Hey everyone.
This Halloween in the GBFans Shop has been hugely successful. In the last few months I’ve personally shipped nearly ten thousand items to our customers. Shipping out orders has taken over every aspect of my day to day life, and I had been shipping 30-70 orders per day nearly every day in October. It has been difficult to deal with the volume and many other aspects of GBFans have suffered. To recouperate, I will be shutting down the Ghostbusters Fans Shop for the month of November and will not be accepting any new orders. (If you have an outstanding order, or are expecting an order in the next few weeks these will still ship).
Despite being closed, there will still be work to be done! I will be focusing largely on completely revamping the Shop software. For the past 6-8 months, I’ve been working on a completely new version of the Shop. With the shop closed, I will be able to work on transitioning to the new software and putting the finishing touches on the software.
Here is a list of features I have / will implement. I would love to have your feedback on the features.
Expanded Product Descriptions
We will be changing how the products are displayed and will be providing a much larger and accurate description of each item. Some items will have separate product specifications, dimensions, and other ratings in a separate table.
Multiple images per product
Each shop item will have multiple pictures and views when possible. Most of the images will be completely redone and will more accurately show exactly what you are getting (from multiple views).
Better Inventory Tracking
More items will be available, and less items will go out of stock. For items that we stock from other suppliers (such as Clippard, SMC, and others) we will always have available. If an item goes out of stock, it will be estimated when the item will be available again… and you will be able to order out of stock items. This means you can place one large order instead of waiting for each item to come back in stock. (This will only apply to items that we can always get restocked, and not items that may not be restocked such as custom items.)
Bulk Pricing
There will be bulk pricing on certain items. Ordering over a specific amount will yield a lower price per item. For example, ordering for all franchise members might yield a lower price vs ordering one single item. This will also be good for resellers, or customers that are stocking up.
Better Shipping Choices
There will be more choices for shipping, including rush delivery and overnight shipping. Packages will be sorted more accurately (in stock and out of stock items) and packages will be sized more accurately. The system will calculate the size of the box that will be required (which will result in more accurate shipping prices). Cheaper flat rate options will be added. Options will include USPS Parcel Select, First Class, Priority, Express and UPS Overnight, 2nd Day, 3rd Day and Ground. All prices will be calculated directly by USPS and UPS and returned back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Each product will be accompanied by a FAQ section with the most frequently asked questions regarding that product if applicable. This will hopefully make ordering much easier for fans that have questions.
Product Reviews
Customers that have placed an order for the item previously will be able to rate the item and post a review to help others. Items with low reviews will be re-evaluated and improved (though, there shouldn’t be many of those!).
Wishlist / Mailing List
The mailing list will be changing from how it currently works. Items that are in stock (but you are not ready to buy), or items that are not in stock can be added to the wishlist. You will then be notified when there is a change to that specific item, rather than being notified when there is a change to all items. The exception to that will be notifications when a new item has been added.
The wishlist will also be used for customers to express interest in an item. Lets say there is an item we haven’t stocked in a long time. If we see a lot of people adding that item to their wishlist, we will be able to use that as a way to gauge interest.
Product Bundles
There will be product bundles available for customers that aren’t sure exactly what to buy. For example, when looking to put together a uniform, there will be a bundle that contains the Flight Suit, Patches and Belt. The whole bundle will be available for a cheaper price compared to ordering the items individually.
More Payment Options
In addition to accepting PayPal, we will be able to directly process credit cards. This will open up the ability for customers to provide a credit card for a pre-order… and not have the card charged until it is ready to ship. (Accepted cards: Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Discover). Possibly also add the ability to pay with Bitcoin (if there is interest).
Possible other features:
Gift Certificates
In addition to redeeming Gift Certificates (which you can already do), you will also be able to buy Gift Certificates to use as gifts.
Coupons
Coupon codes could apply to specific items that would provide discounts, or discounts could be given when an order total reaches a specific point… free shipping.. etc.
Billing
Lots of customers ask to be billed for replacement parts on their order. Currently this is not possible. We may make the system be capable of having invoices that can be paid through GBFans. For example we can setup custom orders, and then the system will send an invoice… which will then ship when paid for.
Those are just some of the features we have planned. If you have a suggestion or idea you would like to see implemented, post some feedback!
That’s okay you deserve a break. Can’t wait to check out the new store.