Feedback would be helpful, it's my first online store ever

[przyszlymilioner]

Hi, as I mentioned in one of my previous threads, I've created an online store - no excuses. In general, I've configured everything, connected the payment gateway - the store has been live for about 2 weeks, with no sales so far (I haven't run any ads yet). I wanted to get your opinion - what do you think about this store? Does it inspire trust? Can I achieve conversions with advertising? I'm asking because personally, I feel like something is missing, like a finishing touch for sales. These are products with proven medical efficacy - that's why I wanted to avoid some before and after photos (although I feel like it might be necessary). Generally, this is a product for people who are familiar with the topic and need it. Not for random individuals who would like to try it - although that wouldn't hurt either. And another question - where should I go with advertising? If on Facebook, I assume the fan page should have followers and likes (so is it better to buy an account)? And finally, can I handle social media on my own well enough for everything to work smoothly? Honestly, I have an aversion to running social media profiles, it's not my thing at all, and it even repels me, but on the other hand, I don't want to burn through my budget by outsourcing it for now. Thanks for any opinions! www.stronghair.eu

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Jon822]

It definitely does not inspire trust. It looks like a money-chasing, low effort cash grab hidden in a professional Shopify template. There are grammar and other sentence structure errors. Did you even proofread any of the text you wrote? If you did and English is not your first language, then you may need to hire someone to write the copy.

What made you choose an online hair restoration store? What is your value-skew? What do you provide that other options don't?

 

[Devilery]

As usual, it's just another Shopify store with random dropshipping products. There is no brand, or story, or science, or social proof. The copy sucks, ChatGPT is free, use it. The products are not trustworthy, they need to be explained, backed up by science, etc.

Look up how Derek from MPMD (founder of gorilla mind and intelligent shop) sells hair restoration products. He's the go-to in this niche.

 

[Evelio]

Hi, as I mentioned in one of my previous threads, I've created an online store - no excuses. In general, I've configured everything, connected the payment gateway - the store has been live for about 2 weeks, with no sales so far (I haven't run any ads yet). I wanted to get your opinion - what do you think about this store? Does it inspire trust? Can I achieve conversions with advertising? I'm asking because personally, I feel like something is missing, like a finishing touch for sales. These are products with proven medical efficacy - that's why I wanted to avoid some before and after photos (although I feel like it might be necessary). Generally, this is a product for people who are familiar with the topic and need it. Not for random individuals who would like to try it - although that wouldn't hurt either. And another question - where should I go with advertising? If on Facebook, I assume the fan page should have followers and likes (so is it better to buy an account)? And finally, can I handle social media on my own well enough for everything to work smoothly? Honestly, I have an aversion to running social media profiles, it's not my thing at all, and it even repels me, but on the other hand, I don't want to burn through my budget by outsourcing it for now. Thanks for any opinions! www.stronghair.eu

First of all, my most sincere respect for hustling and starting something.

Most people dream of starting a business but never move a finger, or spend their lives reading about it.

You took F*cking action, which is more than most people will ever do.

So I tip my imaginary hat to you

With that said...

I think the BIGGEST issue is not the store itself. Yes, it's missing copy, a clear branding effort, etc...

But that's all secondary in my opinions and personal experience.

You need to get back to the fundamentals of business...

From what you said in your post and the actions reflected on the site you might be a bit short on money.

This could be a great motivator to get us to do things, but it often makes us want to take shortcuts...

And as a result, we smell like desperation in front of our customers.

Let me explain.

Let's say you have two friends who are identical twins. Both are single and looking to find a partner...

The first friend is confident, self-assured, and just wants to date someone he can have fun with.

The second friend is insecure, shy, and feels like he needs to find someone because he is lonely.

Now imagine they go on a date with the same girl...

Who do you think is going to give off the better energy...

The person that needs to find someone to cure his loneliness...

Or the one that is just looking to have a good time and have some fun with friends?

The same thing happens in business...

People can smell the desperation and our business often reflects our attitudes and mindset.

I fell for this trap years ago...

I hated my job back then and wanted to make money so I could quit my job.

So I tried different businesses but I felt like I was constantly running around with a flat tire.

No matter how hard I worked, I felt stuck.

Sure I made a little money here and there, but I was more miserable than when I had a job.

I'll cut the story short for the sake of time...

But nowadays, in any business I create I truly focus on starting with a customer in mind first.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not Mother Theresa doing things without caring about money...

I love money and the game itself.

But I no longer do things out of desperation...

Now with all that out of the way, let me try to give you some practical things I would do If I started a hair product company...

The first thing I would do is create an audience.

Even before starting a store, setting up merchant accounts, or anything like that.

To do that, you need to figure out what you want your business to be...

And more importantly, who you want to do business with.

Do you want to help moms who just had a baby and are losing their hair? Her body is exploding with wild hormonal changes than a nuke inside a sauna.

She's tired from waking up every two hours to feed her new baby.

She feels insecure because any time she looks in the mirror she sees a different body.

The curves in her waist that she often used to get compliments on, are now stretched in different directions, decorated by red stretch marks that she feels will forever make her ugly.

She cries a lot.

And now on top of that, the only thing she was still proud of was not starting to fall.

Her hand and shower floor are filled with rolls of hair that is falling out...

Or...

Maybe you're looking to help single guys who are insecure because their hair is too thin and they want thicker hair.

Every audience is different.

What they feel and experience is different.

We buy because we want to feel or get rid of an EMOTION, NOT because we want to buy a PRODUCT.

The emotion a new mom feels is different than what the single dude feels.

And since we are in the business of trying to sell EMOTIONS, not products...

You need to pick your audience. I know it might sound cliche but it's important.

Once you have someone in mind, figure out what emotions and experiences she or he feels.

And that's the first step.

If you're serious about starting a business, let's figure this step out and we can then talk about what comes next.

Once I understood this first principle of starting with an audience first, things changed for me.

Everything was certainly clear and things fell into place.

Business became a fun journey. I was more creative. And I ran over any competitor...

Selling also became much simpler.

I sell what my customer begs for... I no longer have to bed them.

I'm rooting for you!
Evelio.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[smackenzie]

I agree with @Evelio here.
Kudos for starting something. It's the only way to grow.

If you look at my profile picture, I've made a different choice around hair, so I'm not the target market, but...

I think the BIGGEST issue is not the store itself. Yes, it's missing copy, a clear branding effort, etc...

But that's all secondary in my opinions and personal experience.

You need to get back to the fundamentals of business...

Currently it looks like you've done a search for some hair restoration dropshipping products and stuck them on a website.

One of the most important things I personally think people need when buying on the internet is trust. Why should anyone buy from your website and not the thousand others selling the exact same products?

Generally, this is a product for people who are familiar with the topic and need it. Not for random individuals who would like to try it - although that wouldn't hurt either.

If the intended buyer is familiar with the product, they are likely already purchasing it, or have information about it from another website. They will likely buy it from the place where they got the information from.

You can gain trust many different ways, here are a couple that I've used before in a different industry:

• By leveraging someone else's trust. Maybe by selling on Ebay or Amazon etc. getting reviews and building a reputation.
• You can have a good story to tell. Do you personally have an issue with hair loss? Can you share an experience with your potential customers that may help them better understand the value you are offering?

One of the things I am learning from TMF and other books I've been reading is that you want to stay away from commodity businesses (selling the same thing as everyone else, with no unique selling proposition). Unless you have an exceptional talent in making sales, you are always going to be fighting to sell for the lowest price to get customers. You would be much better finding a product that provides value to a very specific person in a very specific way, just like @Evelio said.
Do this before you spend any money on a website, and definitely before you burn all your money on advertising.

Out of curiosity, who did you plan on marketing the products to?

 

[przyszlymilioner]

It definitely does not inspire trust. It looks like a money-chasing, low effort cash grab hidden in a professional Shopify template. There are grammar and other sentence structure errors. Did you even proofread any of the text you wrote? If you did and English is not your first language, then you may need to hire someone to write the copy.

What made you choose an online hair restoration store? What is your value-skew? What do you provide that other options don't?

Thank you for your response. Let's say that my uniqueness lies in the combination of active ingredients. It's not exactly the same product that you can buy on any random auction on eBay.

First of all, my most sincere respect for hustling and starting something.

Most people dream of starting a business but never move a finger, or spend their lives reading about it.

You took F*cking action, which is more than most people will ever do.

So I tip my imaginary hat to you

With that said...

I think the BIGGEST issue is not the store itself. Yes, it's missing copy, a clear branding effort, etc...

But that's all secondary in my opinions and personal experience.

You need to get back to the fundamentals of business...

From what you said in your post and the actions reflected on the site you might be a bit short on money.

This could be a great motivator to get us to do things, but it often makes us want to take shortcuts...

And as a result, we smell like desperation in front of our customers.

Let me explain.

Let's say you have two friends who are identical twins. Both are single and looking to find a partner...

The first friend is confident, self-assured, and just wants to date someone he can have fun with.

The second friend is insecure, shy, and feels like he needs to find someone because he is lonely.

Now imagine they go on a date with the same girl...

Who do you think is going to give off the better energy...

The person that needs to find someone to cure his loneliness...

Or the one that is just looking to have a good time and have some fun with friends?

The same thing happens in business...

People can smell the desperation and our business often reflects our attitudes and mindset.

I fell for this trap years ago...

I hated my job back then and wanted to make money so I could quit my job.

So I tried different businesses but I felt like I was constantly running around with a flat tire.

No matter how hard I worked, I felt stuck.

Sure I made a little money here and there, but I was more miserable than when I had a job.

I'll cut the story short for the sake of time...

But nowadays, in any business I create I truly focus on starting with a customer in mind first.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not Mother Theresa doing things without caring about money...

I love money and the game itself.

But I no longer do things out of desperation...

Now with all that out of the way, let me try to give you some practical things I would do If I started a hair product company...

The first thing I would do is create an audience.

Even before starting a store, setting up merchant accounts, or anything like that.

To do that, you need to figure out what you want your business to be...

And more importantly, who you want to do business with.

Do you want to help moms who just had a baby and are losing their hair? Her body is exploding with wild hormonal changes than a nuke inside a sauna.

She's tired from waking up every two hours to feed her new baby.

She feels insecure because any time she looks in the mirror she sees a different body.

The curves in her waist that she often used to get compliments on, are now stretched in different directions, decorated by red stretch marks that she feels will forever make her ugly.

She cries a lot.

And now on top of that, the only thing she was still proud of was not starting to fall.

Her hand and shower floor are filled with rolls of hair that is falling out...

Or...

Maybe you're looking to help single guys who are insecure because their hair is too thin and they want thicker hair.

Every audience is different.

What they feel and experience is different.

We buy because we want to feel or get rid of an EMOTION, NOT because we want to buy a PRODUCT.

The emotion a new mom feels is different than what the single dude feels.

And since we are in the business of trying to sell EMOTIONS, not products...

You need to pick your audience. I know it might sound cliche but it's important.

Once you have someone in mind, figure out what emotions and experiences she or he feels.

And that's the first step.

If you're serious about starting a business, let's figure this step out and we can then talk about what comes next.

Once I understood this first principle of starting with an audience first, things changed for me.

Everything was certainly clear and things fell into place.

Business became a fun journey. I was more creative. And I ran over any competitor...

Selling also became much simpler.

I sell what my customer begs for... I no longer have to bed them.

I'm rooting for you!
Evelio.

Thank you for this great post. You know what, you're absolutely right—I hate my full-time job so much that I want to break free from this insane loop of corporate work at all costs. I don't want to look for another one. I see a lot of similarities in your story. I enjoy helping people, want to assist them, and aim to make significant money from it. Honestly, today I feel torn, maybe a bit desperate, but not because I lack money; it's just that breaking free from this corporate loop and working on my own terms means so much to me. I need to read your post again calmly and give it some serious thought.

I agree with @Evelio here.
Kudos for starting something. It's the only way to grow.

If you look at my profile picture, I've made a different choice around hair, so I'm not the target market, but...



Currently it looks like you've done a search for some hair restoration dropshipping products and stuck them on a website.

One of the most important things I personally think people need when buying on the internet is trust. Why should anyone buy from your website and not the thousand others selling the exact same products?




If the intended buyer is familiar with the product, they are likely already purchasing it, or have information about it from another website. They will likely buy it from the place where they got the information from.

You can gain trust many different ways, here are a couple that I've used before in a different industry:

• By leveraging someone else's trust. Maybe by selling on Ebay or Amazon etc. getting reviews and building a reputation.
• You can have a good story to tell. Do you personally have an issue with hair loss? Can you share an experience with your potential customers that may help them better understand the value you are offering?

One of the things I am learning from TMF and other books I've been reading is that you want to stay away from commodity businesses (selling the same thing as everyone else, with no unique selling proposition). Unless you have an exceptional talent in making sales, you are always going to be fighting to sell for the lowest price to get customers. You would be much better finding a product that provides value to a very specific person in a very specific way, just like @Evelio said.
Do this before you spend any money on a website, and definitely before you burn all your money on advertising.

Out of curiosity, who did you plan on marketing the products to?

Thank you also for your post! The product is primarily dedicated to men, although there are occasional women who also benefit from it.

 

[smackenzie]

Thank you also for your post! The product is primarily dedicated to men, although there are occasional women who also benefit from it.

You're welcome.

Honestly, there are people in this forum with a lot more marketing experience than me, but here's my advice to you after running an ecommerce business for 8 years.
If you are trying to advertise to men, you could likely spend $100,000 in about 10 minutes and get 0 responses. It's way too generic and you would be wasting your money.
You would need to be a lot more specific than that.

Better would be something like the below:
25-30 year old single males living in New York who suffer from male pattern baldness and are embarrassed to try finding a life partner because of it.

If you can come up with a very specific person like the one above, is it someone you can provide value to? Is your offer of value better than other businesses?

Then you can target your website directly to them, add proper content to help with search engines finding you.

It will be a lot more profitable to find and market to them on social media because the costs to advertise will be cheaper.

You will also be able to find keywords for a google ad campaign if that's what you want to do as well.

Be very specific about the person you are trying to help, and make sure you can really offer them value before you try and help them. If you do that first, then you can start to find other people who need the same or similar help.

All the best, Scott

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.