With the race to get onto the Internet, most businesses focused on getting there as quickly as possible. They staked claims to cyber-assets by creating online stores. The Internet new creation and, in their haste, many stores took a “Frankenstein” approach. They pieced ore together with whatever parts were readily […]
We’ve invented a new method for usability measurement and added to the traditional tool set. It’s imperative to measure against a retail dimension, particularly with e-commerce, because the customer experience online must be at least on par with or better than a customer’s current shopping experience. This, in most […]
The online store is a vehicle for an integrated marketing strategy. This strategy can incorporate her selling opportunities in the marketing mix. Promotions can be leveraged across all market- in g vehicles or channels. These can be through e-mails, direct mail sent to a customer’s home, or newspaper and magazine […]
E-merchandising rules and techniques can be balanced by integrating merchandising and selling incepts from the other shelves to maintain the freshness of your site and avoid the rigidity of d rules. As new practices evolve, such as customer relationship management techniques, you in incorporate them easily when you have a […]
Hundreds of thousands of products flow through commerce annually. Some products are long lasting, while others are extremely perishable. Emerging information technology applications enable more accurate forecasting models, electronic data interchange (EDI) capabilities, and continuous replenishment programs that help move products through the system.
Perceived value starts when customers enter the online store and lasts until the time the product is delivered to their doorstep and the decision is made to keep the product. Operational excellence is achieved through working towards innovative future capabilities, such as build-to-order systems, virtual warehousing, and automated vendor-managed […]
Valuing the e-Shelf
The value of a product within a category determines how much space should be allocated to it to maximize sales. Also considered is the type of product. Is it a frequently purchased product in a “destination category”? We explained how SKU rationalization relates products to the retail shelf. […]
The hybrid online environment combines retail category nomenclature with that of cataloging. Add the customer’s preconceived naming familiarities and you get a mixed bag of confusion. While attempts have been made, there is no standardization in the industry.
For major categories, understand customer insight and set standards based on […]
At retail, refreshing the shelf includes activities such as replenishing products and removing torn or damaged products to ensure that the product is presented in the best light. New product introductions usually signal the need to refresh the shelf online. Most websites remain static until new products replace old […]
Depending on the channel, customers have shown a willingness to adapt to new shopping methods as long as the benefit outweighs the investment and the risk, either real or perceived. But if the payoff for shopping online is convenience and speed—and the process becomes frustrating and slow—shoppers will abandon the […]
Online stores use the following six basic component webpages in their store design:
Home page
Category pages
Sub-category pages
Product detail pages
Informational content pages
Checkout page
Each of these pages has specific purposes and inherited traits from traditional channels that must be balanced with the unique capabilities of the online stores. They function as standalone, independent […]
A typical online shopper, Michael will shop and browse today at four websites. His f stop will be to order office supplies for his two-person realty office because the part-t keeper/secretary is on vacation. He knows that she typically shops from a couple of in stores because they offer […]
A Web service can be created using any text editor. The file must contain certain tags and have a specific structure to it. This tip shows you how to create a Web service file.
USE IT As mentioned, a Web service file can be created using a text editor. When […]
A Table object within the Table collection of a DataSet object contains a Rows collection. Using the Rows collection, you can reference a single value in a field in a record. This is helpful when you need to retrieve and display a single piece of information on an ASP.NET […]
Online shoppers have different needs and purposes as they visit websites. Three main reasons that shoppers go online are:
To seek specific products
To comparison-shop products
To browse—for information for a future purchase or for entertainment
Generally, when people are seeking specific products, time is an issue. They have already decided what they […]
There are many types of online stores in this hybrid marketplace. Auction websites have become pop liar places for people to buy and sell products. Internet Service Providers (ISPs)—and other port also to the Internet—have established shopping malls featuring links to different types of onli le stores. These portals also […]
Usability measurements are critical success factors to the design and evolution of an e-commerce website. There are common measures available for every phase to keep the website design and development on strategy to meet its objectives.
To measure e-commerce website usability, you must first define the shoppers or customers, their goals, and their online shopping environment […]
Different approaches to evaluating usability fall into three main categories. These methods are traditional ways of measuring software products. But they can be recombined and modified to apply to evaluating online store usability. The following are the three main categories:
Inspection methods
Lab testing methods
Surveys and customer reporting methods
People need different kinds of information presented to them depending on their goals. Content can be educational or solution-based. Besides product searches, content was tested with customers to determine interest and relevancy. Many customers said they would return to a website that had information that helped them use their […]
The easier it is to read and understand, the more the page will be used. Writing for the \\ eh includes considerations for page design layouts.
Customer Insight
Many customers found pages that were packed with choices and small font sizes:
“There’s a lot of information and it’s small.”
“The type is getting pretty small:’
The writing is […]