A happy customer will buy and buy again, in addition to telling others about your site. So why is it that many retail and wholesale sites give customers short shrift when it comes to Web site usability?
There are still many unrealized opportunities in ecommerce, but you have to make it easy for customers to shop when they visit your site. Studies show that online shoppers prefer sites that are easy to navigate, have adequate product information, and a minimum of distractions from ads. Consumer preference data shows that customers look for the following characteristics in a user-friendly site.
Easy Ordering: Provide an efficient checkout process (5 clicks or less).
Prompt Shipping: Provide timely fulfillment, within three to five business days.
Security: Prominently display your security statement and privacy policy along with endorsements from the Better Business Bureau and/or TrustE.
Product Availability and Quantities: Provide clear descriptions of products with information on availability. Provide inventory status notification on product pages and in shopping carts.
Large Variety of Available Products: Customers like variety and prefer not to shop piecemeal at multiple sites for like products. Offer related products and upsells.
Customer Service: Good customer service is a must if you want repeat business. Provide a toll free number with a list of customer service hours and timely email support. Answer all service queries within no more than 48 hours.
Return Policy: Post a clear and concise return policy.
Shipping Charges: Provide shipping charges before the checkout process.
Site Download Times: The faster your download time, the better. Remember, some customers are still on dial up.
Personalized Recommendations: The site that offers personalized recommendations based on past purchases will entice more sales.
Search Function: Make this a top priority. If customers can’t find what they want, they will go elsewhere. You can also utilize this information to optimize your site for better rankings (SEO and PPC), not to mention making it user-friendlier.
Alternate Order Process: Besides your shopping cart, offer a toll-free number for ordering, as well as a printable order form for ordering by fax.
Attractive Home Page: The layout and attractiveness of your home page coupled with all the above can ensure success.
Usability Testing: Test your site on actual users by replicating the experience of the average Web user and correcting problems before your real customers arrive. Assign someone with good people skills and site knowledge to conduct the usability testing sessions. You need to hook up a video camera to record the session, and then ask friends, neighbors and relatives to do the testing. Select people who haven’t visited the site before and those similar to your site’s demographic. These people can give you valuable insights for tweaking. Usability testing will ensure that your site conforms to user expectations, making visitors more comfortable and more likely to become loyal customers.
