Every file he sent → what he actually wants → what we do about it · website tour Thursday July 2, 3:00 PM
The headline: almost everything Michael asks for is already built or half-built on our site — he just hasn't seen it presented as "his" idea yet. The one genuinely new build is the rotating homepage hero ("fade in fade out" = an auto-rotating slideshow), and Hyper has a native section for exactly that. Lead the tour with his asks mapped to our build, and the meeting becomes a victory lap with a short wishlist — not a change-order avalanche.
83
files reviewed
6
themes decoded
4
buildable before 3 PM
7
SKUs tagged by Michael
1
The rotating homepage hero — his #1 ask
He asked for this at least six different ways. It is unambiguous, and it's his top want.
His words (subjects + bodies, verbatim)
"3 fade in fade out banners examples… This should be one of 3 fade in fade out banners" · "Good idea for our top banner carousel (we should have at least 4-5 categories)" · "animated Home pager Banner — the idea is like visit site AndMore" · "The top banner we want carousel dynamic as discussed"
Decoded
An auto-rotating hero slideshow with a cross-fade, cycling 4–5 category-themed slides (cooking · gadgets · serveware · drinkware), each with a short caption + CTA. His "Banner 1→2→3" files are literally three frames of the Crate & Barrel game-day carousel; other references: Williams Sonoma, AndMore.com (motion hero), the C&B "clean kitchen" flat-lay (he saved it twice — that composition is his favourite).
Our build
Homepage hero is currently a single static banner. Hyper ships a native Slideshow section — autoplay, fade transition, per-slide heading/sub/CTA. This is configuration, not custom code.
Plan Build now
Stand up the native slideshow with 3 slides from imagery we own (poolside glassware lifestyle, styled kettle/toaster retail shot, best existing hero) so Michael sees the fade working on the tour. Slide imagery upgrades to AI lifestyle flat-lays as the imagery program lands — that's the bridge to §6.
2
Category heroes & per-category banners
Second-biggest theme. He's assembling the inputs himself — the Excel arrives this weekend.
His words
"Please have a look at Crate and Barrel. This is the look and feel we need. I will send you all the categories on the weekend and use the excel to identify each of the styles to where they should be mapped. Each category will need a banner-carousel and then we must have the Hero shots to identify the categories." · "Hero shots for categories" · "nice category hero images" · "good idea for home page product categories" (the "Chef's Edit" tile grid) · "to be used for our cookware" (Scanpan split hero)
Decoded
(a) Every collection page gets a hero banner (he says "banner-carousel" — likely one strong hero is enough per category, discuss); (b) a shop-by-category card row with one beautiful "hero shot" per category — we have this section, it needs stronger images; (c) for Cookware specifically, the Scanpan-style split hero (lifestyle food shot + product detail, eyebrow/headline/dual CTA) is his chosen treatment.
Our build
Collection pages already have a banner zone + shop-by row (29 collections built). What's missing is the imagery — which is exactly what the catalog-imagery program produces.
Plan DiscussNeeds his Excel
On the tour: show him a collection page banner slot and agree the treatment. Wait for his weekend Excel before building — he's handing us the category map. Category hero imagery = imagery-program deliverable (§6). Don't spin wheels before both land.
3
Retail-partner proof — "credibility" is his favourite word
A steady stream of evidence photos: Jessar products on real shelves at real retailers.
His words
"Another image from retail partner Linen Chest. Would add credibility with our products featured on front… Please use with the other retailers I sent you for TJX, Simons and Linen Chest." · "Some products with our retail partners" · "simons our products" · "good images used by Linen Chest of our products in their campaign"
What he sent
In-store display photos (Veraroma table at Linen Chest, toaster/kettle shelf, JS Gourmet knife sets & dispensers, JS Maison bath), Simons product-page listings of Jessar wooden bowls, a Linen Chest promo email featuring a Veraroma coffee maker, and Linen Chest campaign lifestyle photos of Jessar glassware.
Our build
The homepage "Trusted by Canada's retailers" row (7 real logos) already exists — he's asking to go one level deeper: photographic proof, not just logos.
Plan Discuss
Propose a "Found in stores" band (his own in-store photos of Jessar product are safe to use) on the homepage or Dealer page — it strengthens the B2B pitch: "your shelves could look like this." Show him the existing logo row on the tour and float the upgrade.
Rights caution: the Linen Chest campaign photography and their promo email are Linen Chest's creative — get their OK (or Michael's confirmation of the relationship terms) before publishing those specific images. His own phone photos of Jessar products on shelves are fine. Two candid store photos contain identifiable shoppers (one a minor) — do not use.
4
Factory & production story — feeds "Inside Jessar"
He keeps forwarding supplier threads with one instruction: keep the factory shots.
His words
"Good photos of our factories to show credibility of our production overseas." · "You can use this video to show production in one of our factories. It gives credibility." · "Keep some images — to show our factories gives a good impression." · "We will need a video of office and showroom… We can start on that soon."
What he sent
~12 factory/warehouse photos (injection-molding floors, assembly line, ceramics production racks, high-bay warehouse) + two vertical production videos (11s "painting stage" clip, 17s clip — both 1080×1920 phone format, from the supplier PO threads).
Our build
The homepage "Inside Jessar" section is video-ready — we built it for exactly this. About page has imagery slots too.
Plan Build now
Drop the best production video into Inside Jessar (or a factory photo trio if the vertical crop fights the section) + seed About with 2–3 factory shots. On the tour, this is the "you asked, it's already live" moment. The office/showroom video is their shoot — add to open items.
Format note: both videos are vertical 9:16 phone clips. Inside Jessar's video block is landscape-oriented — either crop the centre of the painting clip, or use it in a portrait-friendly layout. Test before the tour; fall back to photos if it looks rough.
5
About page — copy locked, one correction, Core Home tone
He supplied the copy himself and gave one exact wording fix.
His words
"Correction — Section GROWTH AND COLLABORATION should be: We focus on a curated assortment of high-performing innovative and extreme value products…" · "We will use the current ABOUT US text and update images (as already done on our home page)." · "Home page — To discuss" (Core Home screenshots)
What he sent
The JESSAR INDUSTRIES docx (×2, identical): mission, values/icons, "Who We Are," "Drive Growth & Collaboration," "What We Do Best" — his master brand copy. Plus ~6 Core Home site screenshots (dark, mission-led About, icon category grid) as a tone/structure reference.
Our build
About page is built (RS + native parallels). Copy came from earlier drafts of this same document.
Plan Build nowDiscuss tone
Apply the "Growth & Collaboration" correction verbatim before the tour — he will look for it. On Core Home: adopt the structure he likes (mission-led, values icons — we already have this) but keep our locked Soft Modern light palette; going dark would reopen the signed-off design. Frame it that way on the call.
6
Captions, lifestyle shots & the AI bridge
He tagged specific SKUs — and volunteered the AI-imagery plan himself.
His words
"Some good captions for Home page with banners. The top banner we want carousel dynamic as discussed. Then some hero images which will be AI generated with Lifestyle and video (like the cast iron cookware)." · "great shot for double wall add lifestyle to 7-99177 7-99178 7-99369 7-99370 7-99665" · "to be used for our banner for ceramic serveware our styles 7-99387 and 7-99742"
Caption style
Short, punchy, benefit-led headlines — "in stock & ready to ship!" · "all the details you'll love" · "our top ways to shop" — over warm lifestyle imagery, sometimes split-layout with eyebrow + one-liner + CTA (Sur La Table / KitchenAid examples). This voice slots directly into our gallery-caption band and homepage section headings.
Tagged SKUs
Double-wall glass lifestyle shots → 7-991777-991787-993697-993707-99665 · ceramic serveware banner → 7-993877-99742 · plus two genuine "our glasses" poolside lifestyle photos of Jessar's own product.
The AI line
Michael himself is planning on AI-generated lifestyle heroes + video — his words, citing the cast-iron deck (the "Inspiration Italia" PDFs he attached). That's precisely the catalog-imagery program currently in front of his boss. On the tour, connect the dots gently: the heroes he wants for §1 + §2 are that program's output.
Plan Build now
Push the double-wall lifestyle shots to the 5 tagged SKU galleries tonight/morning (client-supplied images, his explicit ask). Serveware banner (7-99387/7-99742) waits for the category-banner decision in §2.
Rights caution: the solo double-wall "presentation" shot has a competitor logo etched on the glass (Zwilling-style) — exclude that one; the 3-mug lifestyle shot looks generic/supplier-sourced, confirm with Michael it's theirs to use. The C&B / Williams Sonoma / Sur La Table / KitchenAid / Scanpan images are style references only — never publish them.
✓
Before 3 PM — the build shortlist
Say "go" in the morning and these are live before the tour. All reversible, all on-theme.
1Hero slideshow — Hyper native Slideshow section, fade + autoplay, 3 slides from owned imagery, short captions in his preferred voice. The tour's showpiece.~60–90 min
2Inside Jessar production video — embed the painting-stage clip (or factory photo trio if the vertical crop fights it) + 2–3 factory photos on About.~30–45 min
3About copy correction — swap in his exact "Growth & Collaboration" sentence.~10 min
4Double-wall lifestyle images → galleries of 7-99177 · 78 · 369 · 370 · 665 (excluding the etched-logo shot).~20 min
Discuss live on the tour: category-banner treatment (his Excel lands this weekend) · "Found in stores" proof band · Core Home tone vs our locked palette · office/showroom video (their shoot) · AI imagery = the program with his boss.