Sock of the Month Club
Web and SaaS
subscription e-commerce
SHOW HN2012
Sock of the Month Club
I love weird socks and I'm finally launching my lifestyle business
sotmclub.com#sock subscription#monthly sock club#novelty socks#gift subscription
243points
79comments
#56of 1,677 in 2012
Top 4%of 2012 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
12 positive, 17 neutral or asking, 17 mixed, 24 critical, out of 70 comments about the project. Thread score -0.16.
Design: 4 for, 13 againstIdea: 6 for, 1 againstPricing: 1 for, 5 againstDocs: 0 for, 3 againstExecution: 1 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Funny, charming copy and artwork
From 3 comments
I love the humour in the copy 'Don't worry. Hike up your pant leg and show some October sock. "Wow those are good looking socks" says the attractive human being'
tomgallard on HNCool! Great socks that will get me laid. $11/month? Doable. I'm not in the US (Canada, which is close but oh so far when shopping online), so I look all over for an FAQ or…
ageektrapped on HNThis is AWESOME. I don't know why, but it is.
petervandijck on HN
Good business idea
From 2 comments
Ha good stuff. I just emailed this to a couple of friends of mine who love interesting socks.
ZanderEarth32 on HNI think it's an awesome idea, much like http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/. And just like that site, you should A) make a funny video that will make people laugh. I almost signed up…
sbecker on HN
Objections
Price is hard to find
From 4 comments
I love this idea. I love the site. I hate that 3 minutes of searching didn't reveal to me the price. I'm going back to search a bit more.
tseabrooks on HNOh wow. That's bad. It's in small font buried in a pargraph of text. The price really needs to be in big letters somewhere. Clicking buy doesn't even point out the price.…
tseabrooks on HNClicked around for 30 seconds trying to find the price, came to the comments to find it. The "Exclusive" header made me think all the text under it would explain that the socks…
jdminhbg on HNbeen scanning the site. looks cool, love the concept. I got slightly annoyed that I couldn't find the price. Came back here, cntr+f price, ah seccond paragraph... ah yes it's…
rpwverheij on HN
Call to action buttons are hard to see
From 3 comments
Design feedback: Your 'buy now' and 'learn more' buttons on the homepage are very hard to see. They need to stand out. Make them bigger and bolder, or change the color (red would…
samdk on HNMAKE IT MORE OBVIOUS TO BUY THIS Put a gigantic button under that sock graphic that says: "Sign up now for $11/mo" I want to sign up for your service, but I almost closed the…
blhack on HNThis feels more like a blog than a quirky site that sells socks. You need a couple of things fixed: 1. Front page needs to be clearer about what you are offering. The socks…
taneem on HN
Only US shipping, unclear from site
From 4 comments
Also, mentioning this works only in the US would be a good thing too. While people can deduce it from that the adress contains State and not Country, it would be better to spell…
glogla on HNThis is a great idea and your descriptions and illustrations are hilarious. A couple things - on the subscription form you might need to provide some details about what countries…
iharris on HNCool! Great socks that will get me laid. $11/month? Doable. I'm not in the US (Canada, which is close but oh so far when shopping online), so I look all over for an FAQ or…
ageektrapped on HNThat's one cool idea! And I like the not so serious aproach. Thumbs Up! unfortunately it's not working in europe... Or am i wrong?
hef19898 on HN
Broken blog links and missing pages
From 4 comments
Wow, I didn't even know they were there until reading this comment. Also, the links to your blog posts are "not found."
slouch on HNThis is a great idea. Popup photos of socks need to be larger with more detail. Consider annual subscription at $99 or less and see if that helps. 11*12=$132 is a lot for socks,…
droithomme on HNThe footer blog links don't work, looks like they got deleted from the blog itself (or were placeholders and thus never existed in the first place).
will_work4tears on HNBlog links are broken in the footer.
tnorthcutt on HN
Sock quality and product detail unclear
From 3 comments
How easy is it to cancel? Whats the quality of the socks like? Where are they made? Where are large pictures that depict some sort of detail about the socks? None of this was…
desigooner on HNThis feels more like a blog than a quirky site that sells socks. You need a couple of things fixed: 1. Front page needs to be clearer about what you are offering. The socks…
taneem on HNI don't like socks? If it's sarcasm, I'm missing it. I've got socks that cost 3$ a pair through ones that cost 30-35$ a pair and quite a few of them all at that. While you might…
desigooner on HN
Requests
Show prices more prominently
From 3 comments
Oh wow. That's bad. It's in small font buried in a pargraph of text. The price really needs to be in big letters somewhere. Clicking buy doesn't even point out the price.…
tseabrooks on HNAgree with tseabrooks. If nowhere else on the site (why not?), the price should be large on the subscribe page.
runako on HN- Like other commenters said -- make "Buy Now" and "Learn more" more prominent on the homepage. - I'd also feature the price right there -- "We deliver a pair of socks once a…
svolinsky on HN
Add sizing options for large feet
From 2 comments
I absolutely love this and was about to sign up when I noticed that you don't specify sizes. I have large (size 15) feet. Are your socks going to fit me? You should mention…
aqme28 on HNHave to agree with this. Fun socks for $11/month is cool, but only if there's an option to get socks that fit my 14EEEE feet.
freiheit on HN
Larger, more detailed product photos
From 3 comments
Design feedback: Your 'buy now' and 'learn more' buttons on the homepage are very hard to see. They need to stand out. Make them bigger and bolder, or change the color (red would…
samdk on HNThis is a great idea. Popup photos of socks need to be larger with more detail. Consider annual subscription at $99 or less and see if that helps. 11*12=$132 is a lot for socks,…
droithomme on HNThis feels more like a blog than a quirky site that sells socks. You need a couple of things fixed: 1. Front page needs to be clearer about what you are offering. The socks…
taneem on HN
Clarify billing and cancellation
From 2 comments
Love the idea, as I too love and have many weird socks. Feedback: Obviously, as others mentioned the call to action is incredibly weak and I also thought you may not have…
kareemsabri on HNJust showed this to my wife, a major sock whore, and while she LOVES the idea, she complained that she can't use it because it doesn't spell out how you intend to bill her and…
bmelton on HN
Support international shipping
From 2 comments
Love the idea, as I too love and have many weird socks. Feedback: Obviously, as others mentioned the call to action is incredibly weak and I also thought you may not have…
kareemsabri on HNI love the artwork :) A way to sign up to get informed by e-mail when shipment outside the US becomes available would be awesome.
kaiwetzel on HN
Questions
Is the business profitable?
From 1 comment
I can't disrespect those that go to the effort of setting up a business. So congrats on the venture. There are a few variations of this business, so maybe it works. However can…
sparknlaunch on HN
Can subscribers charge for shipping or pay extra?
From 2 comments
This is a great idea and your descriptions and illustrations are hilarious. A couple things - on the subscription form you might need to provide some details about what countries…
iharris on HNYour website is pretty, but you you need to inform the user of three things. 1. How to pay for the service. (I looked around the page for "buy" then I looked at the source page…
okamiueru on HN
Are toe socks planned?
From 1 comment
Toe socks any time soon? And, 2 pairs at a time? My wife loves wearing mismatched crazy socks, and is hooked on Vibram Five Finger shoes. Myself, I can't wear toe socks unless…
Groxx on HN
Alternatives named
Happy Socks
From 1 comment
I don't like socks? If it's sarcasm, I'm missing it. I've got socks that cost 3$ a pair through ones that cost 30-35$ a pair and quite a few of them all at that. While you might…
desigooner on HN
Sock Dreams
From 1 comment
Looks cool, but too hard to find pricing. And for anyone that loves odd socks, this is an awesome site (not affiliated, i just love their sock selections and used them for…
mitchty on HN
Manpacks
From 1 comment
I'd recommend reaching out to (or just researching) http://manpacks.com and see how they're doing. It seems like a similar business model and you may get some insight on what…
MicahWedemeyer on HN
Dollar Shave Club
From 1 comment
I think it's an awesome idea, much like http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/. And just like that site, you should A) make a funny video that will make people laugh. I almost signed up…
sbecker on HN