AWE Stores

New AWE Template Launched

jeremy — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:19:28 +0000

After 7 years of studying all the elements that make a site convert well (turn shoppers into buyers) and rank well (on the search engines) AWE has launched a new template designed by our partners at Marketplace Earth (especially Stephen Mowry).

You can check out one example at our new Hannah Montana merchandise store.

Here are some improvements:

Featured categories on the left navigation (best practice is to have less than 7 featured categories)
Drawer like shopping cart and account information sections on the right bar (accessible but out of the way)
Endorsements at the top of the page (both BBB and security seal)
Cross-selling features (”customers who bought this also bought” and “You might also like” on every product page)
Better buttons (especially add to cart)
Featured items and Bestseller items with images and short descriptions at the top of every category page
Product lists can now be sorted by bestsellers or product name
Many SEO features for better on-page optimization (H1 tags, short product descriptions on category pages etc.)

We’re excited about this third template (awestores 3.0) as we continually work to enhance our customer experience.

Superman and Spirituality

jeremy — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:35:59 +0000

Much has been made of the connection between Superman and Christianity. Some suggest that the story of the Gospel is so deep inside the human psyche that it comes out as the story of subconscious resonance. Others see narratives arising from western culture invariably contain themes of salvation death and resurrection. Whatever you believe this discussion has interested many.

Bryan Singer, director of the latest Superman Returns movie, in an interview with Stephen Skelton author of the book “The Gospel According to the World’s Greatest Superhero” said the following:

Well, I think in a couple of ways. One, because that piece of terminology implies a weight to the character. I mean, if you’re saying this is the Jesus Christ of anything, you’re pretty much applying a measure of importance and weight to it. This is something obviously. I also think in a way there is something that started to evolve in the early evolution of the comic but became extremely crystallized in Richard Donner’s interpretation in 1978. And that was the notion brought forth by something Marlon Brando as Jor-El the father said. Which is quite simply, when referring to the people of Earth, he said, “They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. It is for this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you—my only son.” And there was something when I heard that as a kid, there was something that resonated very much with me. I was a Jewish kid, adopted, only child. And I grew up in a Catholic neighborhood. I used to go to a Christian youth club. So I was religiously very, all over the place.

New Cars the Movie ride announced

jeremy — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:56:02 +0000

During the summer of 2007 Disneyland Paris plans to roll out an attraction called Cars Quatre Roues Rallye based on Disney / Pixar’s wildly popular Cars movie. The ride’s setting will be the desert and participants will drive around a figure 8 course as they experience another great Disney film coming to life at the theme parks.

The other major new attraction role out in 2007 is the Finding Nemo Undersea Voyage set to be completed and ready for guests in both Epcot and Disneyland this June.

Curious about Curious George

jeremy — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 03:43:41 +0000

For the 60th anniversary of Curious George, Houghton and Mifflin published some great and little known information on the web about our favorite mischievous monkey. Check out the little Q & A recently released to satisfy your curiosity.

Larry the Cable Guy on 60 minutes

jeremy — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:12:59 +0000

While watching the Cars movie for the first time I had to wonder who in the world was doing the voice of the Tomater truck. It wasn’t until watching 60 minutes that I was introduced to the first time to Larry the Cable Guy. The interviewer said I had probably never heard of Larry and he was right but that Larry makes more money than any comedian in America. I also finally learned who orginated the Git-R-Done craze that everyone in Kentucky seems to get but me. Larry even has his own blog which is quite good for a laugh even if you do feel slightly dumber for enjoying it .

The 2007 Toast for Professor Tolkien

jeremy — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:08:21 +0000

For all Lord of the Rings fans everywhere the Tolkien Society is initiating a toast for Professor Tolkien on his birthday. They write -

On January 3^rd Tolkien fans around the world are invited to raise a glass and toast the birthday of this much loved author at 21:00 (9 pm) your local time.

The toast is “The Professor”.

For those unfamiliar with British toast-drinking ceremonies:

To make the Birthday Toast, you stand, raise a glass of your choice of drink (not necessarily alcoholic), and say the words ‘The Professor’ before taking a sip (or swig, if that’s more appropriate for your drink). Sit and enjoy the rest of your drink.

So all of us Tolkien geeks will once again prove our love of Tolkien’s works by honoring him in this way.

Cheers!

Route 66 guide to Cars the Movie

jeremy — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 14:02:38 +0000

The route 66 news site published a great guide to route 66 based on the Disney/Pixar Cars Movie. Round up the kids and check it out. Read more…

Narnia sequel leaves New Zealand

jeremy — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 21:47:22 +0000

Disney has axed plans to make The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe sequel in New Zealand, wasting pre-production work and potentially leaving about 200 crew jobless.

And New Zealanders have been warned they must lift their game if they want to keep their edge in the film industry.

The Andrew Adamson-directed Prince Caspian was set to be based in New Zealand.

But Walt Disney International president Andy Bird has announced that the film, which it is making with Walden Media, will be shot entirely at Britain’s Pinewood Studios, including all the post-production work, The Times reported.