) or a video. You could also have some copywriting. If you don't know how to write it, outsource it.

On the positive side of things you have done a great job and your taking action. Your going in the right direction getting the product up and running and then perfecting things after. I'm just launching my product and website in the mobile phone/tech niche, so if you want to chat or any advice drop me a message.

Keep up the good work!
 

Bigguns50

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1st, congrats on launching and taking action ! Seems like a great product to fill a need.

What is it that you're selling? I mean that sincerely
Dito.
I sell superior scratch resistant vinyl skins, while offering a unique, yet stylish look. All while keeping your device in brand new condition.
Tell people this ! @randomnumber314 is right when he said you have literally 5 seconds to get your proposition across and understood. If I wasn't critiquing your site, I would have left because it took me longer than 5 seconds to 'get it'. You want people to literally feel like " Oh damn ! I've gotta buy this NOW !"

Just a thought....any one of the big players can duplicate your idea, market the Hell out of it, and bury you. Ever consider selling the idea ? Have you applied for a Provisional Patent ? Just some thoughts.

Keep going !
 
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brickco

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I'm very curious and interested it what It looks like being 8mm thick?

8 mil is a lot thinner than 8mm.

I found a skin! So I bought it, installed it and was pretty satisfied until I dropped it on the bottom, and got an even bigger dent -.- I was thinking if the skins was more thick it would be a lot better. So that's where I started researching. Mostly all skins come in about 2 mils thick. That's when I found 3M architectural film, which is 8 mils thick.

This is what made me want to buy this product. Sometimes you need to sell the facts, rather than the "features and benefits". My brain instantly told me that 8 mil is 4X the normal, but a skin is still much thinner and smoother than a full-blown case. Perfect "in-between" alternative.

I sell superior scratch resistant vinyl skins, while offering a unique, yet stylish look. All while keeping your device in brand new condition.

Everyone says this.

Just my opinion, but stressing the 8mil vs 2mil is key.
 

EN_VY

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Nice. I'm not your customer, but I also do suggest that you showcase your product in your homepage. People who land on your page need to know what it is you sell in a matter of seconds. Good luck! [HASHTAG]#TeamAndroid[/HASHTAG]
 

pds

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Great job on taking action. Your friend is right...better to put it out there and adjust as you move along. As most people here mentioned, remove the social call to action on main page and focus on demonstrating your product and it's benefits.

I think a demonstration video would work great here, especially if your market is the younger crowd (short attention spans). Video should be as simple as Problem -> Solution -> Product. If you don't want to do a video, just make sure to get your product on the front page and highlight in text the benefits (not features). These benefits should be clear on the problems they solve.
 
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SlowlaneJay

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iPhone 6 page said:
is still a very young business, but rest assure we are
Should be: rest assured
Also, I would hyperlink "follow us on Facebook" so it goes to your Facebook page.

Looking good.

EDIT:
Found another one.
Contact said:
Please, don't hesitate to shoot us an email, weather it be a question, comment, or concern, we would love to hear from you!

whether not weather.

Also I would rework the punctuation:
Please don't hesitate to shoot us an email. Whether it be a question, comment, or concern— we would love to hear from you!

Actually in truth, I would rework the copy and skip the 'whether it be'. Sounds a little odd. But that's just me.

Love the 'talk to strangers' title btw.

EDIT:
Couple more. Just nitpicky punctuation stuff.

Give your Galaxy S5 a Unique look
Unique shouldn't be capitalized unless it's a brand name.

Can also be re lifted, and repositioned if needed.
Relifted? I would workshop that word (removed maybe? reapplied?). If you keep it, get rid of the space in the middle.

This Skin requires heat for the back to fit properly, we recommend using a heat gun or blow drying for 5-15 seconds to the back of the film after applying to make the film soft.
After properly, replace the comma with a period. Reword the instructions so they make more sense. For example:

This Skin requires heat for the back to fit properly. For best results, we recommend using a heat gun or blow dryer. Using a blow dryer, apply hot air to back of the film for 5-15 seconds. Once the film becomes soft, it's ready to apply!

Sorry. Not a millionaire so I don't feel qualified to critique your business itself. But happy to help where I can :)
 
Last edited:

AlterJoule

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On top of what was already said, never leave a link that doesn't work or supply info on a page.

So if you're going to have them, add the appropriate information to:
As on now, they are all blank...
 
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