Over the past few months I have been actively upgrading aantv.com. The latest version of the web site was rolled out in mid December. Many layout and functional changes have been made to the site with the end goal being a cleaner more visually appealing layout, easier navigation, exceptional product presentation and timely information about the product or auction. Here is an overview of the features that should make your online auction and purchase experience with America's Auction Network even better.
Navigation, Product Search and Presentation
Navigation of a large web site like aantv.com can often be daunting for a casual web surfer. The difficult job of a web designer is to provide a good set of navigation tools that allows the user to form a mental model of how the site is laid out. The latest version of the web site addresses this issue via a main navigation bar located at the top of each page, just below AANTV logo. Each menu item triggers a large "flyout" menu to appear that lists links to various product searches or auction tool under that category. This will allow the user to find just what they are looking for. In addition, since the menubar appears on every page, it provide a consistent navigation interface that should be quickly adapted by even the newest and most unseasoned online shopper.
The product search boxes seen in the past sites have been consolidated into a single search box located at the top right of every page. The search engine is now smart enough to know the difference between an item number and a normal search query. The result of a search will either be the "inventory item" page or a list of matched items. Please note that the search is not a boolean type search. The search looks for keywords in succession within the product title so additional words like OR, AND, and NOT dramatically reduce search results.
Lots of effort also went into how the product images are presented. Poorly designed web pages have images that are scaled in size and forced to fit into a given area by the browser. This results in distorted images and slow page loads. We have made sure that properly sized images are used. This small detail greatly improves page load times and overall image quality.
Auction Tools
Live bidding is certainly the most exciting part of the new site. This page allows you to bid in real time with a live moderator! It shows both an image of the current auction lot or a live webcast of the auction itself. It is a great way to track the auctions when you are not in front of the TV. Just because you don't have cable TV doesn't mean you have to miss the action.
The current silent auction can now be tracked on the main page. This widget updates in real time to show the current bid, image and description. It has proven to be a great tool on nights when there are many silent auctions, such as coin night. Hover your mouse over the image to see more details about the silent auction and click the image to see an enlarged image. Look for online bidding soon!
The auction catalog pages have also been improved. We moved the lengthy description of each auction lot to a popup dialog. Like the silent auction widget, hover your mouse over an auction lot image to see more details about that lot and click an image to see an enlarged image.
Another great auction tool is the auction lot search page. This page allows you to search for an auction lot by date and lot number. It also gives you the ability to view previous and next auction lots.
The upcoming auction schedule, seen on the main page, has also been refined. It is now a scrolling widget (use arrows) that allows one to view short details about an upcoming auction. Several auction lot images can be seen rotating and links to the auction catalog and any available video are also provided.
Lastly, we provided links to previous auctions and auction highlights to give you a feel for the action and type of merchandise we auction/sell.
Real Estate
The motto behind AANTV Realty is that every property is video documented to show you the exact property you are bidding on. The latest real estate web pages act on this motto by presenting video documentation, providing a Google map, and presenting several images of each property. AANTV Realty sells property outright but my favorite is the real estate auctions on Sunday night. The action is sometimes furious and provides great fun, even for the casual observer.
Happy bidding !
Navigation, Product Search and Presentation
Navigation of a large web site like aantv.com can often be daunting for a casual web surfer. The difficult job of a web designer is to provide a good set of navigation tools that allows the user to form a mental model of how the site is laid out. The latest version of the web site addresses this issue via a main navigation bar located at the top of each page, just below AANTV logo. Each menu item triggers a large "flyout" menu to appear that lists links to various product searches or auction tool under that category. This will allow the user to find just what they are looking for. In addition, since the menubar appears on every page, it provide a consistent navigation interface that should be quickly adapted by even the newest and most unseasoned online shopper.
The product search boxes seen in the past sites have been consolidated into a single search box located at the top right of every page. The search engine is now smart enough to know the difference between an item number and a normal search query. The result of a search will either be the "inventory item" page or a list of matched items. Please note that the search is not a boolean type search. The search looks for keywords in succession within the product title so additional words like OR, AND, and NOT dramatically reduce search results.
Lots of effort also went into how the product images are presented. Poorly designed web pages have images that are scaled in size and forced to fit into a given area by the browser. This results in distorted images and slow page loads. We have made sure that properly sized images are used. This small detail greatly improves page load times and overall image quality.
Auction Tools
Live bidding is certainly the most exciting part of the new site. This page allows you to bid in real time with a live moderator! It shows both an image of the current auction lot or a live webcast of the auction itself. It is a great way to track the auctions when you are not in front of the TV. Just because you don't have cable TV doesn't mean you have to miss the action.
The current silent auction can now be tracked on the main page. This widget updates in real time to show the current bid, image and description. It has proven to be a great tool on nights when there are many silent auctions, such as coin night. Hover your mouse over the image to see more details about the silent auction and click the image to see an enlarged image. Look for online bidding soon!
The auction catalog pages have also been improved. We moved the lengthy description of each auction lot to a popup dialog. Like the silent auction widget, hover your mouse over an auction lot image to see more details about that lot and click an image to see an enlarged image.
Another great auction tool is the auction lot search page. This page allows you to search for an auction lot by date and lot number. It also gives you the ability to view previous and next auction lots.
The upcoming auction schedule, seen on the main page, has also been refined. It is now a scrolling widget (use arrows) that allows one to view short details about an upcoming auction. Several auction lot images can be seen rotating and links to the auction catalog and any available video are also provided.
Lastly, we provided links to previous auctions and auction highlights to give you a feel for the action and type of merchandise we auction/sell.
Real Estate
The motto behind AANTV Realty is that every property is video documented to show you the exact property you are bidding on. The latest real estate web pages act on this motto by presenting video documentation, providing a Google map, and presenting several images of each property. AANTV Realty sells property outright but my favorite is the real estate auctions on Sunday night. The action is sometimes furious and provides great fun, even for the casual observer.
Happy bidding !
On December 1st 2008 a new shopping channel appeared, the Liquidation Channel. Low prices, no returns. But it's not new, the Liquidation Channel is just a fictitious name belonging to The Jewelry Channel Inc of Texas. The Jewelry Channel 'went out of business' the day before, 16 hours before to be more exact.
Back in June the Jewelry Channel first announced it was going out of business. At that time they told the Texas Workforce Commission they would close up at the beginning of August, but that's not what happened. Instead they kept pushing back their final day. At some point they must have realized how profitable a going out of business sale can be and decided to drag it out as long as possible. They must have liked the big profits from running an 'all sales are final' operation. They must have liked it so much they decided to retain the 'no returns' policy under their new name.
Who is the Jewelry Channel anyway? It turns out that an Indian based multinational corporation called the VGL Group owns it. About the same time that the Jewelry Channel appeared in the US in 2007 they also started two other channels, one in England and one in Germany. Der Schmuck kanal is what they're called in Germany. In the US they go by the name of STS Jewels.
In August 2006 Sunil Agrawal, chairman of VGL and STS Jewels and a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Michael John O'Keefe were indicted on charges of bribery and conspiracy. Agrawal was charged with bribing O'Keefe to allow foreign workers into the United States.
Back in June the Jewelry Channel first announced it was going out of business. At that time they told the Texas Workforce Commission they would close up at the beginning of August, but that's not what happened. Instead they kept pushing back their final day. At some point they must have realized how profitable a going out of business sale can be and decided to drag it out as long as possible. They must have liked the big profits from running an 'all sales are final' operation. They must have liked it so much they decided to retain the 'no returns' policy under their new name.
Who is the Jewelry Channel anyway? It turns out that an Indian based multinational corporation called the VGL Group owns it. About the same time that the Jewelry Channel appeared in the US in 2007 they also started two other channels, one in England and one in Germany. Der Schmuck kanal is what they're called in Germany. In the US they go by the name of STS Jewels.
In August 2006 Sunil Agrawal, chairman of VGL and STS Jewels and a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Michael John O'Keefe were indicted on charges of bribery and conspiracy. Agrawal was charged with bribing O'Keefe to allow foreign workers into the United States.
Next Saturday evening we will be airing the Kathy HIlton 'Wishing Tree' Charity Auction live from LA. The auction will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Some of the items that will go up for auction include: Two tickets to a Jonas Brothers concert of your choosing and a meet-and-greet; on-set lunch with the cast of "Entourage;" two "American Idol" tickets donated by Ryan Seacrest; VIP Las Vegas package to see Fergie in concert and attend the after party; two tickets to "The Ellen Degeneres Show" and a autographed personal item from Ellen; autographed scripts from Leonardo DiCaprio, "Entourage," "Two and a Half Men," "Desperate Housewives;" and items from Donald Trump, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Will Ferrell and Top Designer clothing, handbags and accessories donated by Kathy, Nicky and Paris Hilton.
There will be a 10% buyer's premium applied to all items bought online.
Some of the items that will go up for auction include: Two tickets to a Jonas Brothers concert of your choosing and a meet-and-greet; on-set lunch with the cast of "Entourage;" two "American Idol" tickets donated by Ryan Seacrest; VIP Las Vegas package to see Fergie in concert and attend the after party; two tickets to "The Ellen Degeneres Show" and a autographed personal item from Ellen; autographed scripts from Leonardo DiCaprio, "Entourage," "Two and a Half Men," "Desperate Housewives;" and items from Donald Trump, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Will Ferrell and Top Designer clothing, handbags and accessories donated by Kathy, Nicky and Paris Hilton.
There will be a 10% buyer's premium applied to all items bought online.
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