Trainworld Site Opinions

[Anonymous]

I am an employee at trainworld, Im nobody important, I just pull the trains off the shelves as the orders get printed up. I am also a web designer, to me it looks like the website is a little cluttered, long to load and hard to navigate, but thats my opinion, I'm looking on your opinion to see whether or not i should approach my boss to see if he would like me to make a new website for them. Maybe if theres enogh peple saying that a new site is needed, they might give me the go ahead. Also if you wanna post comments about the company I'll let the higher ups know how the model train community feels about the company. Thanks!,

[orsonroy]

Trainworld's website DEFINITELY needs to change. I absolutely love shopping there (I've been a loyal customer for years), but the website is virtually worthless as it is now. No mention of specific roadnames, stock quantities, or anything else of use to customers. Whenever I place an order with Trainworld, I do it over the phone, so the girls can check stock before the order is finalized. It'd be really nice to just hop online, click "buy" and "quantity" on each thing I'd like to get, and pay via a secure site. If Tichy has this option (as well as lots of your competition) why not you guys?

[Anonymous]

On line ordering would be a welcome addition. Also, it would be nice to know what roadnames are available for what, but I am guessing that would all depend on how automated your inventory is. Finally, there is a thread earlier on this forum that talks about trainworld. It seems that the overall feeling is that your operators need to talk a bit slower (I'm originally from NJ so I didn't even notice it . . . .kinda like talking to someone from back home!).

[FThunder11]

And make sure that every and i do mean EVERY product has a picture. I know its may be hard to do that, but when i shop online, if theres no picture , i wont buy it.

[Anonymous]

Likewise, I agree with the above. I haven't purchased from them because they don't list specific roadnames and numbers. I have also e-mailed them multiple times to request such info, and my e-mails have been ignored. I won't call over and over just to be told the roadnames or numbers I want aren't available, or aren't included in the sale. If I can't find out online, I go elsewhere. The best part of online shopping is that noone has to be open for me to shop. I am up at night quite a bit, and that's primarily when I shop-when they are closed.
Also, to me, pictures on every retail site aren't important. If one isn't available from a retailer, I just check the manufacturers site. The ability to check inventory, know exactly what's on sale, and ordering online are my top 3 desires.

[Anonymous]

I would appreciate the change. Myself and a few others have gotten together several times and placed orders with Trainworld, love their prices and shipping! But trying to find something on the website is mostly a pain. Our last order came with a catalog, which was nice. I found you you carried the Bachmann On30 cars, passenger and freight and ordered a few. Checking the site I could not find them. When going to Bachmann On30 all that is shown is the train sets, no mention of the availability of separate cars.

It would be great if more of your stock was listed.

Thanks!

Bob Boudreau

[cacole]

On-line secure ordering and knowing what is or is not in stock would be nice, BUT this would result in higher prices because setting up an on-line ordering system is not cheap, and neither is an automated on-line stock inventory system. These would require an outside contractor and could cost thousands of dollars per month. Are shoppers willing to pay inflated prices for these features? Trainland/Trainworld's biggeset customer draw over the years has been cheap prices, and they would lose this advantage by changing their ways. I say, leave well enough alone, use the telephone to order from them, and continue enjoying cheaper prices. I asked the manager of St. Aubin Junction in Las Vegas, NV, a G-scale dealer, why they didn't offer on-line secure ordering and was told that it would cost them several thousand dollars per month, and they would have to raise their prices accordingly.

[Anonymous]

I don't know too much about computerization for their business, but is it really that expensive? Paying all those people to answer phones and run around a warehouse checking stock has got to be expensive, not to mention the taxes and benefits. I would also think that the volume of business would increase drastically. Have any of you tried to call and gotten a busy signal, or been put on hold for a lengthy time?
Even if they added $1.00 to every order to cover the improvements, I think most people would welcome the change. Maybe??

[Anonymous]

I would vote yes, partly because I am just getting back in the hobby and have lots of purchases to make at good prices on an easy-to-use website, and partly because one of my jobs is web design and, quite frankly, TW's site is terrible.

The site layout has no uniformity of design. Going from one page to another gives visitors the impression that perhaps they just left Trainworld and now is who-knows-where? A simple header that stays put on each page, that doesn't wander around or disappear entirely, along with a uniform layout, font & color scheme lets a visitors know they're in a well-organized shop, not rummaging around someone's garage sale.

It needs a distinct left-sidebar navigation column. This has easily recognizable links to categories & sub-categories at the top of the column that aren't interspersed with sale notices, store hours, etc. No matter where you are in the site, this column is there in the same place and is key to finding any other page in the site without having to click all the way back to the homepage and then scroll down pages to find the next category to visit.

The site needs to be updated on a regular basis. I see pages with: "updated 2/20/2004" and that tells me that TW has been asleep for the past 7 months, hasn't been stocking shelves with new merchandise, hasn't been removing references to discontinued or sold-out items, etc. It may not be true, but that's how I read it.

Your web designer might consider using a database & a bit more sophisticated programming language to offer current listings of your stock online. I would assume that your inventory is listed in a database in the office computers. Exporting it to a database file that gets uploaded to a server on a daily or weekly basis allows you to present current information without needing to change a single line of HTML code.

A store webpage should be a dynamic, informative and reliable venue for your products. Your visitors shouldn't feel like they're looking at a print ad in a 7 month old magazine. I design websites using the methods I describe. My used book site, for example, has many thousands of books broken down into many categories & sub-cats. Since I use a database to catalog & track stock, changing thousands of webpages involves exporting a single data file to my server and never touching the webpages.

A dynamic, automated on-line stock inventory system can easily be incorporated into a website and will not costs thousands of dollars per month and will not require an outside consultant to maintain it, probably only to set it up initially. If properly designed, a regular staff person could export a file from the inventory database, upload it to the web server and, in effect update thousands of product pages in minutes.

Wayne

[Fergmiester]

I've ordered through Train World and found them to be good. But as it has been said above there is room for improvement regarding the Site. Pictures, you need pictures! as I will not buy an item purely on spec or desription.

[Anonymous]

Wow, didnt expect that many responses, Thank You. Well, Muddy Creek your definately right, the site needs to change. As far as having the inventory online I would say isnt anything I would expect anytime soon because the warehouse is HUGE, and the computers they use in the front use have inventory but even that is never really exact. Trainworld should at least have a electronic from on the site that you could send the email directly to a dedicated email address just to recieve orders to make things a little easier. Now as far as taking pictures of every item in the warehouse would be a project and a half. Since like i said Im a newbie to this hobby Im not totally sure what a roadname is, I'm guessing its the name printed on the actual train. If thats what it is, then it would be the same deal as taking pictures of everything.

Bottom line of what I want to offer to customers is to have a site easy to navigate and easy to order with or without credit cards. Please give me more responses

[Anonymous]

Hey,

I am doing web development for a living, the last site I worked you can
check out here. http://www.muscletech.com/PRODUCTS/SHOPPING_PAGE/shopping_page_default.shtml

This site we developed in Java and we have a couple of full-time designers.
Now, our site is more marketing than sales but it still generates very good sales, considering our prices are MSRP, and retailers usually sell for less that our prices.

One thing you absolutely should do is put all the content of your catalog online. Because a lot of sales are generated by search engines. People usually decide what model they want and then Google for it.
For example I recently bought some Bachmann China engines from you. Lucky I noticed them in printed catalog with you prevous order. But people ususally disregard printed catalogs today as website is assumed to be most up-to-date.

Feel free to contact me by e-mail (dimastep at rogers d0t com) I can give you some hints (free :) I like your site and became a regular customer, so the better your site becomes - the easier it is for me to use :)

If you really want to convince your boss to give you resources to redesign it - show him some of the better designed sites. I am sure you know them better than I do.

[dano99a]

Well, I don't really need to tell you about why trainworld should redsign their site. I think everyone above has done a great job at that. I really don't need to go into great detail on this forum about the 5 million possible solutions that they could implement that would make their site 10 times better than it is. But what I will offer is these facts:

1 - Inventory software is not cheap.
- It's better to have it custom made for your products but an off the self solution will work
- fancy and expensive solutions employ a infrared scanner for bar codes.

2- Implementing it can be rough at first, but smooth sailing afterwards
- a database is needed

3- inventory database drives website, drives phone operators. 1 database for all.
- too many of my clients make this mistake of have 3 sometimes 4 databases when all they
need is 1. No exporting to excel or some ugly way of passing data.

4- Phone operators have a web interface they use to access the live data.
- Have an admin/operator site made. No software needed but a web browser to answer
inventory questions

5- Orders double
- customers can order online and get inventory answers right then and there.

No, I'm not a programmer, but I do develop web sites for a living, I am an interface art director and information architect.

To reply to some of the things above:

- No, it won't cost thousands per month. Instead it will cost a few thousand up front and then your done.

- Internal people handle the database (through an admin tool) so there is no need for outside contractors unless something really went wrong.

If you have further questions, please email me.
Best of luck to you and I sure do hope they let you at the VERY LEAST redesign that site.
[:)]

[rexhea]

Everyone seemed to have a such a high opinion of Trainworld, that I decided to take a look at your Web site and see what you had to offer. Well, I like easy window shopping online and making a purchase online with a credit card and could do neither. If this was corrected, you can bet that I would be a customer.
REX

[Anonymous]

Trainworld has benn a loyal advertiser for a loooong time in M.R. and other mags. Many of you weren't even born yet. Be careful for what you wish for . Having a top notch web site costs $$$ . If they have to pay a couple of people big bucks , you can start kissing your low prices from them goodbye !

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rororo

Having a top notch web site costs $$$ . If they have to pay a couple of people big bucks , you can start kissing your low prices from them goodbye !

So how much would a usable website cost? I develop websites and have a pretty good idea of development costs, bandwith & hosting costs, etc. True, designing sites with flash intros, splash screens and such crap that only annoys visitors costs money (and sales.) But it always amazes me how much people believe needs to be spent on a clean and workable website. If the added functionality leads to even a small increase in sales, the investment is recouped in no time.

I must be not be charging my clients enough. I could really use some "big bucks." [:D]

Wayne

[Anonymous]

Muddy ; I'm no web developer, so why don't you fill us in on costs. Programmers/developers used to get "BIG BUCKS." Maybe the market is flooded with you guys.Make them n offer ? My point was directed as to how they succeeded in this hobby. I'm all for a "better " web site. I just don't want costs rising much. Everything seems to be expensive already. I don't think they have problems with sales. I'll go out on a limb here , and bet that they're #1 in sales for a store/mailorder outfit.

[Anonymous]

rororo,
I agree with you that they probably don't have a problem with sales, but what company in their right mind wouldn't kill for more business? I won't buy from them because I won't sit on the phone for an hour checking on stock or availability, especially nowadays when just about every company has online ordering capability. While someone is on the phone doing just that, how many more customers call and get a busy signal and shop elsewhere? It would take me 2 minutes at bar closing time to see if they have something I want and order it. I would shop with them if they had a site that worked. I am sure many others would also. Most of what they sell can be had elsewhere for just a little bit more, but with much less aggravation.

[Anonymous]

Total web costs are more closely related to the amount of traffic the site gets than to whether the programmer has boat payments or kids in grad school. The programming is a relatively small, upfront investment in a long-term sales strategy . It is advertising, and if not approached as if it were a simple price list ad in a train mag, it can be an effective sales tool.

I am working on a website for a local outdoor recreation outfitter, primarily to serve as their online catalog and an effective tool to pre-sell the equipment. They still want people to call to order, or better, to come into the store and browse. But the website can inform and educate the buyer about the products before they call the store. There should be a noticable savings in time, and thus employee salary and benefits, as well as increased sales.

I'm probably not alone in that I no longer rely on the printed price lists in magazines or pay to purchase a catalog. Since the nearest hobby shop is hours away. I shop online. It's silly to expect people to have to track down info from well-organized and informative sites like Walthers and then go to a retailer that can't be bothered and make the purchase.

Wayne

[cwclark]

Trainworld most definetly needs a make over...I'd like to be able to go to their website and order on line, and they need a technical advisor because if you don't know the exact part number you can't order...they need to list everything they have in the store and not just that 2 page flyer...I like dealing with Trainworld but they need to join the 21st century and have a really good on-line ordering website...Chuck[:D]

[cmitcham]

i don't even bother shopping around anymore, trainworld is the best.

the website is useless, except to get the phone number to call in my order. if you could convince them to make the needed improvements, that would be great.

and mostly...

if you get online ordering including payments with paypal... well let's just say my family budget could easily be injured!

calvin.

[Anonymous]

Man this site gets a lot of responses! OK, well, I was told that TW has been open since 1953. Its pretty much known they have a good business going but a new site would definately bring more business. It wont cost much at all as far as revamping the site. And whatever type of changes I make, there wont be any change in their prices, I know that much, I doubt the whole credit card thing uunfortunately but from the looks of things anything I do would be an improvement. If anyone out there thats a proffesional web designer, programmer, anything in this field, and they need extra help, I am willing to work for experience. Please more responses, the more opinions I get, the more they can see that it needs to change. Thanks!