eCommerce profile: Gold Violin a site designed for older shoppers

[mandy]

Connie Hallquist's search for a well-designed, stylish, one-of-a-kind gift for her 87-year-old grandmother led her to start her first retail venture — Gold Violin, an online and catalog shop that specializes in products for older people...

Gold Violin customers do tend to prefer to place their orders on the phone, or talk to someone about their order, so Hallquist made sure that the 800-number is featured on every page of the site.

In another nod to its senior customers, the site features a simple navigation and uses high contrast, easy-to-read fonts. It never uses blinking images and limits pop-up screens. Shoppers can search for gifts by perusing several categories, including price ranges, "for him," "for her" and "thinking of you," or, simply check out the "sale" or "what's new" areas by clicking on a tab on the home page...

full article: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/solutions...hp/3637506

[stardust]

Darn.  The link just brings up a blank page for me. 

[Anita]

The link works for me.  Clear your cookies, dump your cache, etc... 

[stardust]

GREAT idea!  MY kind of site!  LOVE the simplicity of it! 

-- No    3-column look once you're past the home page.
-- No being stuck with a narrow page. (I just HATE that!)  The page expands to fit your screen.
-- All products within one category are shown on ONE page, with the option of letting the customer choose more pages if desired.
-- Large pix for initial viewing -- no teensy thumbs.  Very clean product page with large pic and option for even larger.
-- Interesting *history* area above the footer, with ability for customer to turn off.
-- Subtle upsell area below the product and review section.

The site is very clean, simple and intelligently designed for *peaceful* shopping with no annoying distractions.  There is enough noise in the outside world, and on the television, so why have to have *noise* all the time, everywhere, on your screen, too?  The site owner has defined her demographic and catered to it very intelligently, I think.

Boring?  Yes.  But it's very easy, friendly, and right to the point.  This site will prolly garner tons of sales.

[thentavius]

I agree. Very clean, straightforward shopping. Lots of sites could benefit from this.

My only beef? The name. When I think of violins and elderly people, I think of cartoons where Tweety plays the violin for the soon-to-be-doomed Sylvester.  :o