The latest Ecommerce facts about shopper behaviour to inform retail strategies in 2015
We enjoyed the interesting + useful Ecommerce factoids and commentaries from digital agency Blueleaf. So we got in touch to share the learnings contained. If you would like to see the remainder of the series, you can sign-up to Gossip.
Enjoy, please Tweet the facts you fancy and Merry Christmas!
Day 1 - Christmas commerce fact for 8th December:
Shoppers spend 30% more per order, when free shipping is included.
Source: Wharton
UX Director Chris Jones explains, 'Take a long, hard look at your shipping costs. Could you trial free shipping to see if there’s an uplift in sales that would more than cover the cost? Do you at least offer free shipping over a certain basket amount? It’s something that customers feel very strongly about, especially on high…
It’s Christmas Ad Season – but what emotions are leading brands playing on?
Yep, it’s that time of year again, that time when in true festive style we all become a little child-like, eagerly awaiting this year’s fresh batch of Christmas ads to see what beauties lie in store for us. You know it’s true don’t you? These Christmas themed ads give us a warm, cosy feeling inside, making us feel a whole range of different emotions right across the spectrum… happiness, nostalgia, thankfulness, warmth, protective, loving…..the list goes on.
However, despite watching and experiencing some of the above mentioned emotions, the question that we never stop to consider is simply, why do we react in this way? What, precisely, is it that makes us feel the way we feel when watching these ads, and what is it that makes us want to watch Christmas ads, when we quickly skip over any…
Retail store techniques to meet shopper expectations
What are consumers expecting from experiences created by retailers in the UK and USA, and how are retailers satisfying their needs for the ultimate sale? Consumers in the UK and those across the pond are looking for the best offers, a rewarding in-store experience and a high level of customer, which is what we would expect.
It's interesting though that the differences are around stock/production information; 52% of American consumers feel let down compared to 28% in the UK.
So what should retailers be offering their consumers, if it's not already in place? The research highlights tactics such as consistency of prices across channels to reinforce trust and displaying real-time information.
The full In-store retail report can be accessed from Displaydata.
For more on creating in-store digital retail experiences see this post on …
Interview with Ollie Bath, co-founder of CloudTags
In our recent guide by Tery Spataro on integrating customer-facing digital technology into retail stores we looked at lots of examples of how retailers are planning to Wow customers with in-store digital tech. One of the most interesting technologies which combines customer engagement with linkages through to CRM and sales is CloudTags. Jill Quick, another of our Expert commentators had been telling me about the example of Made.com who had given customers at its London showroom tablets that they can use to read NFC / RFID tags to learn about each product, while giving the retailer access to data about shopper behaviour and preferences. It's one example of the Internet of Things being applied in retail today.
So, I was interested to interview Ollie Bath, the co-founder of CloudTags to find out more about the technology, how different retailers…
How retailers can boost sales during off-peak times
What do seaside restaurants, ski resorts and lawn cutting services all have in common? They are ostensibly seasonal industries and generate the majority of their income during a relatively short period of time. Yet countless seasonal businesses make the cardinal sin of being content with their small window of opportunity and never look to branch out in a bid to extend their profit-making potential.
If you run that seaside café, do you really want to spend 8-9 months of the year brushing cobwebs from your cash register? In the Internet age, you can be certain your competitors will be conjuring up ways to cope with the off-season so you better follow suit unless you enjoy being left in the dust. Keep reading to discover how to avoid the off-season slump and keep the cash flowing in.
Customer Engagement
This is arguably the most crucial strategy as…
Creating a strategy for integrated in-store digital retail
'Consumers are 'center stage' in their relationships with retailers. The idea that a bricks and mortar store can simply 'pile it high and sell' are increasingly waning. The in-store experience needs to compliment and work with the ecommerce experience by adding a sense of magic and hyper personalization that is so perfect to each individual that it can't be found elsewhere. Retail needs to be the theater!'
Nelson Freitas, Chief Strategy Officer, Wunderman.
Digital technologies inspired new visions for the future of stimulating engagement with retail customers while helping customers move along their purchasing journey. Initially Ecommerce left some retailers scratching their heads on what to do, with many questioning whether the Internet was just a fad. Although the growth of online retail ecommerce sales has been steady, it currently lies at just 8% of all retail sales in the US.…
How rates differed between US, UK, Spain and Australia over the holiday sales period
With over 100 million shoppers and over $40bn in revenue from the top 100 US retailers alone, could retailers have earned more revenue during the Black Friday to Cyber Monday frenzy weekend? Well, according to the new statistics just released by Barilliance, on line shoppers were abandoning their shopping carts at surprisingly high rates:
Average shopping cart abandonments were at 65%, and this was higher in the USA at 75%. Interesting, that conversion rates were 1.5 higher of those buying via desktop, compared to mobile phone users.
Do we think that consumers are still not feeling reassured that mobile phones are secure, or ecommerce sites not geared up for mobile consumers and retailers have not foreseen the risk of optimising their shopping carts.
…
Recommended design patterns and best practices for online retail Product category pages
This is the second in the series of posts from me in which I hope to give you ideas to consider for testing improvements to page elements on retail and other ecommerce sites following emerging best practices. In my first post, we covered best practices for ecommerce homepage designs.
If you work in an ecommerce team at a retailer, or are involved in design for your client’s accounts, then I hope these templates and tips will help generate ideas for testing page enhancements.
Key Ecommerce category page wireframe requirements
In retail, 'product category page' is the general term referring to pages listing the range of individual products. But you may know Category pages as Hub, Department or Division pages. Then there will often be sub-category pages too depending on the information architecture for the catalogue.
The key core elements of…
New Research - The SimpleUsability Online Experience Index for the top 5 Mobile Phone Companies
This post summarises new research from SimpleUsability who reviewed the quality of customer experience delivered by 5 leading mobile networks / telecoms retailers: Three, EE, O2, Virgin and Vodafone. This builds on previous research covering online appliance experience and clothing retail experience.
Key findings from the research of telecommunications websites
Good brand positioning and OVPs, 'though navigation could be improved.
Lengthy checkout processes, with a mix of poor and good information support.
Good product selection filters.
Most websites had a search function, though presentation could be improved.
Persuasion, Emotion and Trust (PET) techniques were low - Proof and Trust shown by only two companies.
Methodology for researching the ecommerce websites
To score each site’s overall experience rating, a panel of expert UX professionals assessed the site in the context of a core user journey of browsing a new mobile phone..
The examiners rated…
5 common failings for a small business Ecommerce store launch
Launching an online store usually requires plenty of effort and initial expense. Often small business owners and developers make the same mistakes which arise since the ecommerce development process is not yet effective. Ignoring these inefficiencies can be detrimental to the business and result in spending on fixing related issues. .
For success, a web store owner needs to define a project launch plan with a clear marketing strategy. Remember, you create a website not for yourself, but for prospective customers, so take into consideration all of their preferences. Many customers don’t want to spend their precious time on understanding how to use a website, and they will probably go elsewhere - so your ecommerce functionality is crucial!
Here are some critical online business mistakes to avoid:
1. Poor design and functionality
The importance of a memorable and modern design is a significant element…
