When visitors come to your organization’s Web site, are they finding what they’re looking for? It may seem a basic question, but it’s an urgent one: If visitors don’t find what they need quickly and easily, your competitor’s Web site is just a click away.
New research sponsored by search-technology firm InQuira Inc. shows that a customer’s experience has to be satisfying or it will send him or her looking for an alternative. Customers who have a positive Web experience are three times as likely to buy than customers whose experience is merely neutral, and four times as likely to recommend the services of that company.
With most Web-based transactions completed without human assistance, ensuring that customers have a great experience is easier said than done. According to the InQuira research, three-quarters of online shoppers begin their quest at the manufacturer of the item they wish to purchase, but only 44 percent say they find enough information on those sites to meet their needs, a lost opportunity for that business. To remedy that situation, the first step is to understand the critical elements that lie behind a positive experience.
Speed and Efficiency
When a potential customer visits a company’s Web site, there is some particular objective that he or she wishes to reach quickly and efficiently. There are four elements behind that objective, according to the InQuira report. Exploration, the first step, is the customer looking for information and resources, such as trying to understand the different kinds of MP3 players on the market. Next, the customer begins to assimilate this information and make decisions about which features are of most interest.
In the validation step, the customer uses objective evidence to validate his or her decision. This evidence could be professional reviews or magazine articles, comments from other buyers, and so…