I decided the other day to go "screen" shopping at my favorite online shoe store- Zappos. This past fall, I'd seen one of my clients rocking a Tsubo sandal and wanted to know if I could find a pair in black for the summer. (Yes, I am getting ready early) While there, I decided to analyze the site and get some data for this weeks Chicktrepreneur Tip. I wanted to see what has made this particular online store so popular over the last 10 years. I remember shopping online at Zappos while pregnant with my daughter, which was 9 long years ago. Nevertheless, a few things stood out readliy and it made for a great "screen" shopping experience for me.
The first thing that is immediately noticeable when I log on to the site is that I am not bombarded with a novels worth of jargon to read. At the very bottom of the site there are several reviews from customers. Helpful but optional reading.
Next up, and my personal favorite: Graphics.Their graphics are perfect! Probably the single reason why sales are made. Make sure that yours are clear and crisp, but most importantly they are correctly sized and not pixelated. Call me a a graphics snob if you want, but my pet peeve in life is a blurry, dark, distorted image on ANY site. I will hit the little red "x" in the top right corner and go to a site like Zappos where I can get a clear picture (no pun intended) of the products that I might (but probably shouldn't) buy.
If you have great graphics, then you probably should have great navigation on your site. Zappos has a ton of links but they are organized and easily scalable. Nothings worse than having to hunt all over a page for a link. Even more annoying- clicking on a link and getting the dreaded "error" or "broken link" message. Make sure your links work and that they are readily visible and available once a reader lands on your homepage.
Another non-issue is getting in contact with Zappos should my order go terribly wrong. I have made a couple of calls to them that were quickly rectified because I was able to contact them without issue. I have made the mistake of purchasing a service before checking to see if the company had viable contact information. It has happened to me only once, and of course the service turned out to be lame and there was no way to get in contact with anyone from that company. They had an online Customer Service form that only allowed you to fill it in and hit send. No actual email address. So now EVERY time I am ready to hand over my card number I always check to see if (1) there is a phone number and (2) a physical email address is posted. Having one of these two will make a customer feel safer when ordering from you. They're both easy add-ons, so definitely make sure you have them.
Finally, the one thing that companies often miss or do completely wrong is creating a "Call to Action". What should I be doing on your site? Where should I go after I've learned about your company, seen your products, and kinda like them?? So, its no secret why anyone is going to the Zappos website, its to have a major shoegasm! These same questions should be answered on the main page of your website. Otherwise, any interest that you were able to conjure up for the moment, will be fleeting. Your "Call to Action" should be smack-dab on your homepage, jumping up and down, flailing its arms, screaming "Here I am". No question.
So let's recap:
1. Synopsis of your company. Be brief and organized on your main page.
2. Awesomely crisp, high quality graphics. Your graphics are advertisements of your products.
3. Straight-shooting Navigation. Navigation should be placed in a location that users can find easily.
4. Contact, contact, contact. Allow your customers access to you, outside of your website.
5. Call to action. Tell people what to do next!
I can assure you, if these simple changes are made you will have a FAB website in no time. Don't forget to become a member of the blog, so that you can add some of your tips to this list and stay up to date on our Chicktrepreneur tips every week by watching our COTW webisodes.
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