RSSJune 29th, 2006
Google Checkout Changes Things
Paypal finally has a legitimate competitor in the release of Google Checkout today. Offering lower transaction fees and a simplified user experience, I am looking forward to trying it out.
The unknown for me is the other end of the spectrum. I look forward to seeing how easily we will be able to integrate Google Checkout into our own websites. It seems they have said nothing about how to accept Google Checkout on our own websites yet, it should be interesting. Click here to watch a fun promo video for it.
Posted in Software - No Comments
June 29th, 2006
5 Steps to Lowering Shopping Cart Abandonment
Everyone is looking for ways to increase website traffic these days, and for a good reason. But what are you doing to make the most of the traffic that’s already there?
Optimizing your checkout process is definitely one of the most efficient ways to make more money from your existing site traffic. Let’s take a look at 5 of the most important changes you could make to give your customers more certainty making a purchase
1. Are We There Yet?
Optimizing your checkout process is all about reassuring the customer, in a sense you need to hold their hand until the purchase is made. One simple way to reassure your customers that they are almost there is a progress bar. Find out how many steps there are in your checkout process and make sure to let your customers know. They are much more likely to make the purchase if they know how many steps are involved in the process. Spelling it out is also effective, like “Step 2 of 5- Checkout”.
2. Respect Your Guests’ Anonymity
With new visitors on your site, the object is to keep things as simple as possible. One way to do this is to NOT require them to create an account. A powerful feature of some carts is that you can give the customer an option to proceed as a “guest”. This means they can fill out the bare minimum of information and make their purchase quickly. The guest technique works especially in stores that don’t have many repeat customers. One of our clients, AndyAndrews.com has a sign-in page that looks like this . . .
3. Be Available by Phone
Not only should you have your contact information and store policies visible to the user at all times, but a phone number is still most important. Many of us in the web development world just assume that everyone has come around to making purchases online, and there is no need for other ways of ordering. If you think that, then you should get out more. Tons of people still feel insecure punching their personal information in a machine regardless of how secure your site is.
We suggest having a phone number that people can call and speak with a real person. If you are a smaller merchant and are unable to have staff available to help customers, simply setup a voicemail line. Do whatever it takes to assure the customer they can order through other means if they wish. Ordering by fax and mail is also worth making available. It also gives your customers a sense of security in knowing they can make a phone call if they have an issue.
4. Make Changes Easy
Most of us are quite methodical and indecisive in our checkout process, myself included. In light of this, give the user every opportunity to edit their shopping cart, and to edit their information before confirming their order. If a customer has to go back five steps in order to add something to their cart or change the shipping address, they are likely to just leave. So one thing you can do is to make sure the product name in the cart ALWAYS links back to the product. Do the same for the shipping address, give them the opportunity to change it up until the order is confirmed.
5. Study Your Customers
Once you have taken the time to optimize your shopping cart to the best of your knowledge and ability, make sure to keep an eye on stats. Free programs like Google Analytics are an incredible resource that will tell you exactly where you are losing customers in the checkout process. If you seem to be losing most customers on the shipping page, then that is where you try to make some changes and simplify your process.
I would recommend coming back to check your analytics once a month and finding ways you can constantly make your checkout easier for the customer.
In case you were wondering, an abandonment rate of 20-30% is superb. Depending on the cost of your store products and other factors, it could vary, but that is certainly a great target. Thanks to Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg and their MUST-READ book on this subject, Call to Action. I highly recommend it for further study, and you can always contact us if interested in shopping cart optimization services.
Posted in Web Development, Business - 1 Comment
June 21st, 2006
How to Improve Your Working Relationships . . . Instantly
A couple years ago I came to a shocking realization about business in general. Whatever you are passionate about, wherever your career takes you, it all hinges on one single thing. One skill can single-handedly take you where you want to go. It is true in every field of expertise that I know of, especially in developing websites. Your business succeeds based on relationships.
This principle is not profound, but it is proven. We can all stand to be reminded that everything we do revolves around our interaction with others. The science of mastering those relationships creates success in whatever form we choose.
Those of us in the web development field can easily lose touch of this key principle while tucked away in front of a screen for 14 hours per day answering emails and writing code until our fingers cramp up. While email and instant messaging makes our lives infinitely easier, it is not the answer to how we master our relationships with clients and team members. Being a closet introvert myself, I would much rather send a mindless email than go out of my way to be nice to someone, or heaven forbid leave my office and meet them for coffee. That kind of attitude is a great way to tread water for the next five years and never grow your business. Find a way to communicate better.
Clients and customers that you work with just so happen to be your biggest marketing tool. So find a reason to pick up the phone and call your client to discuss the project you are working on or work out a support issue with them if they need help. Find time to meet people you are working with and just bounce ideas off each other. Whatever it is, find excuses every day NOT to send email.
I also find that miscommunication often occurs through an email or instant messages. So if nothing else, give your clients absolute clarity by calling to give them an update. People are often times unintentionally rude and create a great deal of tension in a working relationship through an email. I find that the things people would say in an email (or on a blog), they would most likely not have the nerve to say to anyone’s face. In those situations, have the integrity to call them up and walk through whatever is going on. 9 times out of 10 you will both leave the conversation feeling better about where you stand.
Lastly, not everyone works like we do. We love technology and email because it enables us to get things done, but many of our clients don’t care as much about it. Taking the time to call and give your undivided attention to a client will make a world of difference. In the end it just creates future business for your company.
I would like to challenge you to try and make five work-related verbal connections per day. Just five. Whether it is calling a potential client to talk with them about their new website, or meeting a co-worker for pizza to discuss your current projects and the web application idea you have, these five connections will help you to create the business you always dreamed of.
This very article has inspired me to meet early with a client tomorrow for coffee, and then to fly to New York for the weekend and hang out with someone I have worked with for two years and never met before. I hope that it inspires similar action in your own business.
Posted in Web Development, Business - No Comments
June 16th, 2006
New Websites
We are all thrilled to launch two new websites today that we have been hard at work on over the past few months. The first site would be the one you are looking at, and we certainly hope you enjoy the new design.
Secondly, we launched the website for our first web-based application called Dayscape (mydayscape.com). This application allows users to import, track and share their personal calendars online. While there are presently some great applications for keeping a personal calendar, we feel that Dayscape has numerous unique features and a beautiful user interface that sets it apart.
Stay tuned for a sneak peak of Dayscape very soon, and be sure to sign up for the mailing list. We should be ready to open the application up for private testing before the end of the summer.
Posted in Project83 - No Comments