Kevin Ertell: What I think is really interesting about Monetate

Posted July 20th, 2010, by Stephen Cobb

We’re delighted to announce today that Kevin Ertell, one of the most-widely respected innovators in online retailing, is joining Monetate’s Strategic Advisory Board. In conjunction with that announcement we’re posting a short video that we recorded last week in which Kevin talks about the challenges facing online retailers. He explains why he thinks Monetate is “exactly the right solution for retailers to create a great customer experience that is right for every individual customer.” Take a look:

For those readers who are not familiar with Kevin, you can read more about him in today’s news release. Kevin has spent time running some serious online retailing operations such as borders.com. We can heartily recommend his terrific blog: Retail: Shaken Not Stirred. And you might want to follow him on Twitter.

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Posted in Industry, News, Opinion, marketing

Don't Spook The Customers: Halloween's a good time for a user interface review

Posted October 29th, 2009, by Stephen Cobb

Halloween means different things to different people; but if you’re a retailer, why not think of this annual indulgence in masks and costumes as a reminder to review the user experience faced by shoppers at your online store? After all, nobody wants to enter the holiday shopping season with a spooky user interface that scares away potential customers.
Boo!Not that you would scare off your online shoppers on purpose, but the fact is, despite advances in Internet technology and web design, some online shopping experiences still feel more like a trick than a treat.

(BTW, Halloween night in America will be an hour longer than normal this year because Daylight Saving Time comes to an end at 2:00AM on the morning of Sunday, November 1–one hour is hardly enough time to do a full user interface review, but may be enough to ask friends and family to shop your store and give you unvarnished feedback on their experiences.)

What would be an example of a shopping treat that turned into a trick: I recently abandoned a shopping cart containing over $100 worth of purchases. Why? Because the store rejected my home address as “invalid.” After trying four different variations, I clicked out of that site feeling cheated and grumpy.

This particular interface failure is indicative of a wider phenomenon that I call “the input hack.” This is a web form that offers no help to the user yet responds to input errors with a series of unhelpful messages, leading to multiple attempts to complete the form in a tediously iterative and increasingly annoying process which, upon successful completion, feels like you’ve managed to hack your way into a classified computer system (when what you’ve actually accomplished is a much more modest goal: convincing an online store to accept your order).

So let’s be clear: Customer input should not be an exercise in trick or treat. Whenever a customer inputs data your response should be positive and helpful, whether or not the customer provided “correct” data. Do not, for example, respond with messages like this:

Email address improperly formatted or contains invalid or illegal characters.

I can almost hear Monty Python’s John Cleese delivering that error message in a voice dripping with disdain: “You bumbling idiot, what’s the matter with you? Can’t you even type an email address without screwing it up?” Furthermore, that type of error message provides no clue as to what a correct email address looks like. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Industry, Personalization, Strategy

7 Ways Microsoft Windows 7 Can Help Online Retailers: Even if you don't sell PCs

Posted October 22nd, 2009, by Stephen Cobb

Windows 7 LaunchesIf you’re an online retailer, how excited should you be about today’s launch of Microsoft Windows 7? May I suggest you think of this latest version of Microsoft’s operating system as an exciting marketing opportunity, one that could extend beyond hardware and software sales.

As you probably know, your online store can detect the type of operating system that shoppers are using. With a major new operating system in the mix, why not leverage that data point in your merchandising? I think there are ways to leverage Microsoft Windows 7 even if you are not selling computers.

How might that work? Because it’s a more obvious application, let’s start with those retailers that do sell computer hardware and software. Such companies comprise a significant slice of the Internet Retailer Top 50, from the obvious manufacturer sites like Dell (#3) and Apple (#5) to office stores like Staples (#2), Office Depot (#4), and OfficeMax (#6). Then you have mass merchants and multi-channel retailers like Sears (#7) and QVC (#11) as well as digital specialists CDW (#8), NewEgg (#9), and BestBuy (#10).

Here are some of the ways retailers like this could leverage Windows 7:

1. If a visitor is using an earlier version of Windows: Pitch new computers that come with Windows 7 or offer a deal on upgrades to Windows 7, or hardware to run Windows 7 better.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Industry, Personalization, Strategy, marketing

4 Ways Tech-Savvy E-Retailers Maximize Screen Real Estate

Posted October 15th, 2009, by Stephen Cobb

Pixel-by-pixel they build out the screenFollowing on from last week’s “tips on improving the performance of scarce online retail real estate,” I wanted to share three ways in which tech-savvy online retailers are making the most of precious screen space.

And if you’re in charge of an online store you don’t need me to tell you it’s tough to find enough screen space for all the information you want to share with cyber-shoppers. Indeed, those precious pixels are a prime example of scarcity, that vital element of economics classically described as “scarce means that have alternative uses.”

For example, in my last post I talked about the challenge of balancing just two alternatives:  product shots and offers (such as discounts, price cuts, shipping deals, and all the other incentives to buy that reside in the online retailer’s arsenal). I referenced an excellent post by Kevin Ertell in which he pointed out how often (hint: too often) online stores err on the side of promotional messaging versus presentation of the products, eventual purchase of which the promotions are designed to encourage.

But product shots and promotions are just a few of the space hogs you need to feed. There are product details, endorsements, testimonials, reviews, and ratings to accommodate. Then you have the nuts and bolts of the shipping and return policies, payment options, and so on. So what can you do to ease the strain of competing demands for screen space? Here are four suggestions: Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Industry, Personalization, Strategy, marketing