Despite the UK slipping back into recession the amount of online sales this Christmas is set to rise by 14% when compared to last year which is good news for all e-commerce businesses. During December consumers are predicted to spend £13.4 billion via online shopping methods. In comparison sales on the high street are expected to fall by 2.1% with a total of £55.7 billion being spent in shops a trend which is only expected to continue due to the popularity of the Internet.

Shopping on the Internet offers consumers the convenience of being able to order goods in the comfort of their own home and with huge savings to be had by buying gifts online compared to the high street you can see why people are turning to the Internet this Christmas.

In addition to online shopping buying products on mobile smart phones is becoming more and more popular with a total of £1.64 billion being spent by gift hungry consumers. Thanks to the popularity of smart phones and the introduction of 3G technology people are able to access websites easily while on the move and even purchase goods like they would at home on their PC. Mobile phone shopping will equate to 12.2% of all online shopping this Christmas and is becoming that popular that mega retailer John Lewis has installed free Wi-Fi access in all its stores allowing easy online access for all of its customers.

Further evidence to show that retailers are starting to catch on to the ever increasing popularity of e-commerce shopping and mobile phone shopping is the fact that eBay the world’s largest online marketplace opened a shop in London’s West End for five days during December where consumers could only purchase goods by scanning QR codes with the latest mobile smart phones. Similarly major retailer House of Fraser has opened two “dot com” stores based in Liverpool and Aberdeen where customers cannot physically buy goods, instead they have to use the in-store technology to browse and order goods online.

This Christmas shoppers are taking advantage of the fact that many retailers operate on a split price structure where website prices are considerably lower than their high street prices. In this difficult economic climate consumers are using the web, price comparison sites and forums to find the best bargains available. Technology is always evolving and so is the average customer, no longer are people limited to just shopping on the high street and e-commerce businesses are the ones benefiting.

The uses and importance of forms in web design are endless. Whether it be a checkout form or registration form they are extremely important because they are often the last stage of interaction between you and your business completing its goal. Every website has a goal whether it be selling a product or getting users to join a community and if designed well enough a form can be the difference between success and failure.
It is easy to design a form in HTML but what you need to consider is the best way to make your form usable and accessible to all your users. Because of the importance forms play in website conversion rates it’s important to follow a few golden rules when building your form.

Its important you highlight required fields so its noticeable to the user what they need to fill in because how many times have you filled in a form only to get annoyed because you missed a required field. The best way to highlight fields is with a simple asterisk beside each label and to be even clearer somewhere on the page stating what is associated with the asterisk.

Try to make your description error messages user friendly by pointing out specifically to the user which field they still need to fill in such as their email address or gender. Don’t make the mistake of providing an ambiguous error message that requires your user to search the whole form for a field they may have missed.

Another good idea is to utilize JavaScript client-side error validation as it saves your users time and lets them know straight away if they have made a mistake instead of after the form has been submitted.
Another good tip is to visually style input fields so it becomes apparent to the user what field they are on. This can easily be done using the CSS: focus pseudo-class selector.

If you have a form that consists of multiple pages then it is paramount that you indicate to the user how far along the web form submission process they currently are. This feedback communicates to the user how long the form will take to complete and is extremely important because without it your users have no idea how far through the process they are and as a result they could stop filling out your form altogether if it’s too long. A good alternative would be to create a shorter form however for an online survey which has many questions or an e-commerce website checkout process this sometimes cannot be possible.

Instead of having the default “submit” button you should definitely consider changing it to a phrase that reminds the user of what they are actually doing, for example the phrase “sign up now” or “create my account” is much more informative than just “submit”.

On your form it’s extremely important that you know your users. To stop any confusion it’s good to make a clear distinction between new users needing to register with your site and current users needing to just log in with existing details.

To make sure your form is clear and isn’t ambiguous it’s a good idea to indicate to users the proper input format they should be using. For example if users are being asked for their date of birth let them know that you want their date, month and full year in that order. Or if they are required to input a password tell the user that it requires a combination of numbers and letters.

Several studies have proven that users prefer to scan down rather than from left to right therefore you should consider basing your forms on single vertical columns rather than multi-columns. Having a single vertical column helps reduce the number of eye movements your users make whilst filling out your form.

Don’t underestimate the importance of your forms and by following these simple guidelines you can easily create a form that is clear, concise and usable.

We’re celebrating moving to our brand spanking new offices and will be adding some new shots of the team and Mushroom HQ in the coming weeks (We’re still adding the final creative touches). We want to share right now a few of the companies we have worked with in Staffordshire and provided our web design and development skills for. The importance of building relationships with local businesses has never been more important or easier for that fact. We have made it a priority for our business to show up well in the search engines in Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire to allow our business the chance of working along side proactive companies looking for a strong online presence.

Let us tell you who we’ve been working with!

View Mushroom Digital – Staffordshire Clients in a larger map

Templates are great for companies who do not have the resources to employ website designers and cost a fraction of the price you may pay for a bespoke solution. You can get hold of some pretty decent designs, some of which are professional looking, with others looking as though they were designed with the screen switched off.

Whilst you may pay a premium for website designers whose job it is to design something individual, with a bit of imagination, you can also style and edit a template and end up with quite an attractive, professional looking website. A little bit of searching on the web can yield a selection of templates from which to choose. The content will be unique and it is up to you to choose the colour schemes, images and to a certain extent, the layout.

Some templates are created by website designers so you can benefit from some attractive designs. You can be sure that the template will be consistent and carry through a theme and that the navigation links are already established and work. Website templates are fairly easy to populate and maintain. For the novice, they are simple to put together and can be created in a short space of time.

And here comes the “but” . . .

Sounds great right? However, the major drawback to using a website template is that it provides no exclusivity. There will be evident similarities between websites of those who have used the same template and so by definition, your website will never be totally unique.

It is not as easy to brand a website created with a template and there are limitations as to the level of customisation available, versus the use of professional web designers where the sky really is the limit. Of course, templates can be customised to help make the website more individual but at the end of the day, the options will be minimal.

Templates do not allow you to build a site to an exact specification, so you may find you have to compromise on ideas to keep costs down. Website designers are capable of totally customising a site build to your exact instruction, something templates can never replicate. Many people find that a website developed by a professional website designer turns out far better than they had ever anticipated.

Although you may find a wide choice of templates online, remember that some will be of a better quality than others and as the saying goes, more often than not, you get what you pay for. Certainly, most templates are relatively easy to use, but with the more professional and attractive looking offerings, they may indeed require some technical and complex skills, the kind that website designers possess.

And you want traffic too?

Finally and arguably most importantly, the concern with using website templates is that it may prove difficult to properly manage search engine optimisation (SEO), especially if the site is more image rich than content rich. It may look great but will ultimately result in lower search rankings. Good website designers have the expertise to incorporate SEO into designs.

Once upon a time (in 1958 to be precise) a man named President Eisenhower gave his researchers the money to create the ARPAnet communications system and the very first version of the Internet was born.

Over the next thirty or so years, lots of new technologies were developed and eventually Tim Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web. By the mid 1990s, lots of little businesses were starting to advertise themselves by having a website. They thought it was great (as did all the budding Website Designers), but unless they told someone where they were, it was very difficult to find them.

Then, in 1998, enter Google, with its pioneering ranking system, uncluttered search page and speedy results. At this point the realisation began to dawn that websites had to be ‘tweaked’ to even get a look in on Google and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) suddenly became a very important phrase to Website Designers.

From then on, everything became a bit of a blur; the Internet became a dynamic entity and it certainly wasn’t enough just to be ‘on it’. Today, the challenges involved for Website Designers in getting a website high in the search engine rankings can be very daunting.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to assimilate all of the ‘advice’ on offer to Website Designers to produce a website that is ‘ready’ for launch. For all of those little businesses out there it is mind-numbing. With all the jargon floating around: black hat, spamification, organic search and bots etc. etc., where do they start?

There are two options for Website Designers, the first one is to hand all that stuff over to an SEO expert, but for those intent on the DIY option, they need to see beyond the jargon and break down the concepts into easy to digest chunks.

Aside from the aesthetic appearance of the website, which is after all a personal thing there are a number of essential things which Website Designers need to include in both the HTML coding and the page content itself. There are also numerous ways to make the website known to the world without paying for advertising.

It is important for Website Designers to be aware of 2011 trends such as CSS3 and HTML5 which enable browsing of a full website via mobile devices. Incidentally, these devices are expected to outsell PCs this year and it is no longer enough to offer a watered down dedicated mobile site.

Along the same lines, designing for touch screens is another essential. Features which are designed for mouse use, such as hovering and drop-down menus, for example, are useless on a touch screen.

Since Google’s introduction of thumbnail browsing, which enables searchers to preview your website without clicking through, there is even more need to make your page content not only enticing, but able to present in suitable formats. Flash-based designs will not display on the thumbnails.

These are just a few of the many things you need to know. There is definitely too much information to put into one article; it could easily fill a book! Reading lots of different information, from lots of different sources is the best way to learn. To keep right up to date, read lots of industry-specific blogs which often include downloadable guides, e-books and infographics.

Building a website to sell your products online requires more thought and planning than a website that is used purely for advertising purposes. Think of the Home page of your website as your shop window; it has to look good to make visitors come in and buy from you. There are several elements which Website Designers must account for to create that ambience.

During the design process, resist the temptation to create ‘bling’ on your Home page. Flashing or moving images, sound effects and pop-ups are all a most definite No! No! They can be off-putting to many visitors and will not be supported in all browsers. The biggest online growth market is currently mobile devices, so Website Designers must also enable viewing via mobile browsers.

Website Designers will be able to make sure that your page load time is fast as many users will give up after a few seconds of ………Loading…….. Loading………..The aim is a Home page that can be accessed instantly, with the rest of the website optimised for single click viewing of products.

Website content, including product images and textual descriptions must be top quality. Using a good photography service could make all the difference to how well your products are portrayed online. Good Website Designers will always use an ALT tag on every one, these are essential for search optimisation purposes.

Complement images by writing relevant, grammatically correct product descriptions. Always include the price and shipping cost. (How annoying is it to find the product you want, only to find out at the checkout stage that the cost of shipping is extortionate). If necessary, offer further information on each product plus other relevant information e.g. delivery time, reviews etc.

Having actually got a customer to the checkout, make sure that the Shopping Cart is easy to use and provide step-by-step guidelines for those who may be unsure. Pick a good quality system that is known to be reliable and provides suitable usability features (experienced Website Designers may be able to recommend one). There is nothing worse than losing a customer at the 11th hour with a functionality issue!

It is worth offering a variety of payment options as not all customers will want to use cards to pay online. Prioritise the use of an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) which encodes data and provides a safe transaction environment for payments. Its use can be denoted by the padlock icon on your website, providing further reassurance to buyers.

Website Designers who specialise in e-commerce will be aware that there are some extra pages considered essential to include where online trading is concerned. A page which is dedicated to your contact details including an address and phone number will make customers feel that they will be able to reach a real person should a problem arise. Detailing your privacy policy will also reassure visitors that you will not misuse their private and computer information for any malicious purposes, for example.

Access to a separate page which carefully details all of your Terms and Conditions of trading is a must and should be done in a way that reassures customers that you are a legitimate and caring business. Include product guarantees, after sales service, refund policy and complaints procedures as a bare minimum.

Online Pharmacies in 2011

Over recent months we have seen a huge increase in the demand for online solutions for pharmacy web design and development. More independant pharmacies throughout the country are taking that next step towards building an improved or new online presence for their business. A niche market in its own right, not just anyone can launch an online pharmacy. You will have worked for several years through college and university and then obtained the correct licenses to enable yourself to try and make your mark amongst the industry leaders.

Our Online Pharmacy Solution

Our solution which is used by several pharmacies and sustains the sale of pharmacy products and prescription processing contains all the required features to run a successful online pharmacy. A few examples of the National Pharmacy Association requirements are:

• Product quantity restrictions. Only certain amounts may be purchased.
• Secure questions. You can find out how old the customer is and if they are currently taking any other medication.
• Request a valid prescription number before processing prescriptions.

Live search results based on keyword of symptom

Facebook connect as an alternative to creating an account

To find out more about our ecommerce solutions for your pharmacy or other businesses call us today on 01782 285 277 or fill out our short enquiry form.

What does actually make website designers different? These days it is vitally important for all businesses, whatever their size, to have a prominent presence on the web as a way to attract, keep and inform potential customers. But with the industry forever evolving it is hard to keep up with what is available and, more importantly, what is coming next.

Website design is a combination of creativity and technical knowhow and can prove confusing for those who are new to the subject. With new, creative design ideas and state of the art technology coming through all the time, turning to the experts could be the best option when considering putting together your own site.

From a one page design to an interactive or animated website, it seems that anything is possible these days. A good website will be able to translate your company brand personality into a user friendly area, where your customers can find out information about you and your products or services at the click of a button. At this stage it isn’t just the look or style of the site that needs consideration, your designer must also pay attention to its functionality. It’s no use having a lovely looking home page if your audience can’t navigate around it and instantly find the information they are searching for.

Website designs no longer have to be static, with options to add in new content as and when it’s needed, or to have specific areas for blogging. To be able to do this your website will benefit from a Content Management System (CMS), which means you can add or edit your site content from anywhere in the world and at any time. This is great for companies who have a lot to say or who like to promote items or services regularly or seasonally. Designing a site using the WordPress design tool can help with this as the CMS and blogging tools within it are easy to use for ongoing site management. WordPress has great options for SEO, offering good rankings on search sites and good design potential so your site can still have a creative and modern look and is perfect for linking to social media updates.

Retail sites also make up a large part of the market now too, with new and exciting ecommerce sites and shopping cart options becoming available all the time. Again, usability is important, customers won’t buy online if the process is difficult or lengthy however nice the site may look. A web designer dedicated to designing ecommerce sites will be able to identify the areas that are essential for your company and put together a site accordingly.

With new developments in both design and technology arriving all the time, it is important that web designers incorporate new techniques into their offering. These days designers have to bear in mind the expanding range of platforms available such as mobile phones and gadgets like the iPad. The development of HTML 5, coming in the next couple of years, will also give designers brand new ways of structuring and presenting content on the web.

Mushroom Digital are happy to welcome Wayne Grocott to the web development team. Wayne will be earning and learning in the role of junior web developer here at Mushroom HQ.

Wayne says “I’m very happy to joining such a great web design company, the guys here are fun to be around and the web development work is pretty cutting edge. Mushroom Digital aim to provide ground breaking websites. I’m learning new skills every day and applying what I already know. I am proud to be a part of a team so committed to helping their clients stand out in crowded market places.”

David Mollart Managing Director explains “Wayne is young, eager and willing to learn the Mushroom way, which is vital here as we like to do things a little different as we aim to put quality above all else. Wayne has already created a monstrous online game, with hundreds of users by himself and we’re keen to help him flourish over the coming months”

Wayne is just the start of what we hope to be an increasing web development team for 2011 as we continue to improve on our services and client base.

Mushroom are always looking to hire creative minds, if you fit the bill get in touch.

Designing a website all the way through from initial discussion to completion is basically a six stage process. Some web designers may choose to break the stages down further, as part of their own methodology, but the basic concepts remain the same and each stage has equal importance to the end product.

The six fundamental stages are:

1.         Information Gathering
2.         Planning
3.         Design
4.         Development
5.         Testing and Delivery
6.         Maintenance

The first stage in designing any website is information gathering. It is a crucial stage where many things have to be taken into consideration, the purpose and goals of the website, target audience, content and budget. This is the best opportunity for the designer to really get a feel for the client and their business.

Using information gathered in stage one, a plan for the whole website can be created, which is called a site map. This will include the number of pages needed, an idea of their content, how the navigation system will work and any additional technologies needed such as graphics or e-commerce requirements.

The next stage allows both the designer and the client to really get the look and feel of the website and to create a prototype design. Depending on the designer’s preferences, this process can be started as simply as paper sketches and become as elaborate as a fully functional electronic ‘working’ version to be adjusted throughout the project. Key factors that must be defined at this point are fundamentals such as colour schemes, page layout and content. This can be one of the longest stages of the design process as the client must be happy before development can continue and the designer must adapt to achieve this.

The fourth stage is the developmental stage where the website is actually created, based on the client’s acceptance of the prototypes. The ‘Home’ page is the most important, being the first one the online world will see. Additional pages after that are usually created using style sheets and a template which will define the basic layout of any given page, but can vary the content on each.

Testing and delivery phase allows the designer to ensure firstly that his navigation system, coding and views (in different browsers) of the finished website are accurate. After that it also allows for last minute client changes to the specification, within boundaries, for final approval. Obviously, testing that all relevant technologies are fully functional is included in this part of the process.

The very last stage is to get the website ‘online’, arrange for regular, ongoing maintenance and then to ensure that visitors can ‘find’ the site. A good website designer will know the best ways to ensure that on-site Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is in place and that this, as well as the website itself, are regularly updated, potentially with a maintenance contract.

Website development is one of the technologies that has to be carried out very rapidly and must keep up to date with current trends. Both the designer and the recipient of any website need to appreciate this and be willing to accept that commitment.