Lee Valley Online.
#41
(05-29-2020, 11:27 AM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: My take is this -- it's not that they don't care about their customers but that they have a restrictive platform that they have yet to find a way out or around.

One problem is their default setting which limits results to 12 per page instead of 100.

Simon
I agree that they do care about their customers... but one of the problems is not, IMO, that the page defaults to 12 instead of 100. The user can change that, the problem is, again IMO, is that that most search engines filter OUT the results by entering multiple terms, the LV site filters IN results by entering multiple terms. So searching for “bevel up hand plane” will give you 2,600 hits, including planes, hand soap, bevel gauges, pop-up tables, ...  I’m not an expert on site search optimization, but the average Joe who wants to search for a BU plane from Lee Valley says WTF? This has persisted far too long to be explained by growing pains in the site redesign.
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#42
I liked the old site better. I agree the way the new one is organized it's harder to find stuff because there are fewer categories before you get a list of items. It used to be you could drill down to more specific categories. You can still do that, but the subcategories are more restricted. For example. If you choose Tools - Saws, and then look on the left side for subcategories, you have to know that full-size Western Saws aren't sold by LV. The only choice is Panel Saws. You have to go through the long list of saws to find "Pax Saws" or others, but the products displayed when you just open up "Saws" are in no special order (maybe listed by SKU?). You used to be able to click on Bad Axe or Wenzloff as a subcategory. Those are gone. You need to search by name. If you want to search by activity, one of the subcategories is "Sawing." Really? If you click on Japanese Saws, you get all related products to Japanese Saws. Problem is, you get replacement blades thrown in random order with the actual handled saws, so it's hard to tell which saw the replacement blade matches. Better to just go to the handled saw where they do list the replacement blade that matches that particular saw. I could get used to the new taxonomy, but I just wish the subcategories were more comprehensive.
Still Learning,

Allan Hill
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#43
(05-29-2020, 02:39 PM)AHill Wrote: I liked the old site better. 

I agree that the search algorithm needs some work, much too inclusive.  But I understand that the old site was not "mobile-friendly" and as more and more people are using cell phones, they had to optimize for that browser technology or they would be missing out on a significant part of the market.  I think LV is well aware of the issue, hopefully time will resolve it.  But I emailed for a current catalog and now just punch in the item number to find it.
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#44
All you need to do is search the site a bit more, and you'll get used to it.

Now, what I really miss, is their hard copy tool catalog! Hard to drag my desktop into my "reading room"!
Waiting to grow up beyond being just a member
www.metaltech-pm.com
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#45
(05-29-2020, 04:27 PM)Tony Z Wrote: All you need to do is search the site a bit more, and you'll get used to it.

Now, what I really miss, is their hard copy tool catalog!  Hard to drag my desktop into my "reading room"!

Email or call customer service, they'll happily send you a catalog, that's what I did.
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#46
(05-29-2020, 05:55 PM)Admiral Wrote: Email or call customer service, they'll happily send you a catalog, that's what I did.

I am going to do that!
Waiting to grow up beyond being just a member
www.metaltech-pm.com
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#47
(05-29-2020, 04:27 PM)Tony Z Wrote: All you need to do is search the site a bit more, and you'll get used to it.

Now, what I really miss, is their hard copy tool catalog!  Hard to drag my desktop into my "reading room"!

I have been doing that; and, getting the hard (paper) catalog for the library--the one everyone has. My problem is the dog ears double the thickness of the thing. Some page corners are double folded, too.

One thing I have run into is some items are discontinued via my online transcribe and order process.
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#48
Yes, a customer can change that number, but why if 4 out of 5 times you are not going to see what you want on the first page or two of 12 anyway? If everytime you go to a site, you need to change a default (whatever that is), that makes it a bit less friendly.

On the other hand, if the default is 100, what's the downside? You keep scrolling down the page (not pages) until you find the item you're looking for. Newspapers for example don't get a reader to see only 6 news headlines on one page.

Simon
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#49
I wanted some of their fancy bradpoint drill bits. Six different variations of 'bradpoint' still didn't get me to what I was looking for. Finally, I went to the general navigation and clicked down until I found a category that looked promising, and then clicked through page after page until I found what I was looking for. If I had thought about it a little, the Google site search feature probably would have gotten me there much quicker. But Lee Valley has treated me very well in the past, so they are who I want to spend my money with, even if it was a bit more challenging than I'd have expected.
Math is tough. Let's go shopping!
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#50
(05-30-2020, 01:05 AM)JohnnyEgo Wrote:   If I had thought about it a little, the Google site search feature probably would have gotten me there much quicker.

Ha ha, I just googled "lee valley brad point bit" and bingo, first result.  I'm going to have to start doing that.
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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