New Dapol website

[oreamnos]

I would agree that Hatton's is probably the best of the main model railway websites at the moment, not for aesthetic reasons (simple is often best!), but for functionality. It tells you how many of each item is in stock so that you know if you place an order you will get the item within a few days.

 

Yes, IMHO the real-time stock levels are absolutely essential.  It not only is useful information for the consumer but it also is a very clear indicator of the professionalism and sophistication of the firm's inventory controls, which in turn (particularly for a retail business) is a reflection overall of how well the firm is managed.  To date I have not yet found another website which shows the exact numbers of stock in inventory and which within minutes after I buy something can I see my purchases reflected in lower in-stock numbers.

 

I think by nature most model railway enthusiasts are practical people who can discern style from substance in a heartbeat and really aren't impressed or interested in wasting their time on flashy this or flashy that.  At the end of the day, we just want whatever it is to work well with the minimum amount of fuss.  I would simply recommend to all website designers that they remember who their primary audience is.

 

Matt

[Jon Harbour]

It's interesting you mention real-time stock levels. I work in the supply chain / IT industry and the communication between warehousing / inventory managing systems and the 'host' systems (whether that is a corporate web site or an internal accounting / order management / ERP system) is very tricky to manage. Sites that do show real-time stock levels are challenging to get right. It can be done of course, but it is tricky and expensive to set up.

 

In terms of the Dapol web site, I think that there is a long way to go, but you can see incremental improvements each visit. For example, I saw a comment earlier in this thread that the product codes were not displayed on the screen with the details of the models. It's there now as far as I can tell. My experience with Dapol has been that if you are constructive, they do listen. They do seem to be much more on the ball with their Social Media policies that other manufacturers in terms of end customer engagement, which can only be a good thing.

[grahame]

I'm afraid I always have a problem with Dapol on RMweb, and a quick look at their new front page seems to have fallen into the same trap - scale/gauge. Big splurge about A4s - but no mention of the fact that they're N gauge. Apparently I'm supposed to just know that.  

 

Unfortunately all manufacturers and magazines seem to do this (and on RMweb). There are many announcements for products and sometimes layouts that do not mention they are 4mm/OO and as an N gauge modeller that can be very frustrating. It seems that we're all supposed to somehow know the scale in advance.

 

G.

[johnlambert]

Another factor that makes the eHattons web site so good is the ease with which it can be navigated. I'm primarily interested in N gauge stuff and I like the fact that a single click from the home page brings up all the relevant items by category, and it is just as easy to find items by manufacturer, special offers, new releases or anything else I could want - and it has an effective search function.

 

One of my frustrations with the old Dapol site was the navigation by menus that appear on mouseover, I'm so pleased that seems to have gone, but there still seems to be a lot of scrolling through the new site. Having successfully navigated the new site it is disappointing to find that it doesn't cover the whole range and that it doesn't tell me much about the products that are listed. It would be useful to be able to see things like; dimensions, DCC status (fitted/ready/not compatible), couplings and whether it has NEM pockets.

 

I like the way Dapol engages with its customers and have been delighted by all the Dapol products I own, it is just a shame the company web site lets the side down a bit.

[Sasquatch]

  Any Dapol products I require are obtained through our trusty Hattons, this way I can be sure of the scale.  This saves me time in more ways than one and money (Dapol took a whole month to process an order I placed directly through thier website). At least I can be sure Hattons currently have stock!

 

One wonders if the manufacturers prefere us to purchase through retailers. It would be prudent to agree that manufacturers stick to what they do best.

I only wish Hattons would stock full ranges of all British made railway items like Wills instead of all those airplane kits and diecast stuff! Sorry I`m getting off topic again!

[Les1952]

Just one thing that may be relevant-

 

Comparing the reply given by Dapol's Nicola in the N'Thusiast's newsletter, and the staff biographies on Hatton's website it would appear that Hattons actually have more staff than Dapol by a factor of about 2 to 1.........

 

So when comparing websites it might be appropriate to remember that Hattons employ an IT manager, an advertising co-ordinator and a project manager (seen in his biography photographing models).  All of these will have a hand in the websites (Christine Hatton's biography mentions FOUR).   Her biog also mentions 57 staff (though I could only find forty-odd on the website) against Dapol's 21.

 

Just a thought

Les

[Matabiau]

Just one thing that may be relevant-

 

Comparing the reply given by Dapol's Nicola in the N'Thusiast's newsletter, and the staff biographies on Hatton's website it would appear that Hattons actually have more staff than Dapol by a factor of about 2 to 1.........

 

So when comparing websites it might be appropriate to remember that Hattons employ an IT manager, an advertising co-ordinator and a project manager (seen in his biography photographing models).  All of these will have a hand in the websites (Christine Hatton's biography mentions FOUR).   Her biog also mentions 57 staff (though I could only find forty-odd on the website) against Dapol's 21.

 

Just a thought

Les

All the more reason to keep it simple!

 

Let's not forget that Hatton's primary funtion is the sale to the general public of models by mail order and internet. IT is therefore at the heart of their business and warrants such a large team. Dapol's primary function is the design and production of model trains where IT is very much a support service. What I would expect from manufacturer's website is news, catalogs and access to technical support. Anything esle such as customer fora, collectors' clubs and links to facebook and twitter "maybe nice to haves" but should not get in the way of the three key functions (as in the case of Hornby)

 

I have faith in Dapol's willingness and ability to improve things, they seem far more flexible and willing to adapt than others.

[Doughnut]

I agree totally with the above and some it up as this:- 

 

1. Website should have images of all products
2. Website should have real-time stock levels
3. Clear simple categories and sub-categories ie Gauge (N, 00...etc), Model type ie  Steam locos, Diesel locos, Carriages, Wagons, Buildings, accessories   

1 and 2 in particular  are the reasons I'm always at the Hattons site.

[Butler Henderson]

Have found Antics and Model Railways Direct website to be real time, ie the stock has gone down accordingly after I have placed an order.

[bmthtrains - David]

Just visited the website for the first time, and it's pretty embarrassing. The images at the top are behind the text and doesn't scroll, and the side bar sort of vanishes as you move down. There is very little information there, and I'm not at all clear what the purpose of the website it. I can't see any details of what they produce - surely that is the main thing people visit any manufacturers website for?

 

It really doesn't take much time or effort to just run a simple website that has details of what you make, and it has nothing to do with the size of the company - the smallest cottage industry suppliers right up to the biggest manufacturers can manage it. A website is your company's shop window, neglect it at your peril.

 

David

[Dungrange]

I agree with many of the negative comments already expressed about the new Dapol website.  The old website was poor and as such it wasn't a site I frequented much.  The new one has a cleaner more modern feel to it and in that regard I would consider it to be an improvement, but navigationally, its awful (in some respects its worse than the old site).

 

Many people have indicated the importance of real-time stock levels, but whilst I agree that is highly desirable for an online retailer like Hattons (a site that I also frequent), I see it as a much less important feature on a manufacturer's website such as Dapol.  In this regard I consider the Bachmann website to be the best, because it is reasonably easy to navigate and I can generally find the information that I want about any Bachmann product.

 

In my opinion, a manufacturer's website should first and foremost be an online catalogue.  It needs to allow the user to browse all of the products that Dapol produce by scale, by category and preferably by era.  Ideally, each product would be accompanied by photographs and information about the product including scale, dimensions, livery details, the period when the prototype was in service, price etc.  An indication of likely availability would also be desirable.  Whether that be indicated as Apr/May as per the Bachmann site or 2013 Q2 as Hornby seem to favour doesn't really matter: any indication is better than no indication at all.

 

Once that part of the site is operational, add news pages that highlight events Dapol are attending, new product announcements etc as this is likely to help engage customers.  Signing up for a newsletter or product updates is probably also worthwhile.

 

Once the basics are in place, by all means add in a retail facility, but I'm sure most of Dapol's customers purchase their models through retailers, so the most important products to sell directly is probably spare parts.

 

I really hope that Dapol are able to improve the new site otherwise it will, in my opinion, be money wasted.  To be fair, I wanted to check out the station passengers that Dapol produce and the information is there, but if it wasn't that I already knew the product code (C008), which I was able to type into the search box, I don't think I'd have found them.

 

Regards

 

David

[RWJP]

To be honest, I'd get rid of the whole store/stock/sales side of things altogether.

Obviously I have no idea of the numbers, but I would have thought that sales through the website are pretty minimal. Almost no one is going to buy models direct from Dapol as other retailers stock their models for quite a lot less than the RRP. The only real sales I can see going through the website are for the various spare parts packs.

I'd far rather see a more Bachmann style website, clear news section, clear products section, split by range, gauge, etc and a comprehensive list of where I can buy Dapol products from.

Right now for example, both the "News" section and the "Launches" fulfill exactly the same purpose! As awesome as it is for a company to release a new product, it's nothing that needs separating from regular news. Think of it this way, if a customer goes to the "Launches" section, they will see that Dapol's 2884 has been released (an example only gents!), but they won't see the News posts that says Dapol will be at their local model show, selling said new 2884, as the two announcements are in two separate sections.

I feel Dapol have gone massively overboard on shiny graphics and pretty features, but have really failed to provide the information customers really want. Personally, I want to know what models Dapol are currently producing, their features, and where to buy them from. I don't want to know that Dapol are offering 10% off A4s, as I can get them cheaper than Dapol's discounted price from the big retailers!

Overall, I agree with Dungrange in his suggestions. Get a good product database/catalogue set up, then add a news feed. once that is finished, look at adding a shopping cart.

[tetsudofan]

I've just looked at the new website and quite honestly it's Mickey Mouse as far as I'm concerned.

 

Used to look at the old website quite often to see what commission wagons had been produced but now when I looked I could only find two commissions - and you had to keep on clicking to get those.

 

It's my opinion that Dapol is living in two different worlds - the production side living in the 21st Century and the sales/marketing side living in the 19th Century.

 

Keith

[oreamnos]

I think Dungrange and RWJP are right on the mark.  Given the website's general failure to understand who its main audience is - and the needs of that audience - one is left with the impression that whomever designed it is himself not a railway modeller, and indeed (given the problems with the site) perhaps not a professional website designer, either.

 

I'm sure it will be sorted eventually; Dapol is very good at hearing its customers' feedback.  With the large number of new products Dapol has been developing and releasing of late I'm afraid it seems that adding the website revision on top of it all was - metaphorically speaking - a "wafer-thin mint."

 

Matt

[Steven B]

Appart from spare parts and NQP's is there much point in having a shop on the Dapol website? Surely any new models that can be bought from the website can be bought for less at most model shops?

 

Who ever designed it clearly has a wide-screen monitor - try looking at it on an old 4:3 (1024x768) or a netbook (800x480 WVGA); It doesn't fit on the screen, some of the scroll controls are off the side of the window (they're fixed width rather than relative) and for some reason there's no horizontal scroll bar.

 

On the positive side I rather like the design.

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

[Dungrange]

Apart from spare parts and NQP's is there much point in having a shop on the Dapol website? Surely any new models that can be bought from the website can be bought for less at most model shops?

I agree.  If a manufacturer undercuts the retailers that stock their products, these retailers will eventually stop selling Dapol products.  Therefore to maintain their distribution network, Dapol can't afford to offer more competitive prices, which means why would anyone seek to buy direct from Dapol?  The only explanation I can think of is that someone may prefer Dapol to get the retail profit rather than their local model shop!!

 

Regards

 

David

[Matabiau]

I see Dapol have gotten rid of the irritating A4 wallpaper advert on their website and replaced it with a simple (and elegant) banner for their 28xx which scrolls with the rest of the content. Once again Dapol listen to their customers!

[MikeGibbs]

In common with I think 100% of the feedback so far, the new website is an improvement, but seriously below par compared to almost everything else out there. Message to Dapol: keep trying guys, we recognize you have limited resources, but this is one of the best ways to communicate to and with your customers, so please invest a little more.

 

My beef is with the new online store and Dapol's customer service, or should I say lack thereof. I applaud them for having items for sale that you can't get in retail stores, but Dapol, you have to respond to your customers if they have questions.

 

I have asked two questions via the 'contact us' feature, with no response. Both I consider to be reasonable questions and both should signify to Dapol that I am a regular customer of their products. In other words someone they should be prioritizing in terms of customer service. Even the most basic rules of marketing tell you that it is much easier (and less expensive) to retain an existing customer than to entice a new one.

 

Just in case anyone from Dapol ever reads this, here are the questions I submitted to your new website without a reply:

 

1) I joined the "N-thusiasts" club in November last year but other than an e-mail receipt have received nothing... Even when I asked for a response on the new site... Come on guys, you have to respond to questions like this!

 

2) I am interested in purchasing an N Gauge Class 35 'Hymek' chassis which Dapol have advertised on their new site. This is an item you can't get in retail stores and I applaud Dapol for making it available direct. I live in the US and asked Dapol via their new site if their online store deducts VAT (if it doesn't I pay 20% extra and wouldn't be interested in buying anything). Once again, no reply. So in this instance they have lost a definite purchase, because (assuming they deduct VAT), I would have purchased this item!

 

So Dapol... If you are listening... It's not just the design of the website, please do something (anything???) about responding to online queries. Ignoring customer's requests quite simply sucks

 

Mike

[DapolDave]

Hi Mike,

 

As I don't have anything to do with the website I can only assume that your posts are lost in the ether, and on behalf of the company I can only apologise.

 

However please don't think that just because you are a "good customer" of Dapol's you deserve priority or special treatment.

In fact no you don't!

 

ALL customers deserve good quick response times, a courteous answer, and, if possible a fix or solution to their problem.

Being a repeat customer or a first time one should make no difference as all should be treated the same.

 

Occasionally we can let the side down, but we are only human and will endeavour to put things right if, such as in this case we are at fault.

 

If you'd like to e-mail Kevin Grindley at the following Keving@Dapol.co.uk ( he deals with sales)

I'm sure you will get a direct response on Monday morning (UK time).

Cheers

Dave

[MikeGibbs]

Hi Dave

 

Your quick response is truly appreciated; I will contact Kevin and await his reply.

 

I agree that all customers deserve a timely response to any question or query, but it is worth making sure that repeat customers are not ignored. After all, it is repeat customers like me who post to forums such as RMWeb. Good customer service deserves a mention just as much as a bad experience does!

 

In the meantime, please keep up the great work. As a BR Western Region modeller,  I can't wait for the new N gauge Class 22 and Class 52 Western to arrive!

 

Mike

[Ozexpatriate]

It's not just the design of the website, please do something (anything???) about responding to online queries. Ignoring customer's requests quite simply sucks

Much larger companies have similar issues. Their 'contact us with a question' section of the website can be a black hole.

 

Like several posters here, I was interested in the new website, not so much for the direct online sales aspect, but to find out more about forthcoming Dapol products. I found the website very unhelpful in this regard.

 

I particularly agree with criticism about clearly labelling items as 00 or N.

[mikeharvey22]

The recent development of the launches/product development sections of the website is really welcome. The N gauge section seems to have had priority by I suspect that the other gauges can expect the same treatment.

 

http://Dapol.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=179_298_300

 

Mike

[Les1952]

The recent development of the launches/product development sections of the website is really welcome. The N gauge section seems to have had priority by I suspect that the other gauges can expect the same treatment.

 

http://Dapol.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=179_298_300

 

Mike

 

It seems to be a work in progress. Nicola posts on the Dapol Facebook group when something else is added.

 

 

I don't think it is being done by anyone full-time, more a "I've got some spare time and will get on with this", though I'm quite prepared to be told I'm wrong....

 

All the very best

Les