News
Tactics
Which is the tail
Views
Instigated chat?
and which is the dog?
Image carousels?
New features
he title of Amy Africa’s of every page. These would include the email
ECMOD2009 session “Ten sign-up box (“Sell you soul to the devil for
Simple Things You Can Do to your users’ email addresses,” Africa advised)
and quick
T
Improve Website Performance” and the perpetual shopping cart. And make
was erroneous. At last month’s sure that you show at least three products
conference in London, she above the fold on your landing pages.
tweaks to help
delivered nearly three times as many tips and
takeaways. Here are some highlights from the
ecommerce consultant’s session:
*
Add an image carousel to your landing
page. Carousels are revolving slideshows
boost your
of images. According to Africa, “They help
*
Design your web page as a three-column refresh the eye in a positive way and tell the
format, though the columns do not need to be user, ‘These are things that you need to look
web sales
of equal width. In fact, you probably want the at’.” In addition to an image, each slide should
centre column to be widest, as that is where have a call to action, such as “Click here now”,
you should place the most-important elements and a catchy headline.
of each page. “We look at the
left if we need more help,”
Africa explained. “We look at
*
Use instigated chat on the pages where it
matters most. Instigated chat is a proactive
the right if we want to leave. form of live chat; rather than waiting for
For everything else we look the user to contact the etailer for a chat, a
in the middle.” That’s why customer service rep contacts the user via a
product category indices are pop-up box if the user seems to be having a
almost universally on the left. problem—for instance, if he has been on the
And that’s why you should same page for more than one minute without
place elements designed to taking any sort of action.
prevent viewers from leaving—
previously viewed products,
best-sellers, special offers—on
*
Leave abandoned shopping carts open
indefi nitely so that when the user returns, no
the right. matter how long the absence, he is shown the
cart with his selections. And while we’re on
The Figleaves home page uses a three-column design,
*
Don’t place your text the subject, bear in mind that abandoned-cart
with navigation aids on the left and items to prevent
search box in the top right programmes—in which you contact visitors
corner. “If your site is good,” after they’ve abandoned their carts with email
visitors from leaving on the right.
Africa said, “it should work reminders or offers to encourage them to
without people having to use return to complete the transaction—“are
text search.” That’s especially programmes,” Africa said. “Sending one email
important when you consider does not count.”
that, according to her
research, about two-thirds of
people who abandon a site do
*
Put your perpetual shopping cart in
multiple places throughout the site: the upper
so while in the search process. right-hand corner, of course, but also on the
So rather than prominently bottom of the page and somewhere in the
feature search in the prize right-hand column.
upper-right spot, move it
to a less obtrusive but still
visible space in the left-hand
*
Add a “temperature bar” at the top of your
checkout pages so that customers know how
navigation column. far along in the process they are.
IT solutions provider Black Box uses
*
“You can only ever count
on 30 percent of users
*
“Choose brains and brawn over beauty”
when it comes to website design. “Esthetics
instigated chat to provide site visitors scrolling down a page.” doesn’t make a lot of money online,” Africa
with immediate online help before they
Therefore you need to make insisted. “You want to do something for your
ask for it—or abandon the site.
sure your key elements and site today? Add more ‘check out now’ and ‘add
messages appear on the top to cart’ buttons.”—SC
ceb175.indd 21 7/11/09 13:10:09
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