Product Information
Offer
a range of products that meets users' expectations
 Offer
the same variety of products on your Web site as you carry
in brick-and-mortar stores or paper catalogs. Customers
value Web shopping partly because of the vast variety and
selection of products. They are disappointed if companies do
not offer their complete catalog of products online (Jarvenpaa
& Todd, 1996, 1997).
Provide pictures of all physical merchandise
Provide
pictures to attract users' attention, help them identify
products, help them understand a product's features, and
help them feel more knowledgeable and comfortable when
making purchase decisions. For sites that sell thousands of
products, providing pictures of all of them requires a
significant investment. But pictures are vital to e-commerce
because the Web is largely a visual medium in which
customers cannot feel, touch, or hold products. Pictures
must provide the marketing appeal that packaging and product
displays provide in brick-and-mortar stores.
Because large pictures cause slower
downloading, consider presenting "thumbnail" photos
initially and linking to larger views of the same items. In
both thumbnail and larger pictures, make the product
features as distinguishable as possible. Provide pictures
from different angles, and enable users to click for a
larger view if these additional views assist users in
understanding the product and its features.
Provide information about availability
Provide
information on your product description pages about the
availability of each product, and immediately update the
information when the inventory changes. If possible,
indicate exactly when you can ship the product. For
instance, you may want to say something like "Ships within
24 hours of receiving your order" or "Orders received by
1:00 pm Eastern time ship the same day" (but be sure you
keep your promises). Link to information about shipping
options so that the user can estimate a delivery date.
Fast, reliable service is an important
selling point. The more specific and accurate your shipping
times, and the more rapidly you fulfill orders, the more
likely you are to please your customers.
Tip: Avoid using the term "shipping time"
because it's unclear. Business typically use it to refer to
processing time, but customers sometimes think it means they
will receive the product in that time.
Display prices prominently
Include
prices on your product description pages and, in most cases,
in your product lists. Price is one of the most important
product attributes affecting the purchase decision, so do
not require users to "dig" for prices.
Note: Use the three-letter international
currency symbol (e.g. USD for US dollars) and a descriptive
phrase (e.g. "All amounts are in US dollars.") to explicitly
indicate the currency base.
Provide detailed product information
Provide
detailed specifications and/or descriptions of the physical
characteristics, features, and functions of products. This
detailed information is essential to Web shoppers because
they do not have the assistance of sales clerks, and cannot
touch products as they might in brick-and-mortar stores.
To provide effective product information,
develop a thorough understanding of your customers and their
interests and needs. Once you have a clear understanding of
your users' needs, design your product information to
address those needs.
Note: If you are selling to an
international audience, use both the metric system and the
imperial system to specify product dimensions.
Disclose the most important product information first
Whenever
products and product categories are introduced, begin each
product description with information that distinguishes that
product from others and enables customers to recognize
quickly which products do and don't meet their needs. The
product descriptions, whether they appear on the store
front, on product category navigation pages, or on product
description pages, should answer the following questions:
If users can discern this information
immediately, they can quickly navigate to products that
closely match their needs or interests.
Display unintrusive promotions on key pages
Display
promotions, such as price reductions, rebate offers,
interest-free financing, and special new offerings, on your
store front and product category navigation pages. The
promotions should briefly describe each offer and link to
more information and/or the specific product being promoted.
Promotions are effective when they inform
users of special opportunities without interrupting an
enjoyable shopping experience. Information on a "good deal"
or a new product may be the extra incentive that some users
need to complete a purchase. To avoid distracting and
annoying users with promotions,
-
Reserve primary screen real estate to
main product categories and the search engine
-
Locate promotions in a consistent place
on each page
-
Display promotions that are relevant to
the product category that the user is currently viewing
(i.e., vary promotions according to the category the user
is viewing)
-
Avoid displaying promotions where they
would distract the user from a task that requires a high
level of concentration, such as a comparison page with
detailed product information
-
Do not display an overwhelming number
of promotions on the store front or product category
navigation pages; rather, display one or two and enable
users to click for more promotions
Also specify when and where promotions
are valid, and immediately remove them when they have
expired.
Tip: You may also want to provide
"appetizers," such as free downloads and contests to win
free products. Appetizers induce people to visit your site
and whet their desire to buy products. Be sure to link to
shopping pages from the appetizers. For instance, a page
where users register to enter a contest should link to the
product that the winner will receive, to that category of
products, and to the store front.
Facilitate cross-selling and up-selling without annoying or
distracting users
Use
cross-selling and up-selling techniques to provide customers
easy access to products they may want or need. Cross-selling
consists of displaying or linking to products related to the
one(s) the user is currently viewing. Up-selling consists of
displaying or linking to a more expensive alternative to the
one the customer has chosen.
Before trying either strategy, ensure
that cross-selling and up-selling will benefit your
customers. Cross-selling is beneficial when it provides your
users an easy way to buy additional products that they need
or want. For instance, if users have added a notebook
computer to their order list, they may welcome a link that
allows them to shop for a carrying case and other
accessories. Up-selling can help users understand what is
available at the next price level, and how much the
additional function or quality would cost.
When designing a page that uses
cross-selling or up-selling, devote primary screen real
estate to the product the customer is viewing, or the user's
primary task. Ensure that cross-selling and up-selling
options do not interfere with users' ability to complete
their current purchase. |