Is YOUR Web Site Ready For Christmas? :: Daily Coupon Deals
Is YOUR Web Site Ready For Christmas?
'It will soon be Christmas!'
And, whether Christian or not, that means one thing to
online vendors worldwide: INCREASED SALES!
But is your site *ready* for Christmas?
Let me explain what I mean by that question.
As owner of a UK shopping directory I get to review many
online shopping sites. I take about 60 seconds (or less) to
decide whether the site gets added to my shopping directory
(or not).
And what I look for, in those crucial first seconds, is what
YOUR site-visitors look for too. They're thinking:
-> 'Can I trust you?',
-> 'Do you sell what I'm looking for,' and
-> 'Do I want to buy it from here?' or
-> 'Do I just want to somewhere else?'
The bad news: I am more patient than your site visitors!
The good news: you just need to make a few common-sense
changes to your site, for it to be ready for customers this
Christmas.
(Results from a study on online shopping habits help
illustrate my point. The figures are a couple of years old,
now, but I don't think the needs of online shoppers have
changed too much.)
So what do I look for?
--------------------------------
1. Is Your Site Safe AND Secure?
--------------------------------
'Of course our site is safe AND secure!' you say. 'We're a
member of a safe-shopping scheme, and we pay lots of extra
money for secure servers!'
You know your site is safe and secure, but does your site
display the safe-shopping logo proudly on the home page,
where it's easy to find, easy to reassure?
Make sure you put safe-shopping logos high-up on your home-
page, as well as the logo of your secure server provider (if
you have one) like Worldpay or Verisign!
The same goes for any customer testimonials you might have
received - put them on your home page, too!
Safe shopping schemes/providers include:
- http://www.trustuk.org.uk/Default.asp
- http://www.shopsafe.co.uk
- http://www.verisign.com
- http://www.worldpay.com
------------------------------------
2. Does Your Site Look Professional?
------------------------------------
(26% said the [shopping site] was too difficult to navigate
- Anderson Consulting.)
How do I decide whether a site is well-designed and
professional?
Maybe it's a great color-scheme, or site layout. Maybe it's
clear images, good use of fonts, or an impressive Flash
movie. Maybe it's all of these things (or none of them).
Basically, for me, a professional website:
o Is easy to navigate (so you never get 'lost');
o Is quick to load (no unnecessary 'splash' screens);
o Contains clear and immediate benefits for your customer;
o Does not rely on obscure browser technology.
Yes you can break these rules, just as long as you make
sure that your SITE REMAINS CUSTOMER-FRIENDLY.
(At the very least do a site-usability study. You'll be
amazed at what you learn!)
These sites/resources may help:
- http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com
How NOT to design a website
- http://www.sensible.com/buythebook.html
'Don't Make Me Think!' philosophy of site design
---------------------------------------------------
3. Does Your Site Contain Great Content And Offers?
---------------------------------------------------
(16% of online shoppers said the site didn't offer enough
gift-giving ideas to help them make an appropriate purchase
- Anderson Consulting.)
Is it REALLY worth shopping at your site?
Do you offer a great choice of goods at low prices? Can
visitors read reviews of the products you sell? And can they
create a Christmas wish-list for their friends or family?...
What's compelling about shopping online at your store?
(For ideas about compelling shopping, just visit Amazon!)
---------------------------------------------------
4. Does Your Site Display Delivery Details & Costs?
---------------------------------------------------
(40% said the product they ordered was not delivered in
time -- Anderson Consulting.)
I'm sure your site has delivery details and costs, but...
is it easy to find them?
Don't force a customer to buy an item, before they can find
this information!
Make your delivery details and costs as easy to find as
possible -- especially if you offer free delivery! Don't
give a potential customer a reason to go somewhere else!
And as for late delivery - if you can't avoid this, at
least keep your customer informed at all times. This keeps
the customer as happy as possible, encourages positive word-
of-mouth (i.e. new customers), and helps you achieve the
holy grail of online shopping: repeat business!
------------------------------------------
5. Does Your Site Display Contact Details?
------------------------------------------
(25% said the [site] did not provide enough information
needed to make a purchase.)
'A site without contact information is a site with something
to hide!' That's what a potential customer thinks, anyway!
Your site should state WHO you are, and WHAT your business
is about. Include information like name, address, and phone
number on an about-us page, and mention a little about your
business (a photo of you and your business is very
reassuring).
If you need an example, why not look at the about-us page
I've created. It's not brilliant, but it's a start. (Hey, I
don't even sell anything online!). Find it at
- http://www.best-digital-cameras.co.uk/about-us.html
And here is a really professional contact page which does
the same job of reassuring the potential shopper
- http://bedstar.co.uk/shop/customer/help.php?section=faqs
----------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations... Your Site Is Now Ready For Christmas!
----------------------------------------------------------
Follow the advice above, and your site should be ready for
the demands of Christmas.
You can probably think of more common-sense ways to make
your site more 'customer-friendly' e.g. customer
testimonials - do whatever needs to be done. --
More and more money is spent online each and every
Christmas. Your site can have its piece of the pie - just
make sure your site is ready.
Season's best wishes to you!
About the Author
STEVE M NASH is the owner of http://www.shoptour.co.uk
- UK shopping directory (and more) since 1999. Discover
more ways to promote your online store by taking his
free 7-day website promotion course. Subscribe here
==> http://www.free-website-promotion-course.net
Tags: value free shipping codes coupon whale your savings
And, whether Christian or not, that means one thing to
online vendors worldwide: INCREASED SALES!
But is your site *ready* for Christmas?
Let me explain what I mean by that question.
As owner of a UK shopping directory I get to review many
online shopping sites. I take about 60 seconds (or less) to
decide whether the site gets added to my shopping directory
(or not).
And what I look for, in those crucial first seconds, is what
YOUR site-visitors look for too. They're thinking:
-> 'Can I trust you?',
-> 'Do you sell what I'm looking for,' and
-> 'Do I want to buy it from here?' or
-> 'Do I just want to
The bad news: I am more patient than your site visitors!
The good news: you just need to make a few common-sense
changes to your site, for it to be ready for customers this
Christmas.
(Results from a study on online shopping habits help
illustrate my point. The figures are a couple of years old,
now, but I don't think the needs of online shoppers have
changed too much.)
So what do I look for?
--------------------------------
1. Is Your Site Safe AND Secure?
--------------------------------
'Of course our site is safe AND secure!' you say. 'We're a
member of a safe-shopping scheme, and we pay lots of extra
money for secure servers!'
You know your site is safe and secure, but does your site
display the safe-shopping logo proudly on the home page,
where it's easy to find, easy to reassure?
Make sure you put safe-shopping logos high-up on your home-
page, as well as the logo of your secure server provider (if
you have one) like Worldpay or Verisign!
The same goes for any customer testimonials you might have
received - put them on your home page, too!
Safe shopping schemes/providers include:
- http://www.trustuk.org.uk/Default.asp
- http://www.shopsafe.co.uk
- http://www.verisign.com
- http://www.worldpay.com
------------------------------------
2. Does Your Site Look Professional?
------------------------------------
(26% said the [shopping site] was too difficult to navigate
- Anderson Consulting.)
How do I decide whether a site is well-designed and
professional?
Maybe it's a great color-scheme, or site layout. Maybe it's
clear images, good use of fonts, or an impressive Flash
movie. Maybe it's all of these things (or none of them).
Basically, for me, a professional website:
o Is easy to navigate (so you never get 'lost');
o Is quick to load (no unnecessary 'splash' screens);
o Contains clear and immediate benefits for your customer;
o Does not rely on obscure browser technology.
Yes you can break these rules, just as long as you make
sure that your SITE REMAINS CUSTOMER-FRIENDLY.
(At the very least do a site-usability study. You'll be
amazed at what you learn!)
These sites/resources may help:
- http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com
How NOT to design a website
- http://www.sensible.com/buythebook.html
'Don't Make Me Think!' philosophy of site design
---------------------------------------------------
3. Does Your Site Contain Great Content And Offers?
---------------------------------------------------
(16% of online shoppers said the site didn't offer enough
gift-giving ideas to help them make an appropriate purchase
- Anderson Consulting.)
Is it REALLY worth shopping at your site?
Do you offer a great choice of goods at low prices? Can
visitors read reviews of the products you sell? And can they
create a Christmas wish-list for their friends or family?...
What's compelling about shopping online at your store?
(For ideas about compelling shopping, just visit Amazon!)
---------------------------------------------------
4. Does Your Site Display Delivery Details & Costs?
---------------------------------------------------
(40% said the product they ordered was not delivered in
time -- Anderson Consulting.)
I'm sure your site has delivery details and costs, but...
is it easy to find them?
Don't force a customer to buy an item, before they can find
this information!
Make your delivery details and costs as easy to find as
possible -- especially if you offer free delivery! Don't
give a potential customer a reason to go somewhere else!
And as for late delivery - if you can't avoid this, at
least keep your customer informed at all times. This keeps
the customer as happy as possible, encourages positive word-
of-mouth (i.e. new customers), and helps you achieve the
holy grail of online shopping: repeat business!
------------------------------------------
5. Does Your Site Display Contact Details?
------------------------------------------
(25% said the [site] did not provide enough information
needed to make a purchase.)
'A site without contact information is a site with something
to hide!' That's what a potential customer thinks, anyway!
Your site should state WHO you are, and WHAT your business
is about. Include information like name, address, and phone
number on an about-us page, and mention a little about your
business (a photo of you and your business is very
reassuring).
If you need an example, why not look at the about-us page
I've created. It's not brilliant, but it's a start. (Hey, I
don't even sell anything online!). Find it at
- http://www.best-digital-cameras.co.uk/about-us.html
And here is a really professional contact page which does
the same job of reassuring the potential shopper
- http://bedstar.co.uk/shop/customer/help.php?section=faqs
----------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations... Your Site Is Now Ready For Christmas!
----------------------------------------------------------
Follow the advice above, and your site should be ready for
the demands of Christmas.
You can probably think of more common-sense ways to make
your site more 'customer-friendly' e.g. customer
testimonials - do whatever needs to be done. --
More and more money is spent online each and every
Christmas. Your site can have its piece of the pie - just
make sure your site is ready.
Season's best wishes to you!
About the Author
STEVE M NASH is the owner of http://www.shoptour.co.uk
- UK shopping directory (and more) since 1999. Discover
more ways to promote your online store by taking his
free 7-day website promotion course. Subscribe here
==> http://www.free-website-promotion-course.net
Tags: value free shipping codes coupon whale your savings
With more and more Christian expatriates living here, getting used to celebrating Christmas in Kuwait is a cinch, according to many Christian residents. "It took a few years to get into the groove of celebrating Christmas in Kuwait, but that was about 15 years ago. Now there are so many other Christians here, and with all the holiday bazaars.
-----------------
adolfo
Internet marketing
Posted by
Unknown |
November 17, 2008 at 12:53 AM