Batteries Not Included
You know that excitement you get when the big box with your latest online purchase arrives? You've tracked the package repeatedly, willing it closer and closer to your home and now it's finally here. With great enthusiasm, you open the box, remove the contents and unwrap the packaging.
Wait a minute. Where's that one piece you need to transform the product from a useless mass into the latest and greatest new thing? You look again, surely it's in there somewhere.
And then you see the writing on the side of the box — “Gizmo not included.”
Don't let this happen to your online shoppers. Customer satisfaction includes avoiding customer disappointment.
When designing your product catalog pages on your Web site, take extra care to reveal any supplemental items, hidden or unexpected charges and incurred fees that go along with your products. The convenience of online shopping is lost if a customer has the go to the local mall for a cable, attachment, etc. after they've received their shipment. You also want to avoid a returned item because the additional purchase exceeds the customer's budget.
Outline the additional items or services that your customer will need to make their purchase fully functional. Links to the supplementary items from the product descriptions helps customers to order all the things they need at once. Let customers know if the merchandise they are buying needs professional installation, training or consultation too.
One-dimensional information on a Web site may be the customer's only reference for a product and they are reliant on you to provide the details. The hot tub that looks so easy to install from a Web site image may prove to be more complex for the average do-it-yourselfer once they open the box at home.
Pop-up windows are a good method for ensuring that customers don't forget to purchase everything they need to use their new products. As a customer clicks an item for the shopping cart, a pop-up can remind them about the batteries.
Reprinted from ECommerce Guide.
Robyn Greenspan, an independent researcher and speaker, is interested in innovation, market trends and information technology. She was a participant in the AI Summit and also took part in the IEEE International Conference on Edge Computing, International SOA Symposium series and the International Cloud Symposium series. She graduated from Temple University. She was previously the communications and research manager for the AMS, an internationally recognized professional association that advances knowledge in the IT and business management areas.
