Shopping online has become so common place in the last few years that it has started to affect the profitability of businesses in the conventional retail sector. Some have even had to close due to their market share being taken over by online sales.

The Good And The Bad

As many of you who regularly read our blog know our bus was bought by Lisa who was shopping online (without my knowledge) and we have continued to buy a great deal of the materials and equipment that has gone into the repairs and renovations through online businesses. Just as we have experienced everything from fantastic customer service to ridiculously bad customer service with conventional retail outlets, we have experienced the same with online stores. The big difference between them is that we do not have to get into our car and drive to another location/store when we find the level of service less than expected with an online store. The next shop is only a couple of mouse clicks away.

So What Would I Know

Soon after I left school many years ago I went to work as a sales assistant with a business that was growing at a much faster rate than any other retail business in Australia. The reason for this rapid growth was the sales profit that we generated through good customer service. Our company had one of the country’s best sales training programs in place. We were taught that:

• Every customer who walks through the door is there to buy something that they need.
• How to find out what that need was.
• To show the customer the products that fulfil that need and explain the benefits that the product or products that most closely match their need would bring to them.
• To close the sale.

Following these basic rules the customer would usually make a purchase after having a good shopping experience.

What Makes a Good Online Shopping Experience?

Information is the key to a good  shopping online experience. Just as good retail sales people are taught to give the customer the information that they need to purchase what they need, an online store has to provide that information to convert a visitor to their website into a customer.

When I land on someone’s sales page I expect to find:

• Information about the product including photos (where appropriate).
• Specifications and benefits.
• Other products to compare it to.
• Prices
• Delivery charges and delivery time after payment.

What I do not like to find is:

• Just a few photos and a phone number.
• No pricing
• A 5mb PDF file that I have to download just to find one item.
• Photos of the individual products with no information to help me determine if it is what I need.

 Information Converts To Sales

If you own an online business the title of this paragraph says it all. If you give the visitors to your site the information they need to have a good shopping experience they will most likely buy off you. If they only find some photos and a phone number or a PDF that they have to use their data allowance and time to download the next site below you in the search engine results will be grateful to you.

What do you think? As a customer do you feel that you only have a good online shopping experience when you can make an informed decision? As an online store owner are you generating the level of sales that you desire? Are you giving your potential customers a good shopping online experience?

 Cheers,

David Wood

New Life On The Road

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Please Note – This blog post about Shopping Online was part of a group project. If you would like to read more about Shopping on other blogs  then please visit the following (hey and let them know New Life on the Road sent you on over!) Cheers!

 Jan with her blog post Shopping List – http://www.dinnerintenminutes.com/cooking-tips/shopping-list/

Cade with his blog post Online Shopping Statistics – http://www.bigcommercereviewsite.com/online-shopping-statistics-is-your-offline-business-suffering/

Hilary with her blog post Healthy Shopping List – http://abundanceofwellness.com/blog/healthy-shopping-list/

Rita with her blog post Online Shopping Lady Shoe Sales-  http://makingmoneyonlineme.net/online-shopping-lady-shoe-sales

Rita with her blog post Shopping For Fitness at home – http://the7minuteworkouts.com/shopping-for-fitness-at-home

Lisa with her blog post Shopping is Healthy –  http://lisashealthylifestylechallenge.com/shopping-is-healthy/

Jackie with her blog post Shopping for Cake Decorating Supplies – http://www.cakedecoratingforfun.com/cake-decorating-tools/shopping-for-cake-decorating-supplies/

Tania with her blog post Shopping Sales – http://taniashipman.com/money/shopping-sales/

Kerry with her blog post Shopping Tours – http://parksinsydney.com/tours/shopping-tours/

Renee Allert – http://weekendgetawayideas.info/online-shopping-tips-for-travel-deals/

 Renee Allert – http://personalfitnessequipmentblog.com/shopping-for-fitness-equipment/

John Davis- http://manifestingeveryday.com/manifesting/the-drive-behind-shopping/