How People Shop Online

Industry reports indicate that product guides help people find the best rated products. Thus thousands of product comparisons are available on the Internet which includes consumer reviews via comments and testimonies. Such comparison reviews are indeed searched daily by consumers. In fact, 40 percent of online shoppers shop first by finding product information.

How is that relevant to you? If you are selling anything online then make sure you give a complete description and your product's value as compared to similar products. In the online arena, pictures of the product are indeed helpful because looking at a picture is as close to physical examination of a product the consumer can get. You know when you shop; you pick up the item, turn it over and around, and examine it before you put it in your cart...even if it is just a bar of soap. What are you looking for? You are looking for information about that product. What's new? What makes this product better than all the similar bars of soap? You want to know before you buy. Your customers feel the same way. Do you offer enough product information to keep your customer engaged? 63 percent of Consumers Prefer a Large Selection to Choose From

If you offer only one choice then comparison is limited. Give consumers a shopping experience that most closely resembles your largest competitors like Target and Walmart. People have different tastes in size, color, price, and value. Sam Walton made his fortune based upon his slogan, "Stake it high, watch it fly, Sell it low, see it go." Of course you cannot always duplicate Walmart mega shopping if you are online but you can offer choices to your valued customer. If you only have one product you are not doomed to failure however...provide a product report to let the customer that you sell this singular product because it is the best and tell them why it is the best choice in its category. You are thus doing your own product review. Additionally, 63% of Consumers Prefer Cheaper Prices

These figures are from 1999 but considering that we are in a recession, the figure has likely increased substantially. Give people a good deal at a good price and you may create a devoted return customer. Burn them and they will never come back. You may have to do some shopping yourself to buy items for sale at a better deal that you can pass on to the consumer. However, do not sacrifice quality because good products are available at reasonable prices if you look for them and you can save your customers time by doing the research for them. Reassure your customer you have gone the extra mile in customer service because you value them By a large margin, 62 percent of shoppers prefer no sales pressure

To be able to sit down in front of a computer and sip some hot tea or coffee while relaxing in a soft chair is a large part of the appeal of the online shopping experience. If your ads scream at them or holler BUY NOW...you may as well let them struggle through the stress of traffic jams and bad weather to shop because you have destroyed the ease and comfort of shopping on line. If you have what they want at the price they can afford they will buy if you have given them the information they desire. Now for the biggie ... 56 percent of sales are LOST online in the Checkout Line...

If your e-commerce package is hard to navigate, frustrating or too limited, the online consumer will simply cancel the purchase and click out of your website. A total of 83 percent of consumers insist upon easy payment and delivery when shopping on the Internet. So even though you may have the best product and the best reviews available, you will lose over half of your sales at the check out line... The frustration of a complex checkout is really no different for the shopper than waiting in a long line in the Target store when they have better things to do...but consider this significant factor...clicking out of your site is a lot easier and less embarrassing for them than physically walking disgusted out of the store and leaving the shopping cart behind. Losing 56 percent of your sales to a slow or confusing payment page is certain death to your company.

Figures state 83 percent of consumers also prefer easy delivery and this includes the shipping and handling charges. You can offer incentives to those who shop by offering deals on shipping. You can sacrifice the handling charges instead of using handling charges to make up for the loss in mark downs. Many websites do this. I believe it is unethical and know the consumer resents losing the money they just saved on the marked down price.

P.S. Making simple changes in your Web site's product descriptions can increase sales significantly and making shopping easy and rewarding can increase the size of your bank account substantially.