We're having a spring clean
January 12 2012 – thisisknit
The new year always brings on thoughts of resolutions and fresh starts, and so it's proved here at This Is Knit. With the new unit all up and running, it's time to devote a bit of loving attention to the online shop.
It will benefit from a bit of dusting and a bit of hoovering and a bit of renovation. So we're closing it down for a month or so while we make it all shiny and new. We hope this doesn't cause you any inconvenience at all - in fact, it's only the online shop that's affected. We're still delighted to take your orders by phone or by email - just get in touch and we can help you choose anything we stock. Since we post out orders every afternoon, in most cases you'll have your squishy parcel the day after ordering.
We're rather excited about the changes that we've got planned, but we'd like to ask for your input too. If you've used the online shop in the past, do you have any thoughts on how your experience could have been improved? If you haven't, what features would tempt you to do so? We'd really like to hear from you in the comments about this.
Now, where's that mop?
5 comments
I love when books/patterns are on a website but it also has an image of each pattern in the book with details of needles, type of wool used and quantities for each size. It means i can sit, order all on one go and know how much it will cost me. Maybe also suggested substitutions of wool if others work well (I think is knitters are much less tied to suggested yarn from patterns then we used to be)
I second close ups of the wool, images with all colour ways and good deal on postage if we are spending over a certain amount!
All above comments seconded but also things other customers have done with the yarn
I am always inspired by personal comments and recommendations so staff picks a great idea
I love paying by PayPal – don’t know if that is an option for you financially but I would like it
it’s hard trying to recreate the fun of the shop online but I think it’s all about the people
It’s your staff and customers opinions of yarns and patterns etc that set you apart from the crowd so I would definitely focus on trying to get as much of that in as possible
Happy to beta test if you need anyone xxx
Currently I love the way you can see yarns by weight and by brand. It makes it a lot easier to sort through the wool and compare suitable items for a project in one’s mind – so please keep that feature! Love Janine’s idea of showing knitted-up items – you have such lovely samples in the shop and here on the blog – to see the wool knitted (in any colourway) gives an idea of its heft or airiness as well as providing project inspiration.
I know there was a ’What’s New’ button before, but it’d be cool to see a rotating ‘spotlight’ on staff picks of the week. Sometimes I’m not able to get into the shop very often and it’d be nice to see what’s new, or reminded of an oldie-but-a-goodie.
I’m not sure if it’s possible, but when I shop on Amazon, I’m always tempted by the ‘People who bought this also bought…’ aspect when I’m shopping. I end up considering things I hadn’t thought of or am reminded of something else that I need.
It would be cool, too, to have yarns and pattern suggestions more connected. For example, if I was looking at Cashmerino Aran, to have suggestions underneath to browse the Cashmerino books or shop patterns that use the yarn.
Not sure if any of those things are physically possible! But sometimes it’s nice to have things that prolong the browsing ;)
A close up photo of the yarns would be good and for those of us who can’t get to a yarn shop it would be great to have a description of the colours and also of the feel of the yarn – I am put off buying some yarn in case it is scratchy so if in the description it said whether the yarn was soft to the touch etc that would help.
Also a swatch of the yarns knitted up would be good (on the Malabrigo website they do a feature called ‘see it knit’ which is great for showing the colours).