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I think it looks really nice:
http://www.thehillsmarket.com
That is all. ;)
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Shopping
The Hills Market Launches New Website
[11 posts] [6 contributors]
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JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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Yeah, agreed. The site looks good, but even more so the content strategy is spot on. Nice work. It's a personal thing, but I don't care for the left alignment or the wood background. I just wanna get in there and read that content without distractions.
Posted 1 year ago # -
JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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spindle wrote >>
Thanks guys. Just out of curiosity, jon, why does the alignment bug you?I usually have other applications windows on both of my displays (cinema display and laptop) arranged to support sites that are center aligned.
With the overall layout fairly wide (looks like it's about 1070px wide, including the large green nav box), I have to fiddle with my browser (Firefox 3.6.6) to efficiently navigate the site with it being left aligned and a bottom scroll bar appearing.
Like I mentioned, it's just a personal pet peeve. The site looks great and getting that deeper, community oriented content should pay huge dividends to Hills. Excellent thought process and well done.
Posted 1 year ago # -
JoeMitchell
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Not to get off topic but this is somewhat related to the discussion involving the new chocolate shop in the SN.
Dollars spent on marketing/branding versus dollars spent on product/service improvement.
The new website is nice, looks hip and cool, do not take offense if you are the designer, I like.
But, when I saw the post what I was really hoping for is still stuck in the "coming soon" part of the development, the online grocery.
Just shooting from the hip here, my wish list
I want updated products, produce, seafood, meat with information and price
I want to be able to point and click to order items, be able to enter quantity; one gallon of milk, 2lbs of steak, 2 bunch asparagus or whatever
I want to be a preferred online customer, keep my dob info for alcohol purchases, keep my credit card info so I don't have to enter or swipe, give me a pin/id number or something
I want to do my shopping online at during lunch hour, then be able to call or text/email ahead for a 30 minute pickup window, I want to give an attendant the pin/id number, pop my trunk, have the groceries placed in my trunk, get a receipt, then drive away, or have them delivered
Hills Market - The new website is nice, but does nothing in the way of increasing my purchases. I am already a customer, I drive past twice daily, being able to efficiently order online and pickup would greatly increase my purchases.
Posted 1 year ago # -
JonMyers
HCMC ✈
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Joe, those are great ideas, but will they better serve the larger audience. I wouldn't know without testing it, but I doubt most of what you want would get the best ROI given the complexity of executing some of those business processes.
Regarding the chocolate shop in the Short North, and money spent on branding and online. Here are some stats for online searches related to the Short North.
This is why I get so pissed off with the SNBA, when they piddle away resources, time and energy into something like High Ball, and not invest the same amount of focus on online, which happens predictably every single month.
Those 90,000 people a month that are searching for "short north" are likely looking to visit - the Short North. They want to do something and have intention.
Those 2,900 people a month who are searching for "short north restaurant" have commercial intention, meaning they want to buy something or eat. Most likely at the very moment they're hungry.
What kind of business wouldn't want to have a well developed brand, site and social channels to capture and support that search intention and convert that into brick and mortar traffic and more money?
I don't pick up any of the crappy magazines in town when I'm ready to do something, when I'm ready to buy something and I'm not compelled by the white noise of ads in those publications. It's never top of mind.
When I'm ready to do something and when thousands upon thousands of people are ready to do something, with intention - they often go online
Posted 1 year ago # -
itinerantfoodie
Columbus
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Hi there! Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
The new site is actually the first half of a two-part improvement on Hills' web presence. The staff at Hills is currently neck-deep in developing an online store. The online store will pretty much have everything that you're looking for, Joe (with the exception of the alcohol DOB scanning technology. Will have to look into that.) There will be a delivery option, as well as a pick-up option. Every item in the store will be represented on the site, with pictures and descriptions. As you can imagine, this is a massive project (involving the editing of thousands of tiny little pictures of Snowville Milk, Hills Own Ham Salad and every other non-traditional grocery item by yours truly.) The store will be up this summer.
You can get a sneak preview of the services the online store will offer here: http://customgrocery.com/ (We're their first real-life grocery store client, by the way. The rest of their clients are e-businesses only.)
Currently, you'll be able to find new items on the blog: thehillsmarket.com/blog.
Patrick (from Spindle) did an incredible job at helping Hills to start this process and to communicate just what the store does.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Stacky
Franklinton
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I like the simplicity of layout and how much easier it is to get my questions answered or see upcoming events. Way to go!
The background isn't distracting for me, but I did notice the left alignment. It doesn't really affect anything for me, but I have noticed that I tend to be more attracted to pages that use more of the available width of the screen (as opposed to, say, blogs that center their posts on a narrow vertical strip with lots of space on either side). I'm curious - is there any particular reason for alignment one way or the other?
Posted 1 year ago # -
JoeMitchell
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itinerantfoodie wrote >>
Hi there! Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
The new site is actually the first half of a two-part improvement on Hills' web presence. The staff at Hills is currently neck-deep in developing an online store. The online store will pretty much have everything that you're looking for, Joe (with the exception of the alcohol DOB scanning technology. Will have to look into that.) There will be a delivery option, as well as a pick-up option. Every item in the store will be represented on the site, with pictures and descriptions. As you can imagine, this is a massive project (involving the editing of thousands of tiny little pictures of Snowville Milk, Hills Own Ham Salad and every other non-traditional grocery item by yours truly.) The store will be up this summer.
You can get a sneak preview of the services the online store will offer here: http://customgrocery.com/ (We're their first real-life grocery store client, by the way. The rest of their clients are e-businesses only.)
Currently, you'll be able to find new items on the blog: thehillsmarket.com/blog.
Patrick (from Spindle) did an incredible job at helping Hills to start this process and to communicate just what the store does.hell yeah, boom goes the dynamite
Posted 1 year ago # -
JoeMitchell
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I can't wait to have this conversation..
"Honey what's for dinner?"
"Ribeyes, I did some grocery shopping this afternoon, pick it up from hills on your way home."
Posted 1 year ago # -
JoeMitchell
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John - But how many of those possible customers are searching for direct contact with the business as opposed to searching for independent third party reviews of the business
I guess none because review was not listed in keyword search
However, as average Joe the plumber consumer, I completely rely on these third party sites; yelp, urbanspoon, CU; almost to a fault. There is a certain raw fish establishment on one of the hip corners in the city. The signage is cool, the colors are cool, the music is cool, the website is cool, but the reviews of their product by other consumers like me are poor so therefore I choose to learn from other's mistakes and not visit this establishment. Then you have a place like rayrays pit, I would have never heard of it other than third party reviews, the service is slow, the hours are off, they may tell you that the ribs are sold out, but the product keeps bringing me back.
I don't like to be over advertised to, if that is even a phrase, it is a turn off.
To me good product/service is like winning, it masks other problems.
Posted 1 year ago #
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