| LED Digest 2100: Using Offline Strategies Online |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Reg. from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. February 20, 2006 Issue #2100 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Shopping Cart Abandonment ==-- ~ Sarah Hayes "Email customers who have abandoned their carts..." --== Outsourcing ==-- ~ Pete LeClair "...'words mean things' and we all have to be in agreement as to what they mean." ~ Mark Lewis "...following the same guidelines for basic ESL web design are helping in communication..." ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: Sarah Hayes Subject: Cart abandonment I design websites and I also own a couple of shopping websites myself. I have spent hours watching customers progress through the sites using customer support software such as phpLive. By doing this I have been able to pin point areas in the sign up and checkout process that maybe causing a problem and then redesigning those areas to make it easier for the customer. Although I agree that the shopping and checkout process needs to be as straight forward as possible and the shipping costs should be openly displayed I think the simple reason for the high level of abandoned carts is that people are simply window shopping. When we go to the shops we don't buy in every shop we enter. Sometimes we don't even have any money to spend, but we like to look. Online shops are no different except we can easily track exactly how many people are coming through our doors and in the case of PPC how much it's costing per person. I'm planning to buy a new laptop in the next month or so and for the last few weeks I have been browsing various online computer shops. I have been adding laptops to my basket so I don't forget what I was interested in. A week or so later I go back, look to see if there is anything new and compare the laptop(s) I previously added to the shopping cart. I'm using the shopping cart as favourites list with little intention of buying online. I will probably go to a real shop where I can actually see the laptop and ask a real person questions. We can and should try to simplify and streamline the checkout process and be upfront with shipping charges, but IMO the bottom line is that a lot of people are simply window shopping and have little intention of buying. Whatever you do they won't buy until they are ready but you need to make sure that when they are ready to buy it's your website they go back to. Like offline businesses, successful online shops work every customer they have. Many successful online shops do not make a profit on their customers first or even second order. Their view is long term; they value each customer and nurture long-term relationships. Be upfront with all information not just prices and shipping charges. Clearly show your telephone number on at least the home page and preferably all pages of your website and encourage customers to call if they have any question. Encourage your customers to sign up for your newsletter and special offers. Send regular newsletters; add new products and special offers to your website regularly so there is always something new for them to look at. Make it worth their while to come back, they've seen your site once, if there's nothing new the next time they visit why should they come back again? Email customers who have abandoned their carts (assuming they have subscribed to your newsletter) with either a special offer for one of the products that was in their cart or a discount voucher off their next order (you'll be surprised at the results). When you do get an order make sure you keep the customer up to date with the order status and dispatch and include a small free gift with each order. Try it, it works! Yes it means that you've got to do a bit more work than submit to Google or top up your PPC account and sit back, but how many offline businesses are successful without hard work? If more online business used offline business principles and good customer relations they would be far more successful. Sarah Hayes www.bromleynet.co.uk ------- new post - new topic ------ From: Pete LeClair Subject: Outsourcing > In some cases, I spent 10 times the amount of time > that should reasonably be expected just to clarify... - Tom Anson, LED 2099 To poorly paraphrase John Kennedy: "We must communicate not only so that we are understood, we must communicate so that we cannot be misunderstood" I work in a technical sales environment where what we put into writing we are held to. Our promises of performance and delivery have to communicated clearly and concisely (sometimes these are mutually exclusive). It is not unusual to have several revisions of a document before the commitments are written in terms that cannot be misunderstood. It is not that English is anyone's second language, it's just that "words mean things" and we all have to be in agreement as to what they mean. Best Regards, Jean-Pierre "Pete" LeClair, President AgentZ www.agentz.com ------- new post - same topic ------ From: Mark Lewis Subject: Outsourcing I am finding that following the same guidelines for basic ESL web design are helping in communication with my programmers in Malaysia. Also, (and this may be common knowledge but was new to me) after struggling with conveying some of the basic concepts of the functions of the site we are building (via emails and outlines and scans of mock ups) we finally had one 5 hour IM chat session that was incredibly productive. We were able to discuss and debate each of points and finally agree on a very specific plan of action. I have had very good luck with outsourcing so far and have found foreign programmers more willing to try new ideas. Mark Lewis Partners In Rhyme http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/ ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains © Copyright 1995-2006 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. "And when man faces destiny, destiny ends and man comes into his own." - André Malraux |
