Author Topic: Perfect solution for selling on your own website (Read 23816 times)

elvinstar · « **on:** November 04, 2012, 08:48 »

OK, let's have it...

What would you like to see in a "Sell on your own website" software package? If there's enough interest, I'm going to be working with another coder to put something together that will be:

Rich in features (based upon your input)
AFFORDABLE
Easy to install

Please list your wants/needs in this thread and we'll see what we can come up with for you!

cthoman · « **Reply #1 on:** November 04, 2012, 10:36 »

It would probably have to be significantly better than my current KTools store. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth the effort to switch, fix links, change workflow, etc.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #2 on:** November 04, 2012, 10:43 »

Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 08:48

OK, let's have it...

What would you like to see in a "Sell on your own website" software package? If there's enough interest, I'm going to be working with another coder to put something together that will be:
Rich in features (based upon your input)
AFFORDABLE
Easy to install

Please list your wants/needs in this thread and we'll see what we can come up with for you!

Why not just read through one of the many "What we want in a stock agency" threads?

elvinstar · « **Reply #3 on:** November 04, 2012, 10:47 »

Quote from: sjlocke on November 04, 2012, 10:43

Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 08:48
OK, let's have it...

What would you like to see in a "Sell on your own website" software package? If there's enough interest, I'm going to be working with another coder to put something together that will be:
Rich in features (based upon your input)
AFFORDABLE
Easy to install

Please list your wants/needs in this thread and we'll see what we can come up with for you!

Why not just read through one of the many "What we want in a stock agency" threads?

I would think that there a large number of differences between selling on your own website and selling on a site with many contributors.

elvinstar · « **Reply #4 on:** November 04, 2012, 10:49 »

Quote from: cthoman on November 04, 2012, 10:36

It would probably have to be significantly better than my current KTools store. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth the effort to switch, fix links, change workflow, etc.

Which features would you like to see added? What needs improvement?

The more information that you guys provide, the better the final product will be.

Pixart · « **Reply #5 on:** November 04, 2012, 11:54 »

- Ability to sell physical goods.
- Ability to charge local taxes (I need to calculate 1 or 2 taxes depending on postal code or none for out-of-country)
- Auto renumbering/renaming system. I gave my shots sequential numbers, but went and put the model's name in it too... 1523-JakeSmith-Hockey. Mistake!
- Ability to set a blanket price series, but to be able to change it for special or exclusive content.
- Instant download - no waiting for an e-mail with a link that they can pass to all their friends.
- Collections/packages - I imagine if we can upload a zip we can make our own collection
- Repositionable watermark

You really get what you pay for. I've been looking at some Wordpress and Woocommerce photo stores but they don't auto watermark or auto resize. The more I look into the work I would have to put into it (or pay to have put into it), the better K-tools looks.

elvinstar · « **Reply #6 on:** November 04, 2012, 12:23 »

Keep 'em coming!

elvinstar · « **Reply #7 on:** November 04, 2012, 12:44 »

Would you prefer something that installs on a database on an existing website or acts as its own website?

Pixart · « **Reply #8 on:** November 04, 2012, 13:49 »

Also - ability to make password protected galleries for clients/family/boudoir etc..

You are speaking to stock photographers here so I will likely be the only one who says that I would like something I can run on a website. Each K-tools site I have seen looks like a stock photo agency, and I had come to the conclusion that I would need a stock photo site and a separate website. My husband is urging me to hire someone for what we want.

cascoly · « **Reply #9 on:** November 04, 2012, 14:02 »

Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 10:47

Quote from: sjlocke on November 04, 2012, 10:43
Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 08:48
OK, let's have it...

What would you like to see in a "Sell on your own website" software package? If there's enough interest, I'm going to be working with another coder to put something together that will be:
Rich in features (based upon your input)
AFFORDABLE
Easy to install

Please list your wants/needs in this thread and we'll see what we can come up with for you!

Why not just read through one of the many "What we want in a stock agency" threads?

I would think that there a large number of differences between selling on your own website and selling on a site with many contributors.

none of that matters if the site doesnt get seen - unless you can produce that traffic, there are already many established solutions out there - ktools, smugmug, et al

elvinstar · « **Reply #10 on:** November 04, 2012, 15:36 »

Quote from: cascoly on November 04, 2012, 14:02

Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 10:47
Quote from: sjlocke on November 04, 2012, 10:43
Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 08:48
OK, let's have it...

What would you like to see in a "Sell on your own website" software package? If there's enough interest, I'm going to be working with another coder to put something together that will be:
Rich in features (based upon your input)
AFFORDABLE
Easy to install

Please list your wants/needs in this thread and we'll see what we can come up with for you!

Why not just read through one of the many "What we want in a stock agency" threads?

I would think that there a large number of differences between selling on your own website and selling on a site with many contributors.

none of that matters if the site doesnt get seen - unless you can produce that traffic, there are already many established solutions out there - ktools, smugmug, et al

So you expect the site to provide traffic for you? I'm not really sure that's what everyone has in mind.

Other opinions on this topic would be helpful!

mattdixon · « **Reply #11 on:** November 04, 2012, 15:41 »

Galleries with custom options - thumbnail size, no of rows width etc
Nested galleries (Galleries within galleries)

Relevant search results - no of sales, views, keywords, orientation etc
or better still open source search query code so we can create our own best match

Nice looking download page with ability to link (with thumbnail) to similar images via llightbox (like iStock)
One click payment

Contributor option
or custom skin version of Virtual Agency like Photoshelter

Easy integration and CSS customisation with a Word Press front end theme (hosted separately) - Like Graph Paper Press and Photoshelter

Ultimately a photostore where artists could link their stores together to create a bigger library.

You sure you want to do this? :-)

sharpshot · « **Reply #12 on:** November 04, 2012, 15:55 »

Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 15:36

Quote from: cascoly on November 04, 2012, 14:02
Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 10:47
Quote from: sjlocke on November 04, 2012, 10:43
Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 08:48
OK, let's have it...

What would you like to see in a "Sell on your own website" software package? If there's enough interest, I'm going to be working with another coder to put something together that will be:
Rich in features (based upon your input)
AFFORDABLE
Easy to install

Please list your wants/needs in this thread and we'll see what we can come up with for you!

Why not just read through one of the many "What we want in a stock agency" threads?

I would think that there a large number of differences between selling on your own website and selling on a site with many contributors.

none of that matters if the site doesnt get seen - unless you can produce that traffic, there are already many established solutions out there - ktools, smugmug, et al

So you expect the site to provide traffic for you? I'm not really sure that's what everyone has in mind.

Other opinions on this topic would be helpful!

That's what puts me off having my own site. People who do quite well seem to just about cover their costs. What's the point in that? I'd rather have something more attractive to buyers. We've talked about a search that can combine lots of peoples sites here a few times. That would be great, as buyers would have a bigger more diverse collection of images to look at. The thought of us all having individual sites that a buyer has to search through individually doesn't appeal to me.

elvinstar · « **Reply #13 on:** November 04, 2012, 17:35 »

Lots of good ideas here, but what about all of you that are just looking? We want to hear from you, too! This is a potentially very exciting project and I've got a great coder excited about it, too.

mattdixon · « **Reply #14 on:** November 04, 2012, 19:39 »

Categories - Royalty Free, Editorial, etc -
Different price points within categories Gold, Silver, Bronze for Royalty Free, Editorial and Prints

Social Media sharing throughout site - backend open code box so it can easily be updated - not outdated
Customer sign up list that can be emailed with promotions - with customisation
Ability to import email lists
SEO optimised throughout

Good graphic design and layout to site - not something that looks like it was built in the 80's

chromaco · « **Reply #15 on:** November 04, 2012, 20:37 »

Since we are throwing out ideas...I would like to see some sort of "parent site" that ties all of the individual sites together. Perhaps with a search option like "search this site" or "search entire network". I would even be ok with being a part of one large site but having my own "store" so to speak. Kind of like a mall. Lots of individual stores in one place.

velocicarpo · « **Reply #16 on:** November 04, 2012, 21:08 »

OK, I would be definitely interested.

First, very requested feature would be: a API which allows a metacrawler to index/access the database of the contributors site. This would allow a Portal to be used as a stock search engine for independent sites. The feature should be optional.

Then my list would be:
1. Support of different licenses (RF, RM, Editorial)
2. Variety of payment gateways or the possibility for third party coders to easily integrate modules. Don`t be lazy and just put paypal in. Perfect would be to a SWIFT support, but well....
3. SEO. I was toying around with almost every script there and SEO is definitely one of the most important point. No site is serving you if the bots can`t see your stuff.
4. Cloud support! Amazon S3 e.g. is much cheaper and more reliable than any local space.
5. Don`t overbloat it with features and keep the bug count low.
6. Easy customization. Some scripts work with "Modules" you can visually arrange. Very attractive feature...

Thats my top list I guess. I only mentioned the most important points.

sharpshot · « **Reply #17 on:** November 05, 2012, 02:56 »

Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 17:35

Lots of good ideas here, but what about all of you that are just looking? We want to hear from you, too! This is a potentially very exciting project and I've got a great coder excited about it, too.

I hope you are also asking lots of buyers what they want as well. There's been a few sites that have everything that contributors want but haven't attracted buyers. Getting them involved from the start would be a good idea. There's lots of benefits for all of us, if we can reduce the costs of buying and selling images.

microstockphoto.co.uk · « **Reply #18 on:** November 05, 2012, 03:07 »

I want sales from my own web site, so SEO is the most important thing.

Code it in a manner that every single tag is indexed in google.

Also, consider a central search engine for all ports using your tool.

mattdixon · « **Reply #19 on:** November 05, 2012, 07:11 »

I don't necessarily want a central search hub for every single store, if its there I would want the option to opt in or out.

I absolutely do want to be able to create a virtual agency where selected artists can band together into bigger portals. The ability to skin the front end of that agency using Word Press or CSS would be a deal breaker for me. Otherwise there is no difference from Ktools or Photoshelter.

I would prefer to host the shop myself so I can pick a speedy ISP. I know Photoshelter have had intermittent speed issues by hosting all the sites under one roof.

Bullet proof customer friendly search - make or brake for me. Open source would be great so niche sites could cater for their style of photography - Yuri's site is an excellent example.

If you manage to crack this you could take the industry full circle and have a game changer on your hands - Good Luck

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #20 on:** November 05, 2012, 08:52 »

Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 08:48

OK, let's have it...

What would you like to see in a "Sell on your own website" software package? If there's enough interest, I'm going to be working with another coder to put something together that will be:
Rich in features (based upon your input)
AFFORDABLE
Easy to install

Please list your wants/needs in this thread and we'll see what we can come up with for you!

This sounds like you just want to code together a site as a hobby. That's not going to work. This needs to be a business venture, it needs dependability, and support. Ktools says they have more than 6000 customers. They have a support ticket system, they have forums. There are 130 tickets in the support queue right now. If you're just going to do this in your spare time, don't waste your time.

Suggestions - Ktools is trying to do too much, instead of concentrating on being a stock site. A new solution should concentrate on being a functional usable stock site. It needs to work for Joe NoComputerKnowledge as plugNplay, yet be easily modifiable (and upgradable, unlike KTools) for those that want to dig into it.

There needs to be good documentation so people know what to expect from their install instead of just floundering around trying to figure out what different functions are.

It needs the basic things all sites have - # of images per page changable by user, sorts that hold their choice from page to page, SEO optimized links, an exportable database or API, ... just all the things that you use a site for and don't realize.

I should be able to access the Central Database and make a request to have other peoples' work searchable on my site as well, and pay them X percent for the privilege.

click_click · « **Reply #21 on:** November 05, 2012, 09:16 »

Sean has a point. Support and updates have to be a must for the future, therefore it should be planned as a business.

If that is already considered I could think of a few more things to be included (if not already mentioned):

- automatic custom watermarking (just upload high-res files and the system resizes and watermarks automatically - probably very obvious)
- support various file types (footage, vectors, audio, flash etc.)
- customized splitting of file sizes, some photographers only want to offer S,M,L sizes - other would like to offer XXS, XS, S,M,L,XL,XXL,XXXL
- auto preview of images when hovering over search result thumbnails
- thumbnail size selector on every page of search results or gallery page
- custom download limit option (can be set to 1,2 or 3 dls per purchase to prevent abuse - instead of email link)
- code has to be fast - speed is essential
- display similars/series underneath file preview (like at FT or Canstock)
- automatic customer notification system when new content is added (promotional tools)

I'm sure I can think of more but here you go.

elvinstar · « **Reply #22 on:** November 05, 2012, 09:21 »

Sean,

With the exception of the first paragraph, we agree on almost everything. There is no way that I would even consider something of this complexity if it were just a "hobby."

Our goal is to provide a solution that fits the needs of microstock photographers wishing to sell their own images on their own site in addition to (or instead of) paying a huge percentage of each sale to an agency.

We are NOT trying to create another stock agency.

With that being said, we plan to build this system with an eye toward future connectability of the sites to allow artists to "link" sites or have a network-wide search. This would, of course, be an opt-in feature. Not everyone wants to participate and those who don't shouldn't be forced to.

Our plan is to first focus on photographers and add features for illustrators later. Trying to do too many things at once is a recipe for failure.

Of course this solution needs to be:

SEO-friendly
easy to install and use for people without webdev knowledge and experience
social media-friendly
easy to configure

While all of those things were on our radar before the first post went up, we want input because it is impossible for us to think of every feature that people might want.

Not every feature mentioned on this thread will be included out of the gate. Our plan is to release a rock-solid, functional solution with new features added regularly after they have been tested to death. Of course there will be support, as well.

A great idea full of bugs does no good for anyone.

Please, guys, keep the ideas and suggestions coming. As our list of first-release features gets firmed-up, we'll keep you posted.

Poncke · « **Reply #23 on:** November 05, 2012, 09:52 »

I dont have my own site yet, but I am in the market to go with either Ktools or Photoshelter at some point. But if you can make a better one, I am your customer.

For what I understand is that a proper SEARCH engine is eminent.

cthoman · « **Reply #24 on:** November 05, 2012, 10:04 »

Quote from: elvinstar on November 04, 2012, 10:49

Quote from: cthoman on November 04, 2012, 10:36
It would probably have to be significantly better than my current KTools store. Otherwise it wouldn't be worth the effort to switch, fix links, change workflow, etc.

Which features would you like to see added? What needs improvement?

The more information that you guys provide, the better the final product will be.

I'd say search would probably be the next thing that needs tackling on my site. Probably some decent cross-selling or up-selling features too. A software package that was upgradeable would have been nice too. I've basically been abandoned by the Ktools folks.

At this point though, a custom solution might be my next platform. Either that or just continue to keep making tweaks to what I already have. It really depends on how the site continues to grow.

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Author Topic: Perfect solution for selling on your own website (Read 23816 times)

elvinstar

cthoman

Sean Locke Photography

elvinstar

elvinstar

Pixart

elvinstar

elvinstar

Pixart

cascoly

elvinstar

mattdixon

sharpshot

elvinstar

mattdixon

chromaco

velocicarpo

sharpshot

microstockphoto.co.uk

mattdixon

Sean Locke Photography

click_click

elvinstar

Poncke

cthoman

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