The Iron Heart Gallery - Is it a useful resource
-
A few years ago we created The Iron Heart Gallery as a place to show additional images of IH products in a photo gallery viewable style:
https://gallery.ironheart.co.uk/
It is a bitch to maintain, gives our staff a load more hassle when we are launching a product and takes people off the Iron Heart domain.
Is it a useful resource?
Does it add any value?
Do you actually ever use it?
Would you miss it?G
-
Do you actually ever use it? I don't ever use it
Would you miss it? I wouldn't miss it
Is it a useful resource? On one hand, I can see how it could be a useful and quick way for new customers who don't fancy scrolling through the pages of the forum to look at photos of certain items and etc. A quick access to the photos and videos of a product might be favourable to some. On the other hand, empirically speaking, someone who's willing to buy a product of Iron Heart will also be more likely to join the forum. Therefore, in comparison with the services offered by the forum, I wouldn't say the gallery is unique or useful. In fact, the forum offers the same service (photos and videos) with additional in depth information about the products and other customers' opinions. Not to mention, getting rid of the gallery could also increase the popularity the forum.
Does it add any value? Given the argumentation above, my conclusion is that the forum adds more value. If maintaining the gallery is hard, it doesn't make sense to keep it and waste unnecessary energy and time on it.
-
I rarely use it, maybe twice over the last two years when in serious doubt over an item. I think 90% of it’s utility could be covered by including 8 or more garment pics in the forum thread. To further streamline things, the product page could include a link to the pics in the forum thread in case the client isn’t a regular forum user.
-
Is it a useful resource?
Yes. It is useful generally to have more photo’s in order to get an idea of fabric, construction, colour and fit.Specifically it is useful where items are available in different colours, and where space to repeat the same pics is limited on the website. It is also useful for items that have an increased practical, functional or decorative aspect, where getting an impression of these elements is extra important (bags, belts, jewellery, footwear etc).
Does it add any value?
Only to a limited degree. A lot of the same information is available on the forum or on request however. These are often shorter routes that give better end user results. In many cases the photos are an extension of what we see on the website and only function as eye candy. The instances where there is focus on variety, how items fit different people, and shots that show an items function add more value.Do you actually ever use it?
Yes, although not habitually. I often forget it is there and seek info through the other channels mentioned above.Would you miss it?
I think it was the great American poet Tom Keifer who said “You don’t know what you got (till it’s gone)”, but I suspect I’d manage without it if it disappeared.
-
The way I understood @Giles' question is that not the photos and videos are in the center point of his question but the gallery site itself as he mentioned the demanding maintenance of it.
I can see that the replies after mine refer to the usefulness of the photos and videos, not however to the usefulness of the gallery site itself. Therefore one could assume that the previous replies imply that if the photos and videos that were originally uploaded to the gallery were uploaded to the forum instead, and then linked accordingly on the product site as @motojobobo mentioned in his reply, the gallery site would indeed be useless.
-
I never use it since I rely on the forum for pics. One thing I appreciate though is IH's attention to detail. I don't see many other companies, if at all, that post such detailed product pics. From a consumer standpoint, it might be useful having a gallery so that new customers have a frame of reference and can get a better idea of what they're buying. As an example, if you go to Filson's website and look at their shirts they only have 3 product shots per listing. It's basically a generic cookie cutter template that doesn't give you much detail. I understand that they are operating on a bigger scale but if you're a Filson customer and are dropping $135 on one of their shirts it should at least have more details than front/back/folded. This is what separates IH from every other brand out there imo. When you show the gallery pics you're showing customers why your product is worth the money.
With that said, the gallery may be useful for potential new customers but I don't know if it has much utility for seasoned IH customers. Plus, you already have detailed images on the product page, so a gallery might be redundant.
-
The photos of faded garments are the assets. Keep those. They take years to create. I've always wanted a Hall of Fade for only IH. At least for me, this was never about looking at another dude and gauging the fit of his clothing…GROSS. The IH gallery was for the epic fades on epic gear, nothing else. Want to see a six year old pair of unsanforized denim? Gallery. Want to see what an overdyed 634s looks like with wear? Gallery. How do the UHF look after a bunch of washes? Gallery. etc....
-
The Hall of Fade should be invitation-only type epicness…
Y'all should make the "Hall" a part of the forum instead of a separate site.
-
I'm not suggesting that we get rid of the gallery in its entirety, more that we possibly look at a different way of publishing some of the content.
I guess the questions is, do you look at the extra detail shots, if so then we will look to put them somewhere else.
I think that vids and fades etc will stay where they are unless we think of a better place to store them too.
-
I definitely believe that y'all are sitting on a gold mine of that stuff…I mean, where else is there so many examples of heavily worn luxury clothing?!? Y'all could post daily fades for years...
I love the detail shots. On everything. More please. But maybe instead of "see more images in gallery", it could be "see more images in forum"
I get the dilemma, people click on "more images" and then are taken off site and that might or might not have the desired experience. I agree, I don't like the off-site link for more photos, but you also can't just fill up the product page with tons of pics either....
-
Never use it. If it's burdensome as far as I am concerned ditch it. If anything just enrich the product pages with additional photos, it's easier for consumers to see evo and detail shots that way anyway.
-
Maybe instead of "see discussed" and "see pics" on the product page, it can be condensed into "See pics and discussion on the Forum" and make the product page on the forum the go-to hub for all related info
-
Now that we got that sorted
I'd still love an Iron Heart Hall of Fame. I'd be happy to curate and dig through all the pics ever posted for the best ones 
??? -
I don’t use it that much. If I want to see additional Images of a product I go to the product thread in the forum. I have used it but I prefer the threads. If it’s an anchor, I’d suggest dropping it.
-
Is it a useful resource?
Very useful
Does it add any value?
Absolutely. It's cliche but a picture is worth a thousand words and personally the more pictures of a particular item there are the easier it makes it for me on making a decision and will definitely have an influence on whether I purchase the item or not.
Do you actually ever use it?
I use the "see more images in the Iron Heart Gallery" link quite often off of the product page
Would you miss it?
I would. Forum photos of products "in the wild" are great but IMO they can't hold a candle to the quality of the photos Sam put's out in the Iron Heart Gallery.
-
I look at the gallery all the time so I can look at the finer details of stuff when I buy it. But I could just as easily look at the OP in the forum to see those same pictures if they were posted there. I looked at the smugmug gallery today when I bought the new 634-25-xhsib jeans. But this was after I had already bought them just to further add to my anticipation.
I look at the fades part from time to time. But this has only been maybe a couple times since the gallery was started.
I can see if you don't want to maintain it any longer, so I can't hold it against you if it needs to go.
-
I like the gallery but use the product page more often.
