# Opening my online store with a vote



## BfloTees (Mar 6, 2008)

Hi All:
Ive been kicking around the idea of having a soft opening of my web store that would allow customers to vote for their favorite shirt (from 3 designs). Whichever shirt wins would be the first shirt available online. Also, when a customer votes they can:
1) sign up for newsletter and be the first to get new designs (this way I can create a database of potential customers)
2) prepay for the winning shirt at a $5 discount.

Im sure this has been done before but:
1) does anyone know of sites that do this (besides woot)
2) has anyone here done this and how
3) any resources to figure out the programming

Any comments suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks!


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## marlo45 (Oct 4, 2007)

I'm just buzzing in to get suggestions, too. I had a somewhat similar idea but couldn't bother to code it.


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## BfloTees (Mar 6, 2008)

marlo45 said:


> I'm just buzzing in to get suggestions, too. I had a somewhat similar idea but couldn't bother to code it.


Just went to your site. Nice. How is the "Whats on the loot" working out for you as far as preorders


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## marlo45 (Oct 4, 2007)

I haven't started it yet. The site has only been up for about a week now.


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## sonambulo (Sep 22, 2007)

i think in order to make that successfull one thing that you have to do is have a short voting period cause people dont like waiting long for things and cause if it seems to them that the voting period is too long they will be put of to visiting the site cause theyve alreaady voted. unless u have other designs that are ready forsale


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## AustinJeff (May 12, 2007)

BfloTees said:


> Hi All:
> Ive been kicking around the idea of having a soft opening of my web store that would allow customers to vote for their favorite shirt (from 3 designs).


I think it depends on how "soft" a "soft opening" you are planning. It will take quite a bit of targeted traffic to make it worthwhile, and that's not easy to get with a brand new site with nothing for sale.

Perhaps if you add some kind of contest -- maybe when you sign up for the newsletter, you are entered into a drawing to win the winning design and a gift certificate? Giveaways can bring in tons of traffic, but if you aren't careful in the promotion it will be untargeted and not worth much.

As for similar contests, there are tons of sites where people vote on user-submitted designs, most notably Threadless.

What platform are you using for your site? That will largely determine how you can imlement it.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

My main question would be where would you get these initial customers/visitors that would be casting the votes?

You would need enough votes and traffic to make it meaningful so you don't get a small sample of 4 people's "favorite designs"



> 3) any resources to figure out the programming


Just use a simple voting script from a place like hotscripts.com or use a remotely hosted voting script service (search google) or a survey script place like surveymonkey.com


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## mpstrategies (Mar 28, 2008)

its always good to ahve a varity of designs for the vote, this would keep more people interested in voting.


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