oneux | designing experiences

online shopping and the problem with.... research

 
Well, actually pictures according to some research mentioned on HBR. In a nutshell, the research suggests that when customers print out pictures of items they bought online the quality of  the printouts affects 'the expectations during the shipping time, and can result in dissatisfied consumers'. Ok, useful to know but not sure how much valuable the findings are.

Firstly, the research makes the assumption that printing pictures of items bought online is common practice. I'd question that. In all the research I've done I ever came across anyone who actually does that. Collecting pictures of products for research is common but usually these pictures are cut-outs from magazines, catalogues, etc. and their purpose are to compare and inspire.

Secondly, more often than not, receipts do not include pictures of the purchased products. They may however include links to the product pages.

Thirdly, those customers wishing to share their purchase tend to do so online either by emailing links to the products purchased or using any of the social media tools. The increasing use of smartphone further reduces the need for any type of printouts, including the actual receipts.

For me there are two key learning here:

1. Good quality pictures are important in encouraging loyalty in customers. I have to say though, nothing new here. 
2. The second learning is that academics have too much time on their hands and would research anything... so we don't have to...

opt in, not out

 image by Tenisha Rawlin on flickr

A recent article in DarkPatterns, discusses how online businesses use trick questions to get users to either agree to sharing their information with them (Wired) or inadvertentdly buy a service (Ryan Air). A more benign, yet sneaky approach employed by online marketers is the use of opt-out communication/registration questions. Typically this takes place when marketers wish to collect users' personal information to later contact them with offers, etc. The opt-out usually takes the form of a check box with negative text, something like: 'tick here if you do not wish to...' see example from Wired: 

 

 Why  is this approach insidious? Firstly it breaks the heuristics governing a check box, specifically that a selected check box equates to a positive, true statement. That is, by selecting a checkbox a users makes a positive statement, which in the marketing world would be that they opt in, agree to a business sharing their information, contacting them, etc.

Secondly, a key feature  of asking users to opt in - apart from legal requirements - is that all emals, materials, letters, any communication made is anticipated by the user. It confirms that the user wants to receive it, which makes it quite different to unsolicited advertisements. 

Finally, opt out questions take advantage of our tendency to not fully read online but rather scan text. Basically they rely on us not noticing and inadvertently opting-in.

All in all this does not make for an honest and fair start to a relationship. Is this really how online businesses want to engage with their customers?

this is real multichannel (with all its challenges of course)

 A recent New York Times article describes how Nordstrom increased sales and inventory turnover by linking its on-line inventory with that of its 115 stores. A integrated inventory allowed on-line customers to buy a product even though it was not available on-line: 'if the Web warehouse was out of that bag, it did not matter. Inventory from Nordstrom’s 115 regular stores is also included. Maybe there was just one handbag left in the entire company, sitting forlornly in the back of the Roosevelt Field store — it would be displayed on-line and store employees would ship it to the Web customer.' As a result of the inventory changes there were significant improvements in stock management and eventually sales and earrings: 'we can sell more without having to buy more inventory,' Mr Nordstrom said. 'That plays through to margins and, ultimately, earnings'.

Having worked on retail sites, one major challenge that comes to mind is that how certain is  Nordstrom that the bag that appears to 'sitting forlornly in the back of the Roosevelt Field store' is actually there and not  a)misplaced and impossible to locate, b) stolen,  c) in good condition, and d) sold but never accurately registered. This is not to say that integrated inventory cannot work, quite the opposite; customers view a brand as one entity not separate touch-points.  There are however, challenges in communicating to customers how reliable  stock availability actually is.

follow that house, telly, or frock

In a world of online social networks, mass mingling, and real time alerts, why do we still treat products purely like commodities? What happened to the shopping journey being an emotional experience? Instead of running around on the virtual high street looking for the best product why not sit back and have the right product come to you? Why not follow a product's life online and find out how popular it is, who likes it and who doesn't, how many people aspire to it and who would not come near it, and of course how much it costs?

more on that hopefully soon....

brand loyalty

Interesting things happen when your customers become your best ambassadors. Here is an example I recently came across on twitpic (created by @reubenturner) inspired by a recent ad campaign.

nothing to hide

As I was going through the 2010 consumer trends by trendwatching I came across the 2009 Air New Zealand ad campaing which was all about transparency, literally. Virgin Atalntic over to you.

Have a look at more videos on the airline's dedicated website.

2010 consumer trends

The ten consumer  trends for 2010 as seen by trendwatching. Here are the ones I suggest are worth looking out for  + designing for:

• Real time reviews, that is reviews are being delivered as people experience a service or product. What is interesting, challenging, or for some arming here is that reviews will be provided before the end of the experience, before consumers have time to absorb and reflect on their experience. This will affect how services are designed: while certainly looking at the end to end experience, specific touchpoints and parts of the experience will be particularly important as well.
• Mass mingling. Especially how mobile web, will accelerate the move form fixed location to constant access.
• Tracking and alerting, with special focus on alerting as tracking is maturing as we speak.
• Profile myning. It is exciting to see how managing and especially monetising ones own digital profile / world / assets is going to develop in 2010.

John Lewis Christmas 2009

Here is the  Christmas TV advert for John Lewis. and  'Sweet child of mine' by Taken by Trees.

my country needs me

Transactional Greek websites...hm definitely a misnomer.
Here is my tale: I am travelling to Athens in November and my wife found out about a dance performance by Dimitris Papaioanou, the guy behind the Athens Olympics ceremonies. So I though I'll book tickets. Off I go to the National Theatre's website and after 20 minutes literally fighting with the website and booking process I think I booked 2 tickets. I say 'think' because I have yet to receive an email confirmation. Some highlights from my online mini ordeal:

• The service offered by  www.ticketservices.gr randomly assigns seats. I could not select my own seat, though i could see plans of the auditorium
• The selection is valid for 15 minutes regardless of whether you need to register your details or not
• Once details have been entered you have no option to make changes, for example give another telephone number or correct a mistake
• It is not clear whether tickets are posted to you or whether you can collect them at the box office. Actually I had to call them and ask!
• There is no way of logging out which means you need to clear the browser's history to avoid others accessing your details
• There is no indication as to whether the site is secure (other than the https:)
• After you or rather I have naively shared my credit card details, you get a minimal confirmation of no real use
• There is no email confirmation

I  could go on and on but it simply makes me mad. I now know why Greece lacks transactional websites. It is becasue the concept of customer experience and user centred design is unknown to the agencies building web services. No wonder Greeks are suspicious of e-retail, I do not blame them.

Off to call my credit card company to make sure my account has not been emptied by some wise guys in downtown Athens

years on, and they still try to rip customers off

Online shopping is maturing, right? e-retailers understand the value of offering  a good service as a way of retaining customers, surely this is true, right? Unfortunately this is not the case according to a recent survey conducted in 28 EU countries that examined 369 sites selling electronic goods (and reported in the IHT). The survey concluded that 55% of the sites reviewed showed irregularities like not being open about returns policy, delivery charges, contact information. Basically all the things that customers want and need to know about in order to hit that ‘buy’ button.
No wonder customers can be weary of shopping online.

On the same theme, most airline websites automatically opt customers in into extra services like insurance leaving it to them to un-tick the boxes, if they realise it that is, so when scolded airlines gave a persuasively childlike answer: ‘we’ll stop doing it if the others stop first’

peculiar yet interesting buying suggestions

After placing a man's jacket in the shopping basket on Asos,  I was presented with this helpful 'complete the look' suggestion (see image);  I am not really sure what I am supposed to do with this? :)

Is this the print media saviour?

Amazon has revealed its new extra large Kindle DX. The reading device is designed to support newspapers and textbooks. Recently, there has been a lot of noise around whether devices like the Kindle DX will save the print media from a continuous decline in revenue, a situation that can be argued they have only themselves to blame. The industry has been waiting for an ipod for the print media and they hope they have found it in the form of Kindle DX et al. There are also rumours that Apple is preparing a handheld device that will support colour and video, features at them moment not or badly supported by exiting e-readers.

More on the Kindle DX release in this York Times article