I hope everyone has a great night ❤️
This is nice. It’s so lovely to cuddle with Melbcat while playing computer games in bed and stroke her soft fur.
I found an opportunity to start an online store and I’d like to ask the DT brainstrust on some feedback. I’ll mark it all as spoilers because people may not want to read my full ramblings or some of the subject matter:
Business talk
So I’ve been looking at business where I work to try boost my other business offer, selling marketing software subscriptions, and I came across a lingerie wholesaler.
They just had an open submission to sign up as a stockist so I thought I’d check it out. I have an ABN and a registered company so I could just do it, and there was very little vetting on their side.
Once approved I had access to their entire catalogue and they do dropshipping, where you don’t need to stock the product yourself. Essentially someone buys the product from you, then you buy the product from the wholesaler and they ship it to the person for you.
These guys have way more than lingerie. You can stock a whole sex shop with what they have. But I’ve decided to keep it simple, try focus on a few core products I think would move, and have picked more socially acceptable things that you could actually advertise on social media.
Instead of uploading everything, I’m focusing on things that could target the rave, festival, club scene. So it can still be seen as fashion instead of getting labelled as a sex store and getting banned from every online platform. I’m offering a few best selling items in the hope they will have a broader appeal to try get some cut-through.
I came up with an idea for a store name and a design, here’s the URL, the store is up and running: https://lxix.store/ LXIX is the number 69 in Roman Numerals so it looks fancy but is a sex joke over two thousand years in the making.
Let me know what you think of the website. It’s a little rough in areas and doesn’t have everything, but I’m hoping it looks trustworthy enough someone might click through from a Facebook ad and trust it enough to convert and buy.
It’s almost impossible to grow a social media following organically these days, so I’m expecting to put a bit of money into ads. My only problem is I have no assets aside from the so-so product images from the wholesaler and the brands themselves.
I’m hoping the way I can make this work is I’m hooking up every tracking pixel to just about every social media account I can find. My plan is to eventually get to know my target audience enough I can create ads and remarket to them effectively enough I can build a mailing list, introduce new products as if it’s a ‘launch’ to capture previous customers again, and just grow the database of customers and like customers.
But I need actual sales to keep this going and achieve any of that. I only took the ‘Coming Soon’ off the website last week so it’s still early days, but I want to make sure this website looks like it will work. The marketing software and business consulting was a slog because I don’t have a network or capacity to follow up with people effectively. If I get things right here I could just run an ad and get returns.
I’m also considering reaching out to people and sending free product for content. But that’s also a case of choosing the right people, as it still costs me money when I have no cashflow at the moment.
Also, I’ve searched for the most popular products on the wholesaler’s store to find other websites selling the same stock. A lot of them are basic and ugly websites that don’t look all that maintained. You can upload a CSV of the wholesaler’s catalogue to your store, and I think a lot of people just do that. So they have basic images and descriptions, and are hoping for more of a ‘build it and they will come’ approach.
I also want to do a lot of SEO work and try be the top rank for a few keywords. That can supplement ad spend and helps with building a following long term. I don’t think anyone but the big stockists are doing the same.
I’m just worried I could have a theoretically perfect online store, but can’t realise any actual sales because my ads aren’t good enough or I don’t have enough capital to spend on advertising to figure it out. Any feedback is recommended because I feel like I could make this work.
I’m no expert but I’d be wary of anything that at one point could leave you holding the bag.
Say if someone does an order with you but you’re relying on someone else and the goods are late or don’t arrive.
Also be careful as Mastercard and PayPal have cracked down on anything of an adult nature so if they flag something you might not get paid. No idea how strict it is and it might be ok to pay for underwear but the association with the other goods might call attention.
Also the website is clever but I wouldn’t parse that, I’d just see random letters that might look a bit sketchy and probably not click.
Sorry! I’m just a bit wary and raised some risks you might want to consider, the side hustle isn’t a bad idea.
These are all good points. The wholesaler seems pretty established, I’ve seen their products listed on large, real company websites. The issue I could have is someone orders something from me and it’s actually out of stock on the supplier side as someone else has bought the last one. I’ll figure that out if it happens.
I’m expecting people to see ads before they see the URL, so they’ll see the logo with LXIX in it then see the URL. I hope that makes it seem less spammy. I get what you mean though, most junk URLs are just a random string of letters.
Thanks for the tip on Model Mayhem as well. That’s exactly what I need right now. I need assets of real people wearing the clothes, especially videos. I can edit those into ads that will grab a lot more attention if done right.
I’ll try find some 20 year old girls to show the website to as well. The main thing I want to check is if they’d wear the items, and trust the website from seeing it in an Instagram or Tiktok ad to convert to a sale.
Nice. If you can get fancy you could also include at least one bigger girl so customers can see what it might look like on them and see immediately that it’s got their size.
So many things only have straight sizes
Some of the products have a larger woman modelling them, but she has the same tan and hair as the other woman. She just looks like a larger version of the other model.
If I reach out to people to model the items myself I’ll just want anyone that can wear them in their own style. Body shape doesn’t really matter, as long as they can show how versatile this stuff can be.
Quick thoughts:
- The store name/URL is wonderful - definite winner, there. It’s memorable and easy to type.
- There’s something really off about the models. If those are real women, they’ve been airbrushed into the uncanny valley. If they’re AI-generated, that would make sense. I have no idea how you could go about fixing them, but yeah - that’d be my first priority in your shoes. Photoshoots and models are super expensive, I realise.
- I don’t know about the rave scene or what what the GenZ crowd in general are into. I can say that I doubt any of this stuff would appeal to my wife though. Possibly the red one? By targeting a crowd, are you turning off a large potential client base?
- The website itself looks basic - like a template off square or wordpress or something. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I’d emphasise that you are real some more - ABN, Contact details etc.
- The three things I care about as a customer are: Quality, Price and how long it takes for my stuff to arrive. I’m variable on #2, depending on #3. I’ll pay more to have my stuff sooner. If it’s going to take two weeks to come from China, be super clear about this.
- As to quality, be really upfront about that. If the quality of the product is dubious, don’t try and spin it as excellent quality.
There’s probably a lot more to cover. At a glance, the range of products looks really limiting. I’m at work and can’t really be closely scrutinising a lingerie store, so I only spent about 2 minutes on the site. A wider range will probably increase the trustworthiness of the site.
Thanks for the feedback. I wanted to start with a limited range but I could add more accessories to pad out the listings more.
The photos aren’t great. I’d really like to get photos of real women on there. Ones where they’re wearing things as part of an actual outfit, there’s a background, they’ve got tattoos and coloured hair and whatnot. I could reach out to people and see if they’d take photos in exchange for free product.
I want to target a specific crowd to start with so it’s easier for me to target ads. No one knows about the store so I don’t need to worry about excluding anyone. If I target a segment I can put new products on the website that may encourage return customers as well.
I’ll add more company details so the website feels more legit. I can do some website updates but I’m not a front end designer and that will take a while. At the moment I don’t mind if it comes across as one person doing their best, and I can spruce it up and add nicer details later.
The product is already here in Australia but I haven’t actually seen any of it yet to attest to quality. I might order some of it to check it out for myself, then I have some on hand for potential local models. I might be able to take some real photos myself of flat lays on a bed or something.
This has given me a bit more to go off so this has been really helpful, thank you.
Maybe make all the descriptions 3 lines long (maybe a blank line after short descriptions) so that the ‘add to cart’ buttons line up nicely. Otherwise it looks great.
I’ll see if I can add some spaces or a line break to shorter product titles. Then I can look into some more consistent formatting so they’re always the same height. This is partially an exercise in learning web design for myself more as well
It’s all one size?
At the moment I’ve picked things that are one size. I’m having trouble getting the sizing options to display properly so I’m just working around it for the moment
Size range is S-M-L-XL-LX-IX
I could add to cart without selecting a size, that’s why I asked.
Oh man. I’m feeling so tired and unwell lately. I try to rest but still in pain.
Lying in bed and doing extensive landscaping in Minecraft to stay occupied. 😔
I was feeling a bit down today but the man is here and he always makes me feel better. That and a trip to bunnings. ❤️
hugs 🙂
Thanks mate. I’m all good now 🙂
A Bunnings date, as my OH would say (we don’t get out much, lol)
I love that 😂
I hope there were sausages involved.
Hope you feel better CEO!
There was no sausages from bunnings
Aww
I’m remembering in the at school 1960s school kids used to be helped to set up their own bank accounts with the state bank of victoria and we would have an account book and could bring in money every week to deposit. Even the girls!!
I remember we earned something like 3¾% on those accounts. When my kids started PS I set up Commonwealth accounts for them to do school banking, thinking they’d get lessons like I did. Nope, just give us the money quick so we can bank it and get the bonus they give schools for doing it. When I went to close those accounts a few years later after they closed the local branch so the school stopped school banking, it took ages, and I had what felt every staff member in the bank one by one come out and ask me questions about why I was doing it. They know those accounts lead to adults mostly keeping the same accounts and do not want you to close them!
Can definitely see why they stopped the scheme. Would not pass the pub test if proposed today, unless perhaps a publicly owned bank still existed.
I think that was still around when I went to school, but it was being phased out and wasn’t at my school. I’m pretty sure I had a money box the bank produced as a promo when I was in primary school.
I do remember going to the bank to open my first bank account when I was in my early teens. It was when EFTPOS was just starting out and ATMs were still a fairly new concept, so getting a debit card seemed like a really exciting innovation to be involved in. I think I had to be 18 to get my first cheque book though, which was how all my bills were paid until the online options were introduced.
I had a “State bank” account and I remember actual interest accumulating in there.
For most of my life bank interest has not really been a thing, and for a long time they charged fees, so banking cost money instead. The last few years with high interest rates - plus an online bank that lets me earn interest on all my money without locking it away and jumping through hoops for “bonus” interest - has been great.
I miss sleeping a whole night.
It’s been around 8ish months now.
Maybe I will try they sleeping pill that has sleep paralysis as a possible symptom
Thanks for paying for my 2nd playthrough of cyberpunk 2077 shitty workplace.
Do you have Phantom Liberty? That was a wild ride.
I do! I’m starting from scratch because I want to try a netrunner build instead of sandevistan
I tried to do a netrunner build awhile ago but whenever I started using skills everyone would get alerted after they changed things.
That’s why I went with the sandy build. By the time they reacted it was too late.
Katana and sandy with double jump was insanely good.
I had a mix of stuff in the end, rocket arm is always fun.
Empty inbox achieved. Vet visits booked for both Miss Meow and Mr Woof to have checkups. Car service enquiry sent. It looks like I’m having an efficient day today.
I rarely manage to get it quite empty. If I can see all the inbox without a scrollbar, I’m content enough.
Gripe of the day:
People using their phones while driving. Especially when they have their kids in the car. Like are you kidding me?
Positive of the day:
Looks like it’ll be a beautiful day! Hoping to get the paddleboard out again (although my knee is still very bruised) or at the very least have a swim!
Leaf blowers.
Please get a big broom or rake instead.
I loathe them. The revving, the constant rumble, it grates on me to the point I might turn into a mindless murderer. We have a guy who uses it almost daily at work, and just lets it idle and…urgh.
When I used to do removals, I’d be in the truck which is pretty high up and you can see into everyone’s car.
80% of people were looking at their phone while driving.
It’s fucking crazy. You’re not that fucking important. Fuck those people.
The next person to blow smoke in my face in a public place is gonna discover what it feels like to have said cigarette smothered out by their colon after I lodge it up their with my boot. Same goes for vapes in which case I hope it explodes up there.
It’s not hard to blow smoke/vape out of the side of your mouth so people don’t cop a facefull.
Dumbasses.
My workplace is full of 18-21yo university students. I have given up trying to swerve and dodge out of their way because they’re walking down corridors with their heads buried in their phones and weaving all over the place more than a Ranger driver on the freeway.
Now I just walk a straight path (off to one side, not in the middle of the walkway) and just let them crash into me. They wake up startled from their trances and frantically apologise for not watching where they’re going… and then proceed to re-bury their heads in their screens and carry on as they were :|
It’s already happened twice today.
Boyo was mystified by the sheer volume of people in Japan who managed to navigate streets/crowded stations while hardly looking up from their phone - but probably because that was the first time in a while he’d been in a crowded place like that! It’s wild to think about though. I feel bad playing PoGo while walking around!
I do this too. If you’re walking in a crowd and not willing to look up from your phone, then I’m not going to try and avoid you.
After an almost 2 month wait I got my final 2 assignment results back from last teaching period.
I was pretty certain I nailed one and the other I was iffy about.
The one I nailed, I “only” got an 82. Which is good and I am happy about but I thought I would have done better.
The one I was iffy about, 90. Now, that, I am chuffed about.
The 90 also did some heavy lifting and put me in HD for the overall unit.
That sounds like me. The last assignment I did I was still recovering from Covid and did a bit of a rush job on, and got 90%. They seemed to particularly like the section I had only done a rough outline of, intending to go back and add some detail and references later. I never went back and just assumed it would get me a few points but not a passing grade for that section, so I guess a rough outline was all they really wanted.
I have just bought more packing boxes. 25 for books and 25 big boxes should be enough. I have other boxes already. 🤞
Beep Beep 🚚
🍏🍎🍐🍊🍋🍈🫐🍓🍇🍉🍌🍒🍑🥭🍍🥥🥦🥑🫛🍆🍅🥝🥬🥒🌽🥕🥐🍠🫚🥔🧅🥯🍞🥖🥨🧀🧇🥞🧈🍳🥚🥓🥩🍗🍖🫓🍕🍟🍔🌭🥙🧆🌮🌯🥗🍲🍜🍝🥘🍛🍣🍱🥟🦪🍥🍘🍚🍙🐠🍤🪼🦀🐙 🍗🥮🍢🍡🍧🍰🧁🥧🍦🍨🎂🍮🍭🍬🍫🥜🌰🍪🍿🍯🥛☕️🍵🍺🍶🥤🧋🧃🥂🍷🥃🍸🍹🧉🔋lots of anxiety reducing no calorie belgian chocolate please
🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫
thank you so much 😋
I’d like some cholesterol with sriracha and hot chips please
🧈🌶️🍟
Crab linguine, please!
🦀🍝
Thank you, Chef!
Car door lock replaced post-attempted break in. Surprisingly easy to do. Should’ve done it sooner.
“yeah nah sorry new manager, my cat has anxiety issues so I’ll need to work from home for the next few weeks”
your still working for them after they are withholding pay?
They came to their senses when I mentioned fair work.
3 weeks to go.
funny that
The new management are just ignoring me now lol
I’m doing very little work. Just trying to tie stuff up for my work mates
