Facelift for Kobo site

Suzanna · 06-25-2013, 08:46 PM

Kobo has a new look. I'm not sure I like the scrolling "Today's top 50 ebooks" bar, but I don't hate it either. It's just a little jarring because it's so different from other sites. One thing that's very prominent now is the search bar at the top of the home page. I'm hoping that means Kobo has overhauled their search functions. When I search for my name now I only get my books. Before, I would get my books and a bunch of other ones following.

I do hope that they move the "browse categories" list back to the main page. Right now you have to click on the "ebooks" link at the top of the page before the list shows.

I really like the new browsing experience, though! I didn't like how it was set up before, with only ten books per page. Now it's more like iTunes, with the covers side-by-side, and I also like how large the covers are. I think this new format will encourage customers to browse for new books more.

Is anyone else seeing the new site? It shows for me, but DH is still seeing the old site.

AnemicOak · 06-25-2013, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suzanna

Is anyone else seeing the new site? It shows for me, but DH is still seeing the old site.

I'm seeing the same old site.

I wish they'd put some resources into better search, and maybe fixing the recommended for you deal so you can actually mark something as already read and have it take.

JSWolf · 06-25-2013, 10:23 PM

I wish Kobo had a proper online shopping cart.

RareBird · 06-25-2013, 10:31 PM

I'm seeing the new site. I'm not sure what to think of it but I did notice the recommended reads section is missing (recently reduced bestsellers, great reads from $3.99, etc). I liked that part of the site. I see the link out to goodreads is also missing. I used that quite a bit before deciding to buy a book. A minor inconvenience since I can just go directly to goodreads but still an inconvenience.

jiminrussell · 06-25-2013, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I wish Kobo had a proper online shopping cart.

I wish they did too. Google and Amazon don't seem to allow use of shopping cart either for ebooks. Amazon really surprises me, I can add most anything to my Amazon cart but not ebooks. Sony can do it, I don't understand why the other major online ebook stores can't do it.

Still seeing the old kobo books web site here.

AnemicOak · 06-25-2013, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiminrussell

I don't understand why the other major online ebook stores can't do it.

They can do it, but choose not to, it seems to be the trend for a lot of digital sales for some reason (Amazon, B&N, Google, iTunes, Kobo...).

ottdmk · 06-25-2013, 11:31 PM

Kobo wants to make the impulse book buy as easy as possible. So, no shopping cart, and the addition of one-click buying earlier this year. According to that philosophy of design, the less clicks the better.

It doesn't surprise me all that much, really. I would put money that if you did a market survey, you'd find the vast majority of book buyers only do so one at a time.

I'm getting the new site btw.

John F · 06-26-2013, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ottdmk

Kobo wants to make the impulse book buy as easy as possible. So, no shopping cart, and the addition of one-click buying earlier this year. According to that philosophy of design, the less clicks the better.

It doesn't surprise me all that much, really. I would put money that if you did a market survey, you'd find the vast majority of book buyers only do so one at a time.

I'm getting the new site btw.

Well I think they made impulse buying much more difficult. If I want to impulse buy now, I need to click the "buy now", then try to figure out how to get back to shopping (I need to renter the URL).

When I'm standing in line at the grocery store, and they have the impulse buy items, they don't make me pay for everything one item at a time.

And Kobo, please please please don't take this as a suggestion to make suggestion(s) for additional books to buy while I'm checking out.

hwlester · 06-26-2013, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

Well I think they made impulse buying much more difficult. If I want to impulse buy now, I need to click the "buy now", then try to figure out how to get back to shopping (I need to renter the URL).

When I'm standing in line at the grocery store, and they have the impulse buy items, they don't make me pay for everything one item at a time.

And Kobo, please please please don't take this as a suggestion to make suggestion(s) for additional books to buy while I'm checking out.

On the final page of the checkout process, there is a big button right next to the book cover that says "Continue Shopping" which will take you back to the home page.

I agree it's not super intuitive, though. I did the same as you the first time and thought perhaps the Kobo logo in the upper left would take me back to the homescreen like on many websites... then I noticed the button I mentioned.

John F · 06-26-2013, 09:33 AM

But that defeats the purpose of impulse buying. I may buy the impulse, but then I'm not going to want to go back and look for the book I originally had in mind, so they didn't gain an additional sale.

Marbles · 06-26-2013, 02:08 PM

I don't see anything different with the web site.

Suzanna · 06-26-2013, 11:00 PM

This is the new homepage:

And this is what I see when I browse:

The browsing page is infinite. When you get to the bottom you see a button to show more images and they propagate below the other books. I think it makes for a better browsing experience.

HarleyB · 06-26-2013, 11:25 PM

I just wish they would fix the search function so that I can actually search for a book while signed in.
Or that they would get their pricing correct so that I didn't have to sign in to see what I'm actually going to be charged.

Having to constantly sign out to find a book and then sign in to see the price just makes shopping at Kobo a nightmare...
And Kobo keeps sending me emails begging me to come back. I would be back in an instant if they fixed this.

PeterT · 06-26-2013, 11:30 PM

Have you tried removing ALL cookies that Kobo might have set to see if that helps the search function?

davidfor · 06-27-2013, 12:57 AM

@HarleyB: Have you contacted Kobo about this? I did before Christmas and did some debugging with them. Eventually they passed it up the line, but they offered to move all my books to a new account. With that account, searching works.

While going through that, the workaround I used was two browsers. One would be logged in, the other wasn't. I would do the searching on the non-logged in browser and then copy the url to the logged in one. Still a pain, but it worked a little better.

06-25-2013, 08:46 PM	#1
Suzanna Living in the past Posts: 432 Karma: 6011289 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Arc	Facelift for Kobo site Kobo has a new look. I'm not sure I like the scrolling "Today's top 50 ebooks" bar, but I don't hate it either. It's just a little jarring because it's so different from other sites. One thing that's very prominent now is the search bar at the top of the home page. I'm hoping that means Kobo has overhauled their search functions. When I search for my name now I only get my books. Before, I would get my books and a bunch of other ones following. I do hope that they move the "browse categories" list back to the main page. Right now you have to click on the "ebooks" link at the top of the page before the list shows. I really like the new browsing experience, though! I didn't like how it was set up before, with only ten books per page. Now it's more like iTunes, with the covers side-by-side, and I also like how large the covers are. I think this new format will encourage customers to browse for new books more. Is anyone else seeing the new site? It shows for me, but DH is still seeing the old site.

06-25-2013, 10:31 PM	#4
RareBird Addict Posts: 377 Karma: 770002 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Windsor, Nova Scotia Device: Kobo Aura	I'm seeing the new site. I'm not sure what to think of it but I did notice the recommended reads section is missing (recently reduced bestsellers, great reads from $3.99, etc). I liked that part of the site. I see the link out to goodreads is also missing. I used that quite a bit before deciding to buy a book. A minor inconvenience since I can just go directly to goodreads but still an inconvenience. Last edited by RareBird; 06-26-2013 at 09:20 AM.

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06-25-2013, 10:23 PM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,414 Karma: 145491800 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I wish Kobo had a proper online shopping cart.

06-25-2013, 11:31 PM	#7
ottdmk Wizard Posts: 1,220 Karma: 3804496 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Libra 2, Lenovo Tab M10 FHD Plus, Lenovo Tab M9	Kobo wants to make the impulse book buy as easy as possible. So, no shopping cart, and the addition of one-click buying earlier this year. According to that philosophy of design, the less clicks the better. It doesn't surprise me all that much, really. I would put money that if you did a market survey, you'd find the vast majority of book buyers only do so one at a time. I'm getting the new site btw.

06-26-2013, 09:33 AM	#10
John F Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,886 Karma: 70186493 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo Clara 2E	But that defeats the purpose of impulse buying. I may buy the impulse, but then I'm not going to want to go back and look for the book I originally had in mind, so they didn't gain an additional sale.

06-26-2013, 02:08 PM	#11
Marbles Zealot Posts: 114 Karma: 6296 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Albert, Canada Device: KoboTouch & Kobo Vox iPad2	I don't see anything different with the web site.

06-26-2013, 11:00 PM	#12
Suzanna Living in the past Posts: 432 Karma: 6011289 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Arc	This is the new homepage: And this is what I see when I browse: The browsing page is infinite. When you get to the bottom you see a button to show more images and they propagate below the other books. I think it makes for a better browsing experience.

06-26-2013, 11:25 PM	#13
HarleyB Fanatic Posts: 565 Karma: 1113286 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast Australia Device: Kobo (RIP), iPad, iPhone 4, Kobo Touch x2, Kobo Glo	I just wish they would fix the search function so that I can actually search for a book while signed in. Or that they would get their pricing correct so that I didn't have to sign in to see what I'm actually going to be charged. Having to constantly sign out to find a book and then sign in to see the price just makes shopping at Kobo a nightmare... And Kobo keeps sending me emails begging me to come back. I would be back in an instant if they fixed this.

06-26-2013, 11:30 PM	#14
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,377 Karma: 78877538 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	Have you tried removing ALL cookies that Kobo might have set to see if that helps the search function?

06-27-2013, 12:57 AM	#15
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,905 Karma: 47303824 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	@HarleyB: Have you contacted Kobo about this? I did before Christmas and did some debugging with them. Eventually they passed it up the line, but they offered to move all my books to a new account. With that account, searching works. While going through that, the workaround I used was two browsers. One would be logged in, the other wasn't. I would do the searching on the non-logged in browser and then copy the url to the logged in one. Still a pain, but it worked a little better.

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