'Light shoppers' set to drive Christmas sales [BT broadband office]

'Light shoppers' set to drive Christmas sales

Posted 25 July 2007 at 8:39AM by Simon Dickson in Ecommerce and online payments

With all the rain we've had lately, you'd be forgiven for thinking Christmas is just around the corner. Perhaps that explains why analysts and experts are already looking ahead to the annual shopping frenzy, with advice on how to tailor your e-commerce website to best effect.

Logan Tod's Mathew Tod recommends that sites concentrate on the 'light shoppers' who are expected to drive most of the online sales growth this festive season. These are typically people in the over-50 age bracket: older, less comfortable but often more affluent than the more experienced online shopper.

Logan Tod's research found that 'light shoppers value simple, yet often overlooked, website features when making purchasing decisions online.' They want a good search function, well-written text, delivery options that are clear and convenient, and good product availability information. Advanced features, such as product comparisons or 'gift finder' tools, may prove to be a waste of effort for this expanding group, he concludes.

I'm a good few years away from the over-50s bracket, but I'd certainly be a lot happier if sites were much more up-front about delivery charges and other extras. All too often, sites only tell you how much something will actually cost when you've added the item to your shopping basket, and reached the 'credit card details' screen. If your e-commerce website is showing a high proportion of abandoned shopping carts, it may be worth looking not just at your ordering screens, but your supporting information.

And it's also worth considering an 'express checkout' option, which asks for only a minimal amount of information to process the transaction. All too often, I've pressed the button to place an order, only to discover I have to fill in screens full of extra personal information to register with the site in question. Particularly around Christmas, you'll be attracting present-buyers who don't want a long-term relationship with your site. Make it quick and easy for them, or risk losing them.

Tags: christmas, ecommerce, express checkout, logan tod, registration, shopping, shopping cart

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Comments

1. At July 25, 2007 4:03 PM, kim wrote:

i agree, i get fed up going through the whole process and then having to register, thinking up user names and passwords and answering loads of unnecessary questions
i can never remember my username and password if i return to the site, and dont want their spam! (bt take note too - you are a culprit!)
i just want to look and pay and forget the rest

2. At July 26, 2007 5:00 PM, Pam wrote:

I completely agree - when I'm shopping online I want it to be more like shopping on the high street: Nip in, grab something off the shelf, and leave. The bonus of shopping online is, there are no queues!

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