NOW CLOSED: Try Prezola's shopping website - you could win a £500 JL voucher or a Waitrose Christmas hamper

[NewGirlHelenMumsnet]

We've been asked by a brand new online company called Prezola.com to help them get some feedback on their website which has just launched. They want to know what you think of the site's concept and whether you think you'd use it in the future. Prezola has already been beta tested with the Mumsnet research panel - if you took part in this, please feel free to add comments about the 'live' site to this thread too.

Here's what Prezola says about the website "the business is the idea of Mumsnetter Ali Beaven. Ali found that family and friends always ask what to buy for everyone when birthdays and Christmas come around and often found herself juggling a mental list of who was buying what. Sometimes her children would end up getting the same present from different people, or be given a gift they already had. She knew there must be a better way of managing this "I wanted a modern-day equivalent of cutting up the Argos catalogue and sending your list off to Santa!". Prezola.com allows you to create a wish list of gifts from lots of well known brands and then share it with friends and family. You'll also get the products you choose at the cheapest possible price because Prezola compares prices for each product across their panel of 250 retailers."

Prezola.com has just launched and they want as many MNers as possible to try out the website, create and share a list (and even buy some products if you want to, but there's no obligation to do so!). Here's what you need to do:

1.  Visit <a class="break-all" href="//www.prezola.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.prezola.com</a>, have a look around the site to see what it's all about
   

2.  Sign up (or sign in if you've registered with Facebook Connect or Google Plus)
   

3.  Create a gift list on the site - this could be for  your DCs, your DP/DH, other family and friends, or yourself
   

4.  Share your gift list with friends and/or family members via the website using Facebook, Twitter or email
   

5. Come back to this thread and add your feedback on what you think of the site's concept and the site itself. There are some feedback questions below to start you off but please feel free to add any other comments too.

Your personal details will be secure and will not be passed on to any third parties. If you do decide to buy anything, you won't need to give Prezola your bank details - payment is done via the retailer you purchase from. If you register with Prezola but then decide you want to de-register, you can do so by emailing [email protected].

Everyone who takes part and adds their feedback to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £500 John Lewis voucher and another will get a Waitrose Christmas Hamper (yes - Christmas hampers are here already!).

Thanks very much
MNHQ

Feedback questions

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I think the idea of a shopping website where you can create a gift lift is a fab idea to share with family and friends. I will def be using this site for Xmas. I will be encouraging my family to do the same and love the John lewis products. Thanks for the link mumsnet x

Marking place will have a look later - interesting idea :)

I wasnt expecting much when i visited the site, but i found it very easy to use and very well set out. i was worried grandparents and older relatives may not be able to use it therefore not being able to use it to its full potential, however it is very simple with clear instructions. im very impressed and would recommend it. i also find it extremely frustrating and stressful at Christmas and birthday times trying to make sure people dont get my daughter the same gift, as she does tell both grandparents the same things she wants!! I think the lowest price idea is also very good. all in all a very good idea and i hope to use it this christmas.

1. I really like it as my dp struggles to choose gifts and having all options in 1 website makes it really quick and easy for him. I also like the idea of doing kids presents too.
2. Definetley- my wedding list will go on there and the kids gifts for xmas and mine for DP 3)yes when they are old enough
3. john lewis, craft, dp's
4. I would specifically set up the childrens section but allow parents to put a price limit on their choices- so they are not dissapointed and dont request anything too expensive. Also I hope the site allows ppl abroud to buy things off it for presents for ppl in the uk- if not this is a big market.
5. my friends with children

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?

Well, we do not keep in touch with family over the internet, so it couldperhaps work with friends.

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?

I could not find things I would want. Perhaps it is not the complete product range yet.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?

No. They are quite vocal (and only 3 in terms of age).

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?

The White Company.
Amazon (their own website contains a lot more products).

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?

I could not see e.g. what sizes T-shirts were available in.
Otherwise I would just add more products.
The search facility is not very good. Toy Story as a keyword brought up a lot of irrelevant results.
Pictures took forever to load as well.

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not? Not in its present state. I think it could be a good idea, but it is not user-friendly enough.

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?

I enjoyed creating lists, I'm a bit embarrassed distributing lists with prices and where to buy from so for that reason only listed stocking filler type presents.

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not? Maybe for myself but I probably wouldn't share it to be honest unless with dh who asks for lists anyway.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola? Probably not they don't need the encouragement!! and an afternoon with the Argos catalogue and pen and paper is part of dd's christmas build up

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least? Enjoyed John Lewis the best, didn't see one I didn't enjoy but there were some that I flicked through quickly as they didn't appeal.

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents? I'd suggest parents being able to set a budget for their children. Dd would be in shopping heaven but wouldn't have the concept of cost and I wouldn't want her disappointed.

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not? I'd tell them about it, some are far more enthusiastic gift buyers than I am so it will be more liked there I think

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?

Great idea - I can never think of what I'd like/kids want when asked for birthdays etc so having a wishlist I can continuously add to could be very useful, even if only to serve as a reminder to myself!

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?

Maybe - especially for kids birthdays/Christmas - although slightly concerned it could seem a bit grabby.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?

No - I don't like the idea of children doing this. Also they are 10wks and 2yrs old so not really computer savvy.

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?

Most - monsoon, white company, jones etc (shops I like in real life). Didn't see any retailers I actively disliked.

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?

More info (sizing etc) against kids clothes.

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Maybe - but only to close family/friends.

1. I think this is a great idea - especially for kids. So many people ask around birthday/Christmas and I find it hard to think on the spot. Also for people that don't have kids it would be great to 'guide' them in the right direction so they can buy something they know your kid will love that is right age group rather than being overwhelmed by choice in shop. Saves having a load of stuff to return after event which never gets down when you have kids anyway!! Also for any friends or relatives - it's nice to be able to buy them something you know they will like and if you don't live with them/see them very often it's hard to know this exactly.

2. Yes - have already created one for my son's second birthday. Will be doing another one for Christmas!

3. Yes - definitely when they're a bit older. It's the modern version of flicking through the Argos catalogue and turning the page when there was something you wanted to add to your letter to Santa! I would obviously vet it before sending it out to friends and relatives.

4. I love John Lewis anyway so was very pleased to see them on there. Good to have Hamleys and Argos too for large range.

5. Using the website on iPhone and couldn't see or scroll to dates/month past 05 when setting up list. Also a number of items loaded with price £0.00 - while I was wishful thinking I could get some bargains - I think this is stretching it a bit!! Other than these I think it is very well laid out and easy to use. I wonder if you could somehow tailor the event sent up which feeds into search. I set up list for sons 2nd birthday and searched for brio (train set) but first items were wine and buggies - actual train set stuff on second page.

6. Will definitely be recommending to family and friends - will make my Christmas present shopping a lot easier if they have a list!

Just re-read the question and see you've got the Argos analogy - great minds think alike!! It's like the mixtape and spotify - bringing a brilliant idea into the modern age using the available technology!

Feedback questions

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?

I am not normally a fan of lists to send to people but I can see how this would be most helpful for families that live away from each other. I also think it would be helpful to make lists for each family member as a reference for myself on what I think people would like.

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?

I will be using this for Christmas this year for sure and will encourage DP to create one for his birthday as he is a massive pain to buy for.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?

Don't have children (yet) but I think it is the online equivilant of going through the argos catalogue...as long as they didn't expect everything on the list then it would be fine.
4) Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?

A larger range of products, also when I tried to email the list to DP it bought up outlook which I don't normally use and wouldn't send. Not sure if it was my computer or the site but an easier way to email would be helpful

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would need somebody to order the goodies..and if they all arrived in good time/order than I would use it.

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?

I think the idea is a good one. We are always getting gifts for our children that they already own or are inappropriate. The difficulty would be persuading friends and family to use it. I'd feel a bit presumptuous and awkward asking people to buy us gifts from it.

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?

Probably not. I think elderly relatives would struggle with it.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?

My kids are a bit young for that, and I also am not sure I like the idea of my kids writing a big list of stuff they want. Its a bit greedy / spoilt. I'd rather guess what they want best and give them a great surprise.

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?

The most: John Lewis. The least: Halfords.

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?

I think it would be MUCH more appealing (i.e. I might actually use it) if they incorporated some foreign brands that are more difficult to get hold of in the UK. There are a number of premium childrens' wear clothing brands that I'd love to find an outlet for - e.g. petit bateaux, gymboree.

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Probably not. The brands you can get elsewhere so t doesn't really offer anything unique (apart from the ability to do a gift list and I don't really like that concept - it feels greedy).

its a great idea and i will definatly use it, and get dh to use. but at the moment it wont load on my laptop it just says 'done' with a blank page will have to try alittle later.

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?

I think it's a good idea, although not a new one. Have been using a similar website for several years already.

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?

Probably not. I will probably continue to use the other website that I already use - www.wishlist.com - as that is not restricted to particular retailers and you can add any item from any website to your wishlist. If Prezola included this feature then I might well change because it is a much nicer looking website.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?

No, we would use www.wishlist.com for the reasons given above.

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?

Liked all of the ones I looked at - children's toy retailers.

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?

Yes, being able to add any item from any website to your wishlist would be the major factor for me. Also being able to browse by retailer and not just category.

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

No, for the reasons already given above.

1. Personally, I don't like it. I always feel wish lists are a bit presumptious and you shouldn't expect a present...
2. No, as above, don't like wish lists. I appreciate the thought behind any gifts I receive.
3. No, again, I don't like my DC asking for things and encourange them to just appreciate what they get, without asking for everything and then be disappointed at not getting everything on their list.
4. Quite a good, varied list. No particular favourite.
5. As said, I don't really like the idea of it at all - sorry! A gift search facility might be good though - ie. put in price range, occasion, gender and it might give good ideas.
6. No for all above reasons.

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?
   I like it, as I see my family rarely and it's often much easier if we can subtly find out what each other wants.

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?
   Possibly, for children too.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?
   I think i might need to edit them for preposterousness!

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?
   Musicroom, because I know from experience that they seel mostly good quality items
   Didn't like Argos - feel they already have enough exposure

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?
   Better search: allow user to filter complete search by retailer. I usually know what shop I want people to buy me a present from adn it was annoying not to see the names on the list. It makes it a bit easier to find things or decide what to buy.

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
   Maybe.

now i've managed to get it to load,

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?
   personally i dont like gift lists, however my mother in law is always on at me to write a christmas list so she knows what to buy me. i wouldnt want to share a list with the world, but it would be useful to give to her

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?
   Most probably, its a great concept and rather than giving mil a hand wrtten list where she constantly rngs and asks what x y and z are i can direct her to a website where she can navigate herself and buy what she wants to

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?
   dd is under 1 year old, but again i will be doing her a list for mil and as she gets older she will most probably do it herself

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?
   I liked them all

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?
   the site is very slow on my computer and i couldnt get it to load on my laptop as the verson of something or other (not technically minded!) is too old. but other than that, its a great site and i couldnt see any visual improvements

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
   ive recommended it to all of dh's family and will probably recomend it to any one asking about gift lists

i tested this as part of the pannel

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?
   i like the idea as i have just found out i had a lot of things duplicted that people have bought me as a moving in present, so i think its a good idea that at least you could list what you would like.

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?
   i think i would use this if i have a wedding which i am planning soon it will be quite good as a lot of my relatives live some distance away also for christmas.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?
   i would definately to diatant family to look at s im sick of getting phone calls asking what they want.

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?
   john lewis for me

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?
   it looks abit all over at the moment, too much hard work and i would definately put the children into age groups range. more comparison with different retailers
   not sure might have missed it but does it take things of the wish list once someone has purchased
   if you are expecting kids to use it make basic.
   Also when i registered they had me down as already registered which i have not .

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
   i would if the site was orgainised a bit better, too much going on.

I too did this for the panel. At first I didn't think it'd be something I'd be interested in (I don't like wedding lists etc) but after looking through the site and seeing what it was all about, I actually thought it was a good idea. More for children than adults though.

Feedback questions

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?
   I think it's a great concept if you have children - my family always ask what DS wants for Xmas/birthday, so this would be a great thing to email them all, then they can coordinate and I won't have to remember who's buying what

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?
   It's quite likely that I'll use it for Xmas/birthday list for DS to send to family when they ask what he wants.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?
   N/A as DS is only 3 (although very good at finding racing car games on google ) but if he was older I'd consider it, but with supervision

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?
   My favourite was John Lewis as they had the most choice in the categories I looked at. There weren't really any I didn't like.

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?
   A simple comparison facility would be great to compare prices/delivery. Also agree with others about age groups.

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
   Definitely, to family members with children. Just like the family always asking me what DS wants, I always like to ask what children want as their interests change all the time. If people had a list on this site they can pretty much guarantee that I'll buy a gift their child actually wants

Will the Christmas hamper include the Duchy biscuits that were delivered with the Fords?

Saying that, I'm sure I can stretch to a packet if I get £500 to spend in John Lewis

1) What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?
I like the idea of a wishlist to share with friends and family. I am quite particular about the toys I like my kids to play with and this is a way of letting family know what is acceptable in my opinion without causing offence.

2) Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?
I may use Prezola for kids wishlists in the future, I currently use Amazon which I feel gives me more choice - especially now that you can add to your Amazon list from any site on the web.

3) Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?
I think I would consult with my children when creating a wishlist but wouldn't let them create one on their own.

4) Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?
I don't have any particular preference from the stores I saw. I do like the variety of stores that seem to be there, a good cross section of prices.

5) Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?
I think the ability to add items from other sites to the wishlist in the same way as Amazon would make the site more attractive to users.

6) Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
I think at the current time I would be unlikely to recommend Prezola as I found it slow and clunky to use. The process of adding items to the list needs to be simplified in my opinion to speed things up.

Hi MNers

Just a quick post to say thanks for all of your feedback. It?s really helpful so please do keep it coming.

A couple of points in particular have already encouraged me to make changes to the site...

You?d like to be selective about who you share lists with, so we?ve changed the list-share set up. Now it?ll fire up your Gmail or Yahoo Mail and let you choose from your own contacts who you want to send it to. You?re right MainlyUsingSpoons. Not many people use Outlook these days, including me!

Search. It?s painfully slow and the results aren?t good enough. So we?ve made a couple of quick changes that will improve results and we?ve just commissioned a whole new search program, which should be live in a week or so.

A list of retailers. Great idea and we?ll have one up tomorrow. We have 300 now and you?ll be able to search by retailer if you prefer.

We?ve also fixed a silly bug that caused lots of you problems when you were registering and logging in. Sorry about that!

We?ll keep making changes until we get it just right. When I started Prezola I always knew it wouldn?t be for everyone; there?s just something a bit un-British about ?asking? for anything. But I hope the pro?s outweigh the con?s particularly when it comes to kids presents, whatever their age. Trust me. I love to shop! But sometimes I think it?s good to get some direction, particularly with kids and teenagers where it?s really hard to keep up with what they like this week.

Anyway. Thanks again and please do keep pointing out the problems (and the bits you like). :)

1. What do you think of the concept of creating a gift wish list to share with your friends and/or family?

I probably wouldnt send a gift list to family, but I like the idea of sharing the website with family memebers and asking what they might like? It offers a wider range that way. I have never been too happy with asking for specific things so am not sure if i would ever create a gift wish list for myself.

2. Do you think you'll use Prezola in future? If so, who do you think you'd consider creating a gift wish list for? And for which occasion(s)? If not, why not?

I would use it to store ideas of presents I woudl like to buy. With christmas coming up it allows me to browse, store ideas and then buy a few over the next two months. I worry I will forget something so it is a handy place to have all the information and ideas of what to buy for other children.

3. Do you think you'd encourage your child(ren) to create their own gift wish lists on Prezola?

I only have one child, who is four so not really for me. I am not sure i would encourage a chidl to create a gift wish list - i guess i would still ask them to "write a letter to father christmas" or just speak about what they want.

4. Which retailers on Prezola did you like the most? And the least?#

I enjoyed browsing options more... so for e.g. i went to go and look under girl toys and boy toys for ideas for nieces and nephews and was more interested in the ideas it came up with than the retailers as such.

5. Do you think the idea behind the site could be improved in any way? If you were in charge of Prezola, what (if anything) would you do to make it more appealing to parents?

I am strugging to register my gift list ... i have liked it on facebook and it says that that would automatically register me but I am not sure it has. I guess I will have to play aroudn with it a bit.

6. Do you think you would recommend Prezola to any of your friends and/or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would. I need to buy things for people who dont necessarily live in the UK and it would give them an idea of what I could buy them. I would definately recommend it for that usage.

Hey Prezola I have a fantastic add on for kids if you'd like me to share!!

Oooh. Yes please PosieParker.