HC Blog

Whew! I have been working for what feels like months on the storetop menus and they are finally ready for beta testing. What I mean by that is that I have not rolled the change out across the site yet, but I’ve created links that allow users to turn them on and off and try them out.

What are storetop menus?

They are menu bars that will appear at the top of every store that allow the shopper to navigate through HC much more easily. In addition, in Firefox and Chrome, the menu bars stay fixed at the top of the window, so no matter where you’ve scrolled down to on the item listing, you can still see what time it is, and access all the features of the menu.

So what are these wonderful new features?

• There are drop-down menus so the shopper can navigate to his/her My HC and other utility pages
• There are drop-downs to navigate back to the HC calendar or search page
• There are store-level drop downs that can take the shopper to the store’s feedback page, main page, mark the store as a favorite or share the store via social networking sites like facebook, twitter, etc. There’s also a new store-level search page to search through the listings of a single store
• There are item-level drop downs which allow the shopper to spot the item, share it via social networks, or my favorite new feature: we’ve partnered with MyRegistry.com to allow the items to be added to a universal registry list (along with items from any other site on the web)

So, how do you access this amazing new menu?

Click on this link to turn the menu on site-wide: http://hyenacart.com/calendar.php?stmenu=1

After clicking on that link, all the stores will have the storetop menu.

If you’d like to revert back to non-storemenu view, you can click on http://hyenacart.com/calendar.php?stmenu=0

Please leave comments, questions, and bugs under this blog posting. I’m especially interested in having you test this on your own store, to confirm that the menu does not conflict with your store’s design. I’ve tested a lot of stores, but obviously, I can’t test them all. I know of two bugs that will need to be fixed via modifying a store’s design. If, in your style sheet, you define a body tag margin at the top of the page, it causes a horizontal white bar to appear. Zeroing out the margin fixes this. Also, any store with white or very light font will not work well with the menu since it has a white background, so we’ll need to put a quick fix in. I have an idea how to do this, but need a store to test it on, so please send me a link if this applies to you.

In addition to the store menu, there are a few other enhancements:

• Slight reformatting of product listing pages to make them more readable and user friendly (in HCS, price is now shown up by the title, and time left until stocking is listed at bottom of listing)
• Stores with paid time longer than two months in the past will show up as inactive. This is to prevent sales from stores where sellers have not listed in a while (we’ve had both annoyed sellers who assumed their listings would expire with their paid time, and annoyed shoppers who have purchased items from old stores)

I’ll add more if I can think of it, but that’s the main gist. Please let me know what you all think. I’ve had the menus turned on for a week or so now and find it much easier to navigate. Plus, I’ve had a ton of fun sharing links via facebook and twitter. Which reminds me, we’d love to have you join the HC facebook page, fan page, and follow us on twitter.

Thanks everyone!

*ETA* OK — known bug — the drop downs are not working in IE. Will get that fixed as soon as I can figure it out! Fixed that error. Please refresh a few times if the menus are looking funky

It’s just non-stop updates lately, huh?

OK — first of all, if you log into your vendor page and go to Product Listings >> View/Edit items, you will see that there is now a column called “Spots.” This column shows you the number of Spots that listing has received. So far, people don’t seem too opposed to having this number be public, so that may come with the new storetop menus, but we’ll see how it goes. In addition, I’ve updated the shoppers’ My HC pages to allow the capability of deleting Spots. I was hesitant about doing this at first, but have decided it makes the most sense to give the shoppers the ability to organize their lists as needed.

More updates to come soon. Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update for HCS sellers. You’ve probably noticed that the comments never come through on your order emails. That’s because the email gets sent out immediately, even before the buyer has had a chance to enter comments. I’ve just altered the order confirmation email to clarify this point. In addition, if the buyer does enter comments, an additional email will now be sent to the seller to alert him/her. Recall that you can always see the full details of the order (including comments) via the order history page.

Also, I’ve posted a poll on the forums regarding showing the number of Spots a listing has received — whether to keep it private or show it publicly. Please respond when you get a chance: poll

Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to make sure all bath and body and edibles sellers are aware of this: you must, by law, have an ingredients label on all of the products you sell. I am not an expert in this area, so there may well be exceptions to this that I don’t fully understand, but as a general principle, you really should include an ingredients label if an item is to be ingested, used as a cosmetic (including lotions or creams), or is a soap with therapeutic claim (e.g., good for dry skin). If you want more info, here is a link to start with: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-lbl.html . As a shopper of the yummy B&B offerings on HC myself, I would also add that having an ingredients statement on your listing is important as well. It helps people with allergies avoid ingredients that could cause issues, and also gives a level of confidence in the product.

Please ensure that your products are correctly labeled with ingredients and strongly consider adding an ingredients statement to all of your listings.

In other news, there are several exciting projects in the works which will hopefully get rolled out in the next few months including an improved search, the menu bars mentioned in this post (don’t worry, I’ll give a chance for you to give feedback before it’s totally complete), and some new very cool store templates. We’ll also be running another ad in Mothering as well as the Summer issue of Brain, Child. Thanks everyone, for hosting your stores on HC!

Hi all,

Just wanted to notify you of a few HC Multi features I’ve added:

1. Shoppers now have a space during checkout to leave comments. They can also leave comments during the Paypal checkout process. These comments are all added together and recorded in the database (viewable on the order details page)
2. On your order detail page (as a seller), there is now a field where you can record notes to yourself regarding the order. These are only viewable by you, the seller.
3. The shipping method chosen is no longer shown in the Buyer’s Memo field, but it continues to be shown in the order details table (to the left of the shipping amount)
4. The order details have been added to the email that gets sent to both the buyer and the seller

Please email the support desk at support [at] hyenacart.com if anything seems to be working incorrectly.

In other news, the CPSC has issued a stay of enforcement of the CPSIA. What this means is that you should still do the due diligence to ensure that your items are lead-free, but the testing and issuance of certificates is not necessary until next year (and work is ongoing to amend and improve this law). Please continue to remain in contact with your goverment representatives and request the changes detailed in this earlier post.

Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to give you fair warning that there will be a print ad (our first, woohoo!) for Hyena Cart in the “Home Delivery” section of the March / April issue of Mothering. It will look something like this:

I was originally going to make it a surprise, but then I decided you all might like some advanced warning so you can make sure to have some items in-stock. I believe that issue will hit the newsstands on March 1. We’ll see what happens

In addition, I’ve posted some buttons and banners on the HC Marketing page. Please consider posting these on your websites, blogs, forums, etc.

So how does all this marketing activity square with our fears regarding the CPSIA? Here’s my personal opinion (not official HC policy or anything — just my take as a shop owner): I am doing the due diligence to ensure that any products I sell are lead-free. The more research I do, the more I realize that cloth, wool, thread, etc. are as lead-free as it gets. These materials just don’t contain lead. Nor do any of the commonly used acid dyes (Prochem, etc.) contain lead. Thus, I will continue to list my items as I always have. Maybe with a little extra information explaining why they are lead-free (I mean, that’s always good to know, right?) But I am not going to let a poorly written law render my perfectly safe items illegal. Law makers and the CPSC are realizing the flaws in their document, and, I believe, are working to correct them. But in the meantime, I am going to continue with business as usual, whether they correct the flaws before Feb. 10 or not. Here’s a great link that was posted on the HC Forums a little while ago. It is a letter to the CPSC from the House of Representatives. In this letter, the House urges the CPSC to add an exemption to the law for “… children’s books that have no unusual components or materials beyond those of an ordinary book,” and “… children’s apparel that consists entirely of dyed or undyed fabric that is unlikely to contain excess amounts of lead and does not include metal, plastic, or painted components that may contain amounts of lead in excess of the law’s limits.” This would be in addition to the already proposed amendments which would exempt gemstones, untreated wood, and natural (undyed) fibers.

Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone,

By now, many of you have read or heard discussions regarding the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) which is scheduled to take effect on February 10, 2009 (this link will take you directly to the government’s informational page). I’ll quote from Jen Taggert’s blog, The Smart Mama, as she sets up the background very succinctly:

On August 14, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).  It was drafted as a toy safety law in response, at least in part, to the numerous recalls in 2007 for lead in children’s toys and jewelry.  It was also drafted in response to the tragic death of a 4 year old after ingesting a charm that was almost pure lead.

It was designed to be a toy safety law, but its reach is much, much broader.  And, like all broadly written, reactionary laws, it has very significant, it appears largely unforeseen consequences.  Like perhaps putting out of business thousands of small manufacturers of children’s products, including some of my favorites - the small manufacturers of reusable cloth diapers, natural wood toys, handcrafted costumes, and innovative children’s products.

I want to address two specific points with regards to this legislation: 1) how will this specifically affect what you sell on HC / will HC be making any changes in reaction to this law? and 2) what actions can you personally take to keep this law does not negatively affecting your business?

So, point 1:  how will this specifically affect what you sell on HC / will HC be making any changes in reaction to this law? In short, HC will not be taking any action at this time. The law is not clearly written, and it would be premature to do anything differently for now. If you, as a seller, wish to make changes to the items you offer, that is, of course, your choice. Just bear in mind that there is a lot of misinformation and rumor in the internet community and your best bet is to refer directly to the government’s site for answers. In addition, it seems there is still time to amend the law (more on this in point 2). Finally, a CPSC spokesperson has been quoted as saying, “There are exceptions to the testing rule for crafters making only one unique copy of each item.” (see this article). Unfortunately, this statement has been retracted. There are currently no exclusions written into the law for one-of-a-kind items.

On to point 2:  what actions can you personally take to ensure that this law does not negatively affect your business? Three things:

1. By Jan 30, 2009, follow the directions on this document to suggest changes to the law, for example:
1. Exempt products made from materials that are very unlikely to contain lead - fabric, paper, wood, etc.
2. Exempt categories of items such as books, unadorned textiles, or handmade items made in the USA and Canada.
3. Exempt products from Canada or the EU that are already certified under standards that meet or exceed the CPSC standard.
2. Write to your Congressperson, notifying them of your concerns regarding this law. This site has excellent suggestions for the content of your communication.
3. Starting tomorrow, vote for this issue on change.org to bring it to the attention of the new administration as soon as possible.

There’s no doubt that this law is a cause for concern. However, rather than panic, the best thing to do is to take action to influence the legislation and ensure that it fulfills its intentions while allowing our businesses to continue. Please consider taking the actions outlined above to protect our handmade community.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I would really appreciate hearing your viewpoint on a possible change to the Hyena Cart storefronts. Let me start by saying this is far from a done deal. It is in the conceptual stages, no work has been done other than a few mock ups, so now is the time to voice your opinion. Let me also ask that any comments remain positive and constructive. This is supposed to be an improvement, and something that increases the usability of the site for everyone. I am gearing up to start some advertising early next year, and there’s no point in bringing potential shoppers in, only to have them turn away in confusion.

OK - so the background is that newbie shoppers get very confused with the current HC layout. They find it jarring and disconcerting to be at HC one moment, and then immersed in a completely different design/layout in the next (I’ve heard it described as being like going to a mall, entering a shop, and then being stuck in the store, unable to see how to get back out into the hallway). On top of that, I have more functionality I would like to add to the site, and I think it’s getting more and more confusing, where to look on the store pages to find the right link / info. So I’d like to put a header at the top of the stores that contains all the relevant info for the shopper. I’m very sensitive to the fact that people want to protect the look of their stores, but I’m trying to balance this with shoppability for newbies, especially as I start advertising and bringing new traffic in.

So, with all that said, what do you think of this (shown on several example storefronts):

The “This item” menu would only be available if the shopper were viewing an item (as opposed to the main store page, or an info page, etc.) And those would be drop-down menus, so wouldn’t be expanded like that all the time I also may need to think of better titles than “This store” “This item” but that’s all I could come up with for now.

And then, of course, all the text that is currently in the store fronts “Hello Karen, you are logged in and ready to shop” etc. etc. would no longer need to be there, meaning your actual listings would be higher up on the page.

I see a few main disadvantages: 1) the addition of this bar at the top of your shop designs, but I think it’s pretty unobtrusive; 2) those of you who have designs that are seamless with your main site… well, when shoppers click through to an HC page, they’ll now see that bar at the top, so it won’t be totally seamless anymore.

Main advantages: 1) shoppers have a really consistent shopping experience as they move through the site, making it much less confusing; 2) spotting, marking favorites, contact page, etc. are all accessible in one easy-to-find location; 3) I can add more functionality and bury it in the menus, thus not taking up more real estate in your shops and listing pages.

Please let me know your thoughts!

You can join the discussion in progress on this thread, or leave a comment on the blog. Thanks!

ETA: based on the discussion so far, if I were to do this, two things would definitely be included: 1) customizable colors for the header bar; 2) a “search this store” option

Edited again to add another option:

OK — here’s another option. It’s a simple replacement of the text that’s already there — and the addition of drop-down choices when the text is clicked (or hovered over — need to think about that some more).

Advantage: no change in seamless nature of carts

Disadvantage: still takes a little hunting by the shopper to find the links back to HC, if that’s their goal. However, it’s occurred to me, after a night’s sleep, that shoppers find many things confusing about HC, not the least of which are previewing items, Buy Nows, lotteries, etc. and I have no plans to change those, so it just might be that the ’separate but linked stores’ is just another one of those things that shoppers have to get educated about when using HC. I don’t know…

So here are images of what the integrated menu might look like — sellers would be able to adjust the color / fonts, etc. using style sheets, much as they do now:

So. let’s continue the discussion…

Hi all,

Hope your fall is going well. I just wanted to send out a quick note to adjust the policy on Featured Shops listings. From here on in, Featured Shops images will be limited to product images only (i.e., no text, clip art, etc.). One of the purposes of the images is to enhance the visual impression of the site, and I feel that the best way to do this is with great photographs of your beautiful items. Let your items speak for themselves and draw the shoppers in! I am going to leave the currently running ads alone, but any ads uploaded after this evening will be suspended if they contain text or non-product images. I will then give the seller a chance to upload a different image and restart the ad. Thanks for your cooperation!

Hi everyone,

I’ve just installed a script which allows you to submit your listings to Google Base. For those of you who don’t know, Google Base is a searchable database for product listings on the internet. From their website, “Simply describe your items on Base to make them as easy as possible for people to find when they search.” I’ve put together an HC Google Base tutorial here: http://hyenacart.com/googlebase_tut.php .

So get out there and submit your listing to Google Base, already, it’s free, it’s pretty easy, and it will hopefully bring in new traffic to your store.

Have fun!