Web stores must provide visitors with an easy to use site.
Strategy
Ease of use is a broad category and for most e-commerce sites includes the following major sub-systems:
- On-site search (one company calls it Finding) - As a consumer can I find what I'm looking for with one search and a couple of clicks or do I have to go through pages of items to find what I'm looking for?
- Cart - Does the system allow me to easily shop and keep track of what's in my cart, edit, etc.
- Checkout system - Do I have to go through an hour long process, or is it fast and easy? Do I have a number of shipping options to match my timing needs? Does the system correctly remember my settings from past transactions so I can minimize the data re-entry?
- Order tracking - Once I've ordered with you, can I track my order, cancel, change? Can I look at what I ordered in June of 2009?
- Returns processing - After the purchase how hard is it to return an item or get questions answered about the item?
- Product descriptions - Are the products available clearly described with all the relevant information you need to
- Click and Mortar - For click and mortar companies (offline with online capabilities) - Many consumers want to see some interaction between the two such as online catalogs, circulars, in-store-pick up, shared registry, click and mortar royalty programs, etc.
