E-commerce is about people, not technology.

There are only really two types of shoppers online; 'Bargain Hunters' and 'Lifestyle Junkies'. Ok, so perhaps that's a slight over simplification, but understanding what drives your potential customers should dictate how you model your business for online retail. Even so, many online shops still give very mixed messages.

Catering for bargain hunters.
The web is now the first place that anyone seeking a 'bargain' will look. The low setup costs of online business has made the words 'online' and 'cheaper' synonymous. Selling at discount rates means shifting a high volume of stock. Your site must be ultra user friendly and show the breadth of products in a way that allows users to return easily to a particular product when they realise you are indeed the cheapest. The technical structure needs to allow regular (preferably automatic) rotation of products, special offers, discounts and reductions, and a home page that conveys this all really clearly. Some examples of these type of sites are chainreactioncycles.com and ebuyer.com

Adding value for bargain hunters
If your prices are good but not necessarily the best in the business, what should you consider? Quality of service and reputation are the keys to success, site like www.amazon.co.uk and www.ocado.co.uk are no longer selling purely on price. Faster delivery, reliability and communication are the next in line on the bargain hunters decision making list, after all what good is a bargain if you can't get it for 3 weeks! If these are part of what makes your business unique, your web site should dedicate space to testimonials and visual triggers of reliability and trustworthy business operation. Features like product reviews, help lines and 'online chat' with experienced sales staff can all help, as will upfront calculation and display of delivery options.

So what about the Lifestyle Junkies?
Altogether a different beast, lifestyle junkies will buy products without so much interest in their price tag, providing that it makes them feel good. They will browse the web looking for brands that incorporate lifestyle elements they aspire to, uniqueness, history and authenticity are all important in their decision making process. Therefore website designs that are creative, memorable and contribute to a positive retail experience are going to be the ones they form a loyalty with. Lifestyle junkies are generally interested in buying from niche suppliers and producers so the large 'store' approach doens't work so well. If you have multiple product ranges it may even be worth producing several smaller targeted sites focussing on a specific niche.

E-commerce offerings that make the user's experience easier can also be part of a lifestyle based selling proposition. Hydrant's recent site for Lakeland Willow Spring Water willowwater.com features repeat ordering, to allow customers to get receive their order regularly without additional visits to the site.

Hydrant are award winning producers of e-commerce web sites Call us to discuss.