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E-Commerce : Design It Right

Web site design for merchandising and conversion

September 2008 By Betsy Emery
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The growth of online ads, social networking, blogs and other consumer-generated content means an exponentially growing number of potential Web site entry points. These pages will be most successful by narrowing the number of products shown, focusing on best-selling items within the category of interest and associated promotions.

The Buying Cycle
Successful Web sites support users at each phase of the buying cycle. Buying cycles vary from the quick purchasing of items such as books or toys to well-researched decisions for mattresses or engagement rings. Further, the needs of a first-time visitor may be vastly different from those of loyal customers who frequently interact with the Web site as well as store and catalog channels:
  • First-time visitors, as well as those in the early stages of purchase research, will benefit from design that guides them in selecting the right product. Match products with lifestyle needs, showcase customer favorites and top-
sellers, and allow users to narrow a group of items displayed. For more complex, well-researched purchases, selector tools help match user preferences to product recommendations.

Online sales grew by 47 percent at Fitter International (www.fitter1.com) following a reorganization of its Web site navigation. Research found users were driven by lifestyle needs: shopping for products related to activity as well as by rehabilitation for specific injuries. The new Web site allows users to browse by activity and injury as well as by product category. In addition, YouTube videos were added to key product pages, providing more educational content and Web site entry points.
  • Repeat customers drive high conversion. Retailers that have established a high percentage of repeat buyers enjoy conversion rates as high as 5 percent to 15 percent versus the industry norm of 2 percent to 3 percent. Often, though, e-tailers fail to engage repeat customers as new products are introduced. To engage the repeat customer, display new product introductions in user-relevant categories, highlight promotions related to past purchases and include easy reorder through a "My Account" function.
Repeat and late purchase-cycle buyers are not shopping to browse; they are shopping to buy. The Web site must quickly address all questions regarding product use, benefits, care, shipping and promotional pricing. Links from pay-per-click ads and social networking sites should refer users to specific product, category or landing pages. Landing on a "general" entry page, like the homepage, will frustrate buyers who have already completed a large portion of their product purchase research elsewhere.

Visitors in the later stages of the buying cycle will benefit from cross-selling and upselling with intelligent recommendations, customer reviews and ratings, and well-placed promotions to confirm they have arrived at the best choice for the best price.

Ongoing Design Enhancement
The best Web site design initiatives embrace performance enhancement as an ongoing process versus a one-time event. A/B or multivariate testing can be applied as well as the monitoring of key metrics such as sales, average order value and conversion rate. Establishing user panels enables regular user testing and user interviews, and elicits user feedback-all critical to gathering the insight you will need to keep your Web site design on track.

A 15-year industry veteran, Betsy Emery founded TELLUS in 2003 and quickly established the company as a nationally recognized leader in creating and executing effective Web strategy, design, development and marketing. She can be reached at (513) 831-6687.
 

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