eCommerce considerations

A while ago I was thinking about ecommerce sites - here's what I thought!

eCommerce sites will give the highest conversion rates if the following points are considered

User experience and look & feel

* The interface should be intuitive and the navigation should be simple and easy to follow
* Easy and visible access to help files should be given
* The site should be accessible6 for those who are visually or physically impaired

User workflow

* One click shopping should be an option to save user’s time (e.g. Amazon remembers card and delivery details if you want), or if this is not possible, the order and payment forms should be as short and simple as they can be

Search

* Different people like to use websites in different ways so users should be given a choice of how they want to find products. Some people will know exactly what they want so will want a quick, powerful search function. Some people will be less sure and want to be shown a range of the products on offer; these people need good browse functionality. Others will be looking for inspiration, those people may respond well to promotions, merchandising offers and ‘3-pack’ tiles.
* Post search filters are helpful to allow the users to drill down according to what is relevant to them. It is important to understand the users’ motivation and sensitivity. For example sites targeting bargain seekers will benefit from allowing easy filtering by price.

Personalisation

* Targeting particular products or service to users based on information about them gathered from their log in details, cookies, or history of activity on the site. Information and trends gathered from other similar users can also be used. It improves the user experience as they can then access information relevant to them more quickly. It increases the chances of a sale as users do not have to search for items they are interested in.

Customisation

* Allow users to customise the pages they view as they want to and record this information with their user account. This allows the user to remove irrelevant information and arrange content as suits them. An intelligent system will then learn preferences and update personalisation techniques.

User accounts

* Allowing the user to log in to manage their account details helps to keep customer records up to date.
* The account view should let them see their past history of purchases and where current purchases are in the shipping process to reassure users and also provide opportunity to cross-sell.

Relevant supporting content

* Technical information about the product helps users to come to their buying decision, such as sizing, washing or installation instructions.
* The product display should have high quality images. Trends are for sites to use zoom technologies to view the details, rotating images to see all angles, and video to see how a product moves or functions.
* Reviewing systems showing what other buyers in the community think of the product or the company can help to reassure the user of their purchasing decision. This is especially useful in lowering the perceived risk in high involvement purchases where perhaps the value of the purchase is large.
* Customer testimonials work in a similar way, this could be help where the buyer’s reputation could be at stake (e.g. a recruiter advertising on a fish4 wants to know that their brand will be handled correctly).
* Recommendations based on what the user or other similar users have viewed or bought before help to show users around the site and show them more relevant products and give them more choice.
* News and information about the marketplace can set the site up to appear as a market expert. This will drive more traffic to the site as users go there for information as well as improving SEO.

Pricing

* Discounts should be promoted to show users that they are getting the best deals
* Pricing packages will give users more financial options

Channel continuity

* Online and offline experience should complement each other. In a traditional retailer the customer should be able to take products bought online back to store and the store should know what online stocks.

Technical excellence

* The search engine should be powerful and reference all areas of the site, returning relevant results
* Component based system - no section is dependent on another, component can be replaced easily for simple upgrades
* Multivariable testing systems could be introduced so that the design and layout of the site can be optimised for maximum conversion quickly and in some cases by region or user type

Security and reassurance

* To enhance user’s trust of a site it should be obvious that their payment system is secure by using https and a well known payment mechanism such as PayPal or one endorsed by a major bank if the brand is not well known.
* The returns policy should be easy to find and if possible should allow the user to take an unwanted item back to a store.

Communications

* Marketing communications through channels such as email and banner ad should be used to promote new products
* Messages should be targeted and personalised to only give information that users are interested in
* Merchandising tools should be used to give promotions on price points and special deals
* Opt in / opt out procedures should be followed to ensure users are not spammed