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View Full Version : The American Trekking Pole Co.



Elder
12-08-2013, 13:55
I finally got the web page up! www.americantrekkingpoles.com (http://www.americantrekkingpoles.com). Grown in America, made in Georgia. Strong, light and beautiful.

4eyedbuzzard
12-08-2013, 14:25
Looks like a high quality green product. Might I suggest a few things from a marketing standpoint:

HOME PAGE: Put more content on the home page - Full length pics of the product, close ups of grips, tips, etc. AND a product description. You have a potential customer at your site's home page - hit them right then and there with your best marketing. You shouldn't have to click through to find out basic info. Do you have any testimonials from satisfied hikers? Comparisons, plus/minus vs metal/graphite?

Also add pics of the bamboo crop, harvesting, kiln, etc. , perhaps on a "how they're made" page or in the FAQ's. What about the warranty and/or replacement? How easy is it to get replaced if I break one on the trail? Other items: Camera mount? Tent fittings? Hikers use poles for these things as well, and ease of multiple-use is important, especially to UL hikers.

FAQ and ORDER PAGE: Hard to read. Larger fonts and sharper contrast would help. It just isn't easy on the eyes.

Nyte
12-08-2013, 15:31
Curious, why are you collecting sales tax on online sales?

bamboo bob
12-08-2013, 18:48
Seems like a good product but i NEED more info.

Elder
12-08-2013, 19:44
Seems like a good product but i NEED more info.

OK. What?. You did read the information on the page?

kunzman
12-08-2013, 21:35
You'll probably need to give estimated weights for a few sizes (maybe every 10 cm?). Also, you need up close pictures of the tips and handles as well as an overall shot.

leaftye
12-08-2013, 22:05
Get rid of the online store page and make it the home page. You don't have much of a description or any pictures on your site. That's fine if the page is only there to checkout, and not at all for selling. You can sell in forums like this. Lots of vendors are very successful doing that. You haven't done that yet. All we know is you have a couple bamboo sticks with handles on it, and you're selling it for a hundred bucks. Bamboo species, finish, diameter and many other things are unknown.

Tuckahoe
12-08-2013, 23:08
I like Tarptent's website, there seems to be a lot going on there, and yet seems to come off as not too busy and easy to navigate. Information is easy to find, and there are certainly lots of pictures of Tarptents in action. http://www.tarptent.com/index.html

I am certainly intrigued by your hiking poles, and the problem is that I will never get to handle or see them in stock at a local retail outfitter. And because of that your website should sell them to the point that I am willing to buy. So, there really needs to be many more photos and those photos and your description of the pole's construction should really tell a story. Every part and feature should be illustrated and revealed in detail. As a potential customer I should know your product inside and out all from your website.

Elder
12-08-2013, 23:28
Retailer listing to come soon. Web page just up. Everything's not perfect? Really? Lots of pictures at Facebook. The homepage pictures are meant to scroll, not so far. Funny. Most of the questions are answered in the FAQ. Patience, it will get better.

rocketsocks
12-08-2013, 23:30
Oops, wrong thread

Rain Man
12-08-2013, 23:40
I'll agree with all the constructive criticism so far and add my own: Give your actual, physical, geographical address. Now you know.

There's only one reason I can think of for an online vendor knowingly to hide his locale, and it's not good. Just MHO.

Rain:sunMan

.

Elder
12-09-2013, 01:04
OAKWOOD GA. Just like it says under location. Here, and on the web page. The physical address is on the web page too.

4eyedbuzzard
12-09-2013, 01:48
Retailer listing to come soon. Web page just up. Everything's not perfect? Really? Lots of pictures at Facebook. The homepage pictures are meant to scroll, not so far. Funny. Most of the questions are answered in the FAQ. Patience, it will get better.

I wasn't trying to be mean or belittle your product or web site in any way. Just giving you my very honest reaction as a potential customer, as I think most here are. Whiteblaze tends to be a very tough, and at times, brutally honest audience. You can choose to use that as a positive or negative.

"Green products" are a good marketplace trend. And there is a segment of your potential target audience that may buy them because they are that concerned about buying "green" products. But being "green" alone won't make a lot of sales to avid hikers (like most here on WB) concerned mostly about performance. Hikers LOVE their "non-green" synthetic fabrics and exotic metals because they perform better than all the alternatives, and "green" vs. "non-green" ultimately has little to do with their purchase decisions. Alcohol stoves and wool clothing are "green" and many hikers love them - but not because they are "green", but rather because they outperform the alternatives. You have to sell hikers on your product's performance vs. the alternative (and yeah, that would basically be Leki). My biggest concerns (for me) would be that your poles don't adjust and/or break down for packing and would need accessories purchased and then adapted from a "hardware store" to rig a tarp/tent, camera, etc. I realize these are very difficult if not insurmountable technical issues given the material, but they are legitimate purchase decision concerns. Some may not have problems with those limitations, but some definitely will.

leaftye
12-09-2013, 02:04
Retailer listing to come soon. Web page just up. Everything's not perfect? Really? Lots of pictures at Facebook. The homepage pictures are meant to scroll, not so far. Funny. Most of the questions are answered in the FAQ. Patience, it will get better.

It's better than when I first looked at it. The typical home page makes sense when you have multiple items for sale. Your home page serves no purpose at all aside from listing your phone number and email address. Get rid of it. You have one product. Not needing to scroll is still ideal. This could, and probably should, be a one page site. Put a rotating pictures, highlights and order button at the top where it can all be seen without scrolling. Add more text like your faq and legal info further down the page where it can optionally be viewed. Look at a kickstarter page to get an idea of how you can format a single page to include everything that needs to be presented for a one product business.

What facebook page?? Facebook is good for news on upcoming developments, not for product info.

yellowsirocco
12-09-2013, 07:35
OAKWOOD GA. Just like it says under location. Here, and on the web page. The physical address is on the web page too.

1. What it says on here is insignificant to your website. You need to pretend someone is coming from Google and has no knowledge of you.

2. I don't see Oakwood on your website. There is mention of a few towns in GA, but it is unclear to me where exactly you are located. If the the information is on there that doesn't mean that it is effective. Under your contact information on the front page you should put Oakwood, GA. At least you have your name on there though; it's always reassuring to see a business where the owner is willing to put their name out there.


Retailer listing to come soon. Web page just up. Everything's not perfect? Really? Lots of pictures at Facebook. The homepage pictures are meant to scroll, not so far. Funny. Most of the questions are answered in the FAQ. Patience, it will get better.

I'm not seeing a link to your Facebook page. Right now your Facebook page doesn't exist to me.

HeartFire
12-09-2013, 09:07
I have to disagree with putting your address on the site. If you are a home based business, and LightHeart Gear is based out of my home, I do not out my home address or my phone number on the website. If you email me, my return email will have my phone number, but I dont want my address and phone number being harvested by spider bots on the web. If you don't know what those are, google them. I also don't want people just showing up at my front door wanting to see tents. Email me, make an appointment and I will invite you to my shop where they are sewn. The shop is not LightHeart Gear, it's a contract sewing business I own.

chall
12-09-2013, 10:23
Elder - we have the same name..:cool:

Rain Man
12-09-2013, 11:47
I have to disagree with putting your address on the site. If you are a home based business, and LightHeart Gear is based out of my home, I do not out my home address or my phone number on the website.

Sorry, but if you choose to run your business out of your home, then it's your business address you are hiding from folks. You're trying to have it both ways. That's MHO, of course, and you are entitled to do as you wish, but to me vendors who hide where they are rarely get my online business. Heck, you can't even file a BBB complaint, much less a small claims court lawsuit if you're screwed, without a physical address. Lots of folks who want to hold all the cards and want a one-way street their way (NOT that you're one!) hide behind generic email addresses and disposable cell phone numbers. I'm not giving 'em MY credit card details if they don't trust me with so much as their address, nor if they make me jump through too many hoops to get it.

We'll just have to disagree, but no hard feelings. Keep in mind, it's this brand new hiking pole site that is being critiqued.

Rain Man

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Elder
12-09-2013, 12:20
Rainman. You are right. (First for everything!) I will be more transparent as it evolves. I was the Leki rep for 25+ years and started the Trail Days repair service. I would say I know trekking poles. The Only thing these poles do not do that others do, is collapse. But, then, they DO NOT COLLAPSE, unexpectedly, or ever. Can they be broken? I suspect so, but NO Breakage, yet. They also do not rust/corrode. They do turn green when wet, but dry golden again. No you can not plant them, they are kiln dried and no longer viable. Strong and resilient, light and beautiful. These are not "Green" , just to be "Green". I researched aluminum and carbon shafting (USA), and they are available, but NO Parts are made here. Almost all the tips, grips and internals are made in on factory in China for All the companies. American alum/carbon shafts, even with Chinese parts would retail $300.+. Regular, river cane bamboo is strong, but not durable. I found scularia purperata the solid stem bamboo at a grower in S. Georgia. It is , after kiln drying, many times stronger and not subject to splitting in the cold or by normal flexing.

Kookork
12-09-2013, 12:50
We all wish you a great business here on WB. It could be frustrating to hear critiques but every single comment here has been made with the best intentions of the members.

Any point that WBers see in your website is what an average customer might see as well.As a person who is involved in an online store to sell stuffs ,I understand the ample new things that you have to encounter to run a website flawlessly but it gets better every day if you keep your cool and follow the motto that the customer is almost always right .

Best Wishes

Elder
12-09-2013, 14:26
I appreciate all the input. Many of the suggestions are valid. Some will be addressed. The poles are great. The website is lacking. Thank you all.

Tuckahoe
12-09-2013, 14:26
I personally do not go out seeking only "green" products to only be green and 4eyedbuzzard summed that up pretty well. I like what I see in your poles because they seem classy and I appreciate quality hand made items. To me that is your strength and everything that you have described about the work that you put into them and your sourcing from US producers is what you really should market. When I saw just the couple pictures, I got the feeling of quality and beauty, not just massed produced.





Rainman. You are right. (First for everything!) I will be more transparent as it evolves. I was the Leki rep for 25+ years and started the Trail Days repair service. I would say I know trekking poles. The Only thing these poles do not do that others do, is collapse. But, then, they DO NOT COLLAPSE, unexpectedly, or ever. Can they be broken? I suspect so, but NO Breakage, yet. They also do not rust/corrode. They do turn green when wet, but dry golden again. No you can not plant them, they are kiln dried and no longer viable. Strong and resilient, light and beautiful. These are not "Green" , just to be "Green". I researched aluminum and carbon shafting (USA), and they are available, but NO Parts are made here. Almost all the tips, grips and internals are made in on factory in China for All the companies. American alum/carbon shafts, even with Chinese parts would retail $300.+. Regular, river cane bamboo is strong, but not durable. I found scularia purperata the solid stem bamboo at a grower in S. Georgia. It is , after kiln drying, many times stronger and not subject to splitting in the cold or by normal flexing.

bamboo bob
12-09-2013, 21:16
OK. What?. You did read the information on the page? i would like to at least see some photos of a set. So i get a better idea of how they can be adjusted. A full length picture. from all angles. google leki and you can see what i mean. I would try them just to go back to bamboo poles i think. That's how I got my trail name.

Rain Man
12-09-2013, 21:24
Rainman. You are right. (First for everything!) I will be more transparent as it evolves. I was the Leki rep for 25+ years and started the Trail Days repair service..

That alone earns you a "Bless you, my son." LOL

As Kookork said, all the critiques on here are given constructively and to be helpful, as you present your being the general public.

Best wishes and here's to your success and all our WB cottage industries.

Rain:sunMan

.

Elder
12-09-2013, 22:01
i would like to at least see some photos of a set. So i get a better idea of how they can be adjusted. A full length picture. from all angles. google leki and you can see what i mean. I would try them just to go back to bamboo poles i think. That's how I got my trail name.

Photos will be updated ASAP. "how they can be adjusted" Not. Or, once, shorter..thus fixed length. (AKA the smartass answer). You will love them.

Elder
12-31-2013, 16:52
My web has more pictures and a video. Trailspace.com just did my first review, 5 Stars. YaHOO!