UCD Concepts

Carson Pirie Scott sure has.

I woke up to receive an e-mail with the subject line “It’s Your Birthday This Month! Celebrate with 25% off!”.

Ok, it’s an e-mail from the sender “Carson’s Birthday Wishes”.  Now how nice was that?

This was something completely unexpected and a pleasant surprise.

Now take a look at the page the e-mail links to.

Cool, I have been wanting to buy an iPod Nano and I can use the 10% off right now to buy online. 

Oh wait, no I can’t.  The coupon is not good for Internet orders.  Seriously?  Carson’s just lost a sale.

What’s the point of sending out a coupon to your online subscribers if you are not going to let them use the coupon online?

Let me break down the experience.

1. Yeah, I got a coupon in the e-mail and I was just looking to buy an iPod.
2. Awesome, I get an extra 10% off the price.
3. What, can’t use the coupon online?
4. Ok, I’ll just go to Apple’s website and get one for $20 more, but at least I have the convenience of not having to leave my house to purchase it.
5. I am satsified with my purchase on Apple.com and even got free engraving on my new iPod.

Well, there it is.   That’s how I roll.

I am guessing that Carson’s was just trying to get me in the door (and possibly buy more while I was there), but I just don’t have the time to drive off to find a Carson’s to purchase from.

I realized I still have a warm, fuzzy feeling from Carson’s though.  They went above and beyond by offering me something as personalized as they did and it me me feel good about Carson’s overall.  I hope that they offer me something I can use online in the future though.

Have you been given that personal touch lately?  If not, I hope you do soon.

Cheers.

(currently listening to the sounds of the city from the 30th floor)

Let’s talk about passwords for a minute.  How many times have you forgotten your password logging into a website or application?  How long before you were able to figure it out?

I have been unable to access the admin area of my blog two days in a row now.  Why, you might ask.

Well, I forgot my password or maybe it was my username.  I’m not really sure which one I forgot first because I thought I had both of them correct.  Error after error and I tried to go the “Forgot your password?” route and that didn’t work either.  I got so confused I just left it alone for a while and left the site.

Now I can’t imagine that I am the only person this happens to so let’s discuss a very important area of the checkout process for online retailers.  You know that point where you leave your shopping cart and begin the process of buying your items?  What do you think happens to those who can’t remember their login credentials? 

You stop the momentum of buying, right?

It’s almost like walking up to the cashier and forgetting your driver’s license when they ask to verify it is your credit card, or maybe it is forgetting your phone number so they can’t pull up the information already stored in the computer system.

How do some retailers resolve this issue?  They offer anonymous checkout.  It might take a little bit longer to complete the checkout process, but you don’t have to go through the hassle of trying to figure out your username or password to purchase.  If you try and fail too many times, your account could very well get locked down.  That’s just one of many reasons why I would advocate the username to actually be the e-mail address.  It is easier to remember and is unique.  I can’t tell you how many times I decided not to register on a site because I couldn’t think of a good username that was not already taken.

Anonymous checkout is great and our usability testing has proven anonymous checkout to be a clear winner over registering if the user has a choice.  Why is that?

Well, it depends on your users.  Security is obviously a contributing factor and some users are afraid to have their information stored online.  Those who preferred anonymous checkout also said that they would consider registering if they were to frequent the site and purchase more often though.

What does this mean for online retailers?

By forcing registration, you increase the likelihood that the sale will not take place.  By offering the flexibility of registered and anonymous checkout, you will give the user the opportunity to proceed through the checkout process anonymously and enter all of their information, and hopefully they will register because they won’t want to fill out their information each time.

So let’s take a look at the different areas registration would be helpful.

Shopping Cart –> Log In

The Log In page would be a great start for the user to register, but you need to be careful not to remove them from the checkout process and you certainly don’t want to lose any items from their cart when they do register.  If a user wants to register, this is the first place they will be looking to register during the checkout process.

Billing Page –> Order Review

Here’s where things get a bit tricky.  Some online retailers have a Billing/Review page, others separate the process of billing from review.  Does it make sense to have it at this point?  Sure, but it will only make sense after the user has entered their billing information so they have finished entering all of the information that will be stored with the user’s account.

Personally, I would prefer to have the user enter their e-mail on the Order Review page if it is separate from the Billing page.  The reason for this is the user will have reviewed the order and will then be ready to purchase so this is the most relative area to ask where they want a confirmation e-mail to go. 

Another thing to keep in mind is how much information you will be requiring the user to enter (aside from their shipping/billing information) to become a registered user.  Will the e-mail address and a password suffice?

I believe those two things are all you need to get the user to register.  You can then use the e-mail address to pre-populate the e-mail address field in the registration component so all the user has left to do is enter the password.

If you throw in the Security Question, you will be forcing the user to have to think about the process of registering and it could put them off a bit or skip the registration altogether. 

Remember, we want this to be seamless within the checkout flow and you can always ask them the security question the next time they visit their profile.  Let’s just get them to go through with the transaction first.

Order Review –> Confirmation

So now we come down to the end of the checkout process and the user placed their order.  We found users are least likely to register on the Confirmation page.  You would think that the user would be happy to do so after filling out all of that information, but nope, all they want is to see that confirmation # and they’re out of there.

So what’s the key to offering registration on the Confirmation page?

Placement and visual treatment.

Keep the registration in close proximity to the confirmation #, and maybe even set the registration component higher in the visual hierarchy so that, as the user scans to see the confirmation #, they will also see the registration component.  By doing this you will be increasing the likelihood that the user will see registration and finish the process.

The key to a quick registration is to pre-populate the e-mail address fields and only ask for the password and be sure to have them re-type the password so that they have a better chance of not putting the wrong password in.

It would be great to share some usability testing results (anonymous of course) to see what others in the field have found regarding Log In & Registration.  If any of you have performed usability studies on this process, please feel free to comment.  After all, that’s why I created this blog.  So that other UE practitioners can learn from each other.

I look at user experience like being a doctor.  It doesn’t matter what team your on, we are here to provide the best user experience we can for the user.  Sure, we may not be performing brain surgery, but we are trying to optimize the processing a brain has to do.

Cheers.

I previously posted about a really cool concept from Intava called Indigo.

Last week I received a comment from Linda Bustos asking a couple questions regarding this concept.  I am happy to say that Intava responded with answers to her questions.

Does Indigo keep track of the store’s inventory?

Yes, Indigo can be integrated with a store’s existing inventory infrastructure, enabling it to intelligently suggest only items that are in stock.

Does it allow you to select other colors and check other store’s stock?

Yes you can select other colors and sizes.  The retailer can also set options that determine whether stock from other stores is shown.  The availability of items at other stores can be displayed on staffers’ handheld devices, enabling them to give shoppers instant, on-the-spot answers to availability questions.

Does it check online stock?

When integrated with a retailer’s existing inventory system, Indigo can report on online stock, as well as stock in other stores.   Ultimately, these features depend on the accuracy and sophistication of a retailer’s inventory system, which can vary from retailer to retailer.

A big thanks goes out to Intava for getting these answers out to the public.

I never really paid attention to the Lightning Deals section in Amazon.com’s Gold Box until tonight.

Check the bottom left corner of the picture above.  Do you see how much time is remaining?  I’ve got 1 hour and 20 minutes to purchase and 60% of the product has already been claimed.  The time remaining is also ticking down as I stare at the page.

Do you feel a sense of urgency while viewing this product?  Is feeling that sense of urgency going to increase the chance you will purchase this item?

Amazon is limiting the amount of time an item is on sale and showing a percentage of stock already claimed.  In turn, Amazon is creating a sense of urgency for the shopper to purchase.

Let’s take a look at the Amazon’s Lightning Deal one hour later.

Hmm.  One hour later and 72% of the items have now been claimed.

Do you feel the anxiety kicking in now?  Time is running out and you can see the timer ticking down.  How does it make you feel?  Do you feel motivated to purchase in any way?  Imagine this was an item you were somewhat interested in and then answer the questions again.

After the deal time expires, Amazon relays how much of the stock was actually claimed.

I like how Amazon takes a more direct approach to the countdown.  Keeping the user updated as to how much time is left and basically how much stock is left of the item.  I think the information helps motivate the user toward making a decision to purchase.

I have a feeling not many people have actually sat on the Lightning Deals page and watched a deal come to a close, so I wanted to give everyone a glimpse at the experience Amazon provides.

Cheers.

(currently listening to MGMT - Kids)

This should be an excellent opportunity to learn more about online conversion, persuasion and customer focus.

Who: Bryan Eisenberg, Holly Buchanan, Jeff Sexton and select members of the FutureNow team.

What: Our most popular seminars return to New York City for this exciting two-day training event. Get first-hand advice from FutureNow’s leading experts in online conversion, persuasion and customer focus.

In order to keep things relaxed and ensure that guests have a chance to get all of their questions answered, class size is limited, so act soon!

Choose one seminar and save. Choose both and save big.

Persuasive Online Copywriting is co-led by two of our most popular writers, Holly Buchanan and Jeff Sexton. Learn how to make the words you use online more persuasive and speak to a variety of segments and customer motivations at the same time. Not only for copywriters, past guests for this class have included C-level execs, marketing directors, entrepreneurs, and others who just want to improve their online communication skills. Packed with practical, real-world examples and “how to” exercises, the focus is on giving you simple-yet-effective techniques that you can implement right away to persuade visitors to take action. (Read more about this workshop.)

• Monday, June 2 | 9 am - 5:30 pm EST
• Only $695 until May 9th ($795 after)

Call to Action, led by Bryan Eisenberg, best-selling author and co-founder of FutureNow, is based on the Eisenberg brothers’ best-selling book, “Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results.” You don’t need to be an expert in web analytics, web design, usability, social media, and search engine optimization to appreciate this seminar. Bryan will show you how Persuasion Architecture makes sense of these disciplines by merging your business goals with the goals of your visitors. If you want to boost online sales and conversion, this one’s for you. (Read more about this eye-opening course.)

• Tuesday, June 3 | 9 am - 5:30 pm EST
• Only $795 until May 9th ($895 after)

As an added bonus, Bryan will discuss themes from his forthcoming book, Always Be Testing.

When: June 2-3, 2008

Where: New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania | 401 Seventh Avenue at 33rd St. | New York, NY 10001

Why: Because you know that in order to get results like these, the words you use, how your website is structured, and knowing what to test is what makes all the difference. Besides, New York in June is a beautiful thing.

Early Bird Discount: Register here by May 9th to receive $100 off admission for each single seminar or $300 off when you register for both!

Group Discount: Want two or more of your staff to attend? No problem. Just register everyone at the same time and save $50 per additional person when you register.

What a great opportunity for all of those who will be able to attend.  The closest I am going to be able to get is reading the Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results book.  Not that I’m complaining because the book is outstanding so far.

If you do make it, please let me know how it went.  I would be very interested in people’s feedback and maybe I will be able to make it to the next series of seminars.

Cheers.

(currently listening to Bloc Party - Flux)

Well, my web hosting company Hostway is nice enough to move my site to a new web server.  I have been a happy customer since 1999.  Only once did I ever have a problem and it was fixed within 24 hours.  I have found them to be reliable and always willing to help. 

The reason I requested to move to a new server is so that I can test an e-commerce platform I ran across called Magento.  Some of you may already be familiar with Magento, but for those that aren’t, it is a highly customizable open source e-commerce platform.  I’ve seen some screenshots and played with the online demo and was quite impressed that I had to test it out myself. 

I spend my days designing user experiences for a large online retailer and there are times when I want to plan out processes from beginning to end and I am hoping this platform will allow me the creativity to do just that and help me become better at what I do.  Now I don’t have a real store or real products to sell, so this solution works best for me to test on since it is FREE.

If any of you have any experience with this platform, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Cheers.

(currently listening to Los Campesinos - You! Me! Dancing!)

I received my first cart remarketing e-mail from Circuit City recently and was pleasantly surprised.

Well, how often does your shopping cart take the time to contact you while you’re offline?  I subscribe to a few retailers and register at those I purchase from.  Sometimes I am forced to register and sometimes I am not.  Either way, none of the retailers have actually gotten my attention as much as Circuit City has this past week.

Sure enough, I open my e-mail to find the words, “Having trouble deciding? We can help.”  Now, granted, I don’t recall looking at the Polaroid 32″ LCD HDTV, but I must have if it is displaying there.  I do recall the rest of the items though and that led me to believe, even more, that I must have looked at the 32″ television.

So have you received a friendly e-mail like this from one of your retailers? If not, expect to in the near future.

Cart remarketing is a great tool for increasing conversion, but there is a fine line between building the customer relationship and being annoying.  At first I had to ask myself whether I was feeling violated that Circuit City was keeping track of the items I viewed or if I was happy they took the extra step of contacting me so I wouldn’t forget about the items I viewed.

Here is how I really feel.  I’m not ecstatic that these items were added to my cart, but I understand that it is one step less for me to perform if I wanted to purchase any of those items.  Maybe they should have added the items to my Wish List so that I could then choose when I wanted to purchase instead of being forced to make a decision the next time I visit my shopping cart.

If you don’t know about Circuit City’s Wish List, I reviewed the functionality in a previous post.  I have grown fonder of their Wish List functionality since I last reviewed and think it is the perfect choice for storing items I may want to purchase in the future.

Aside from this e-mail, I expect to also see remarketing e-mails geared toward items I may have left in my cart or added to my Wish List and then left the site.  The key is knowing when to send these e-mails and to which shoppers. 

I am certainly not an expert on cart remarketing, but you can find some good information out there in From talk to reality: Successful remarketing techniques written by Angel Morales over at DMNews.

Cheers.

This will be part one of a series of video merchandising posts.  I have been researching this topic for a couple weeks now and came across something so unique that I had to share it with you.

One of my favorite blogs is Future Now’s GrokDotCom blog.  Future Now Inc. is a New York City interactive marketing firm.  I have been a fan of their blog for quite some time now.  Since I have joined the online retail industry, I have been visiting their site on a daily basis to see what’s new and learn a thing or two.

Well, tonight I saw something really cool that had to do with video merchandising.  This is something I have not seen before and it just might be bleeding edge (so to say).

Johnny Bunko trailer from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

I am quoting directly from Robert Gorell’s GrokDotCom post.

Riverhead Books and Penguin Books hired Lindsey Testolin to make the words of Daniel H. Pink and the illustrations of Rob Ten Pas come to life in the shape of a film trailer — complete with gratuitous needle-dragging-on-record sound effect to suggest a sudden change of expectations. There’s a strong call to action for the book’s website and it insists at the end credits that Johnny Bunko is the best graduation gift of 2008.

If you get a chance, check out some of Robert’s other posts.  He is a major contributor to the blog and I always look forward to his “Top 10 Online Retailers by Conversion Rate” post.

Stay tuned for future posts on video merchandising.

Cheers.

Here is a short review of the new Wish List functionality that can be found on Circuit City’s website.

Circuit City Wish List Review 

Overall, I think they did a good job with the Wish List feature.  The feature is not overbearing and fits their business model quite well.  It seems that everyone has an idea of what they want to present as a wish list to their users, but it seems like most online wish lists are not designed for the audiences using them.

Next time you are on a website that offers you the personalization of a wish list, think about what you would use it for, how often you might use it and whether or not you would share it with someone.  See if the wish list functionality is simple enough for your needs or if there are too many features you probably wouldn’t use.

Cheers.

Today I came across the Google Shopping Cart beta widget.  Now this isn’t exactly a new idea, but Google has done a pretty good job with the dynamics of the cart.

Let’s start by showing you a picture of the page at its default state.

Notice the “View Cart” at the top right?  This is always in the top right corner of the web page.  This is how it looks by default when first coming to the page.  There are a variety of items (none of which interest me) that can be added to the cart.

Let’s pretend I have added a few items to my cart.  When each item is added, the most recently added item is placed at the top of the cart and the background of that row is highlighted as show below:

The item seems to be highlighted on a timer and the highlight color fades to white after about 3 seconds.  This is an excellent visual cue for the user when the item is added and highlighted so they can quickly scan the cart to confirm the item is indeed there.

Notice the clean lines separating each item?  I would hope the styles were customizable though so that the cart can tie in nicely with e-commerce storefronts.

The cart automatically minimizes when the users clicks elsewhere on the site other than the cart itself.  The user can also click the top row where it displays “View Cart (# items)” to minimize the cart as well.

The interaction model works well here and I would question if any other indicators, to minimize the cart, are necessary.  Mainly I would question if there needs to be the ability to have the cart open when the user moves their cursor over it.  The cursor turns into a hand on mouseover, to signify that it is clickable, but would every user know to mouse over that area?  Is the right arrow enough of an indicator to the user?

My guess is that users will easily learn this is clickable by discovery if they already don’t know it.  Of course, I have

So I’ve got one more screenshot to share with you that displays an item removed from the cart.

You’ll notice the “has been removed.” text underneath the item that has been removed.  The nice thing is that it stays there until the cart minimizes and the next time that opens, the item will no longer be showing. 

Other nice features of this cart are:

When the user adds an item that already exists in the cart, and the attributes of that item are the same, it just increases the quantity of the item by one.  There is no need for an additional line item of the same product.

There is also affordance text that lets the user know that shipping and taxes will be on the next page.  The text is nice to have instead of making the user not knowing what to do about the shipping and taxes. 

I would suggest automatically calculating the charges if the ZIP/Postal Code was already known.  If not, I have seen many sites take the national average for taxes (6.00%)  and calculate that with messaging that lets the user know that total may fluctuate depending on where the item is being shipped to.

I also really like the quick response of the item being added to the cart.  AJAX style functionality can sometimes go a long way with something so small. 

Overall, I think Google has done an excellent job with their shopping cart widget.  I would love to know the issues they ran across in any usability tests they may have done.  Yes, I am assuming that they performed usability testing on this widget.  If not, it’s a pretty good start.

Check out (pun intended) the new Google Shopping Cart widget.  It’s still in beta so I don’t know how long the link will remain available.

Cheers.