Help with product options and images

[concession-supply.com]

We are rolling out a new product offering with differring options that happen to be team logos. We can't decide whether to have a seperate product for each team, with full description, specific team title and full size image, such as we did here with our NCAA popcorn machines: http://www.concession-supply.com/Pop...nes_c_126.html

Then again, we could also have a single product, with all the team logos as options and use the DropImage feature as we are trying here with the bar stools: http://www.concession-supply.com/NCA...ol_p_4929.html

Now, there are a couple of considerations.

Database items. We assume there would be fewer database items with display option two.

SEO Having the specific team name in the title for each product we believe would help with SEO

product presentation. Do customers like to browse product image thumbnails, or choose a product and then select options?

Larger image link. When using the dropimage option, we aren't providing a higher resolution/larger image. Any way to provide this, such as "click for larger image" on the thumbnails?

Is there anyway to change the product image with the DropImage feature? In other words is there a way to change the full size product image when a particular option is selected?

Clutter? Is it cleaner to do option 2?

Just looking for ideas here.
Thanks in advance for your input. :)

[maksum]

My feeling is option 1. Yes, I think it will help with SEO. Also, it just seems you're going to have some fans of a particular team that may want to send a link of the product over to a pal or something. It would make it a lot easier to just send the link instead of "Hey, go to this link, look for the drop-down option, and select this, and look at the small image."

Option one seems plenty clean to me. In fact, I feel it ultimately will get a fan of a particular team looking at their product a bit faster. They simply scan over the category page and click on the item. I personally don't feel like you're sacrificing any usability with option one. It's probably even a little better. Believe it or not there are a lot of people that won't see that drop down there and just assume you're just carrying the default item.

Finally, I think option one is a great opportunity to cater to the specific fans in the product description by placing some fun, team-specific banter, like "Show your Spartan Pride with this popcorn popper"

Just my thoughts.

Mike

[concession-supply.com]

Thank you for your input. We prefer option 1 as well. However, either way is VERY time consuming, as, you have to duplicate the product one by one, change the text, image, options and advanced options for each item as you add it. So, it is taking quite a signiificant amount of time to get all the products listed. The particular dilemma is the options/images/advanced options are different for each item. There isn't a bulk edit or upload option for these types of products that we know of. Advanced options/standard options/etc are different csv files. And to further the complexity, the same schools/teams are not necessarily licensed for the same products! Another suggestion (outside the forums) was to get the products up as fast as possible using option 2, and then, as time permits, add the individual products over time. We prefer to look and feel of option1 too.