Hello fellow classmates, my topic to be discussed is websites, the customer experience.
Since the coming of the Internet age websites have been evolving immensely. In the beginning a companies priority when it came to their website was simply having contact information and a few graphic elements. Today companies/teams/individuals who create a web page understand that much more is expected.
On a typical website there are basic elements that a consumer expects to experience. A web page will generally have several tabs for easier browsing. I will go through a list of typical tabs on a company web page that give the consumer the ultimate and easiest experience possible.
First a company or individual will have basic contact information including location, phone number, email, and possibly links to other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. With the development of technology many of these contact outlets are more then just text. With the address many people use Google location services which provides the consumer with an actual map and direction to their location. The email is usually a link which will send you directly to your mail box to set up your message. As well if using the website on your phone the telephone number is usually able to call directly from the site. The ease of these features makes it a much simpler experience for basic information.
Next a company should and usually do offer a current news section. This is to keep consumers updated on all information happening within the company. This is a good outlet for companies to post about events, community involvement or items related to what is happening with the company.
More and more companies are realizing that consumers want more individual attention. To give the consumer the best experience possible many websites have member only sections which require you to sign up via the website. This gives a consumer access to discounts, contests, newsletters and exclusive emails sent to them personally.
Online shopping has become the current way to get products. It allows a consumer to shop from the comfort of their home. This is a standard expectation of all websites to have this option.
Lastly to give the consumer the best experience possible companies will use videos, links, photos and information about products and services. This allows the consumer to be interactive with their company.
Listed below are companies websites I have found that include all or basically all of these features and have great success with their audience.
http://www.muchmusic.com/
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/
http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/home.aspx
Thanks for reading!
Great post Lindsay! With today's companies competing to have the most exciting websites, and most interactive websites, I think that some company's are losing site of what is still important.. contact information. Customers can get very frustrated very easily if they can not find the proper information they need. I think that company's should be aware of this and take this into consideration.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Ms. Petanowitch! In regards to your remarks about companies focusing on individuals through their websites, I totally agree on the importance of the matter. Today's consumer is constantly searching through their promotional emails and retailers websites to find discounts and offers than benefit them.
ReplyDeleteExcellent article! In my eyes, the good reputation of a website is almost the conbination of the whole convenience and service it provides for customers. In the first a few minutes we experienced from one website, we would like or dislike it without deeply analysize. From this, we could understand how important it is to design and function a lovely web page for long-term development.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, websites features are important for companies to give the consumer the best experience possible as you mentioned and also it is important for websites to have all the basic elements and easy for consumers to find their needs.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Lindsay. Websites have truly evolved over the years indeed. Websites are another version of the store that is available 24/7. Businesses should ensure that their website has everything the customer needs to know. Everything from their contact information, location, promotions, products and availability, and news.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post what would we do without websites is a good questions i pretty much use websites to find everything i need i don't neccesarily purchase online but it help me with my informational search.
ReplyDeleteThe online forum has revolutionized the way companies do business. As websites continue to evolve, companies will move from a brick and mortar store to a web setting. In the future I fear that the web will become over saturated. What then?
Deletewesite will continue to change and improve as innovation in technology grows, and customers will continue to different experiences based on the different strategies by different companies or brands. and as Lindsay pointed out, the basic elements will always focus on contacting the audience, appealing to them and encouraging them to remain on the website and if possible to do purchase. Goob job, Lindsay.
ReplyDeleteAwesome job Lindsay! With the way that websites have evolved over the years, consumers deffinitly are expecting a lot more from businesses. It is important for a businesses webpage to list information about their business so that they can either contact or find them. Also by offering updated news and information it keeps consumers aware and up to date about your company and maybe offers that they are having, which can then lead to consumers visiting your business.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with how important online shopping is. You can buy anything pretty much anywhere and at anytime! It is becoming more and more clear that this type of shopping will become a dominant force in the future. With things like Cyber Monday that drive people to shop online, who knows whats next.
Interesting post Lindsay! I agree that focusing on individuals is important as consumers are always going to be looking for the hottest trends and the best deals, and the best way to try to do that is to do that through your website.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest challenge of online shopping is that a lot of consumers like to hold/inspect products before purchasing them. With clothing it is especially challenging because people often need to try things on before they make a purchase. Online retailers will have to come up with ways to overcome this if they want to become even more successful.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post, I think that all of these are important for consumer experience online.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the online shopping retail stores now have much more competition and are having to scramble their merchandise in order to stay competitive. Retail stores are concerned about becoming "showrooms" for online purchases, which means the retail store would just showcase the retail products while the consumers would then go home and purchase the products online. This in turn has required retail stores to start price matching even products offered online.
I just want to add that I think that websites will need to be very target oriented. This could mean that some websites targeting teens or preteens may include more videos for instance, and another site that might target single parents might choose to include different graphic elements. Including all elements would be important, but I think including the appropriate and more targeted elements would be the most important aspect to take into consideration.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post, a perfect website is a website on which customers have the best experience that they expect from the website. As you mentioned the elements above in your post, these are elements that customer wants from a website and websites should be made in a such that customers are satisfied with it and it stands on their expectations, so that visitors come back again again due to the experience they have on the website.
ReplyDeleteSome products and services can be a hard sell online. Shoes, clothing, anything apparel related is still seen as a somewhat of a risk. Like Kaila stated, it takes away from the actual experience of consumer attachment in a retail setting. Online shopping is still booming regardless. I think it's extremely important for online retailers to have a return system that is convenient to the consumer rather than than the company to give people peace of mind.
ReplyDeleteI remember when online shopping was scary and "dangerous." It's really a sign of the times when the majority of people are buying things online without fear, and you hear so little about internet scams now days. What with all the security stamps and seals on webpages we can now easily tell a real site from a fraudulent one...and even if you run into a fraudulent one, a lot of the time your credit card company has you covered anyway, and will return the money if you do not receive your goods!
ReplyDeleteI agree with this for sure Alex! Back in the day the only form of online shopping people weren't too scared to do was eBay.. now people purchase clothes, books, anything can be purchased online.. there is even a company where you can order your groceries online and they will deliver to your house.. same with pizza! Trusted brands and companies have a relationship with their customers where their customers trust their website!
DeleteI think, good website should be combine between convenience and ensure that their website has everything that their target market want it. And that in return, will give customers best experience that they expect from the website.
ReplyDeleteMarketing on a website, is offer a product(or service)for sale on the world web Wide!and therefore marketing on the web shouldn't be taken easy as people will view a product the way it's marketer shows it, this means that marketers should put a lot of effort when creating and updating the contents of their websites.
ReplyDeleteThe customer service of e-commerce is truly what will make or break you online venture. I have endured both sides of the spectrum and must say when it is bad, I wont do it again and scream to high heck to whomever will listen to not use their website. It all boils down to good CRM. It is especially critical for the websites that sell good which are becoming ever more prominent like you stated Lindsey. Very good article you wrote.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic. Customer retention is a greater challenge online. some websites are made for only kids and some are for all. this means website developer needs specific target.Good website contain good graphics, arranged content and also user friendly information search.
ReplyDeleteGreat information!!!! With this article, I can truly understand how the important of the website's content and design.
ReplyDeleteWell done
product the way it's marketer shows it, this means that marketers should put a lot of effort when creating and updating the contents of their websites. http://www.jihoy.com/
ReplyDeleteThis is the most difficult portion of website development cycle. I am struggling to find some quick detail using which I can easily understand about it. A big thanks to you for posting this detail.
ReplyDeletecustomer experience company