This article written by Anish Dasgupta, was published in issue 06 of Social Technology Quarterly. Summary: The primary objective of the online marketer today is to drive loyalty by providing the best possible shopping experiences – ones that steer customers to come back for more. This article looks at experiences modern e-commerce sites offer.

1. Social Technology Quarterly 06
Online commerce has come a long way
in the last two decades. From an ancillary
channel it has grown to a recognized method
of doing business. E-commerce platforms
today are being upgraded to next generation
technologies to enable cross-channel selling,
segmentation, personalization, enhanced
search, better navigation and more. While
the specifics may vary, each optimization has
the same goal: to maximize potential revenue
through improved user experience.
The basics of doing business, however,
remain the same. Customer trust and loyalty
remain vital to businesses. While technology
is upgraded to the back-end every few
years to maintain infrastructure, it is user
experience (not from a design perspective
alone) that is key to their survival. The line
between online and offline sales has blurred
and many companies have dropped the ‘e’
altogether. As a result, crossing channels is
now the leading driver for revenue.
The majority of commerce portals online seek
to drive traffic by using price as the prime
motivator, but have enjoyed limited success.
Moreover, they have failed to create long term
user loyalty. There is no denying that price is
the first consideration for a lot of purchases,
especially when it comes to products that are
expensive and have a short-term product
cycle – like air tickets. However, if one is
looking to buying something that lasts longer,
which can include an expansive range of
things from books to curios to refrigerators,
there are a plethora of e-stores to choose
from. What then is the factor that drives the
platform chosen by customers?
Trendwatching.com recently reported that a
lot of consumers no longer only look at the
cost or the convenience of online shopping.
Just as with brand retail outlets, they do not
mind shelling out a few extra dollars for a
product, if they trust the store they are buying
it from. While gaining this trust is not really
easy, some brands have made a headway
Experience
Shopping
The primary objective
of the online marketer
today is to drive loyalty by
providing the best possible
shopping experiences –
ones that steer customers
to come back for more.
This article looks at
experiences modern
e-commerce sites offer.
by Anish Dasgupta
Photo Credit: Sidewalk Flying
Commerce

2. Kuliza
and leveraged strategies and ideas based on
these insights.
Shopping is about discovery
An objective of shopping is to “wow” oneself.
Therefore every shopping experience has
a lot to do with discovering. A lot of people
walk into curio and handicraft stores without
the express purpose of buying anything in
particular. They go in, browse through the
merchandise, and if something catches their
eye, they buy it.
OpenSky is an e-store that provides deals on
products hand-picked by experts in fashion,
health, food, and design. They promise to
deliver “What you were looking for, before
you started looking.” Their Pinterest-like
interface features product shots with brief
descriptive titles without brand names – just
like one would come across in a curio shop.
Discovery begins fundamentally at figuring out
products and services. It elevates to levels of
building associations with the brand. Loyalty
cards, offers, discounts are some ways to
discover more about a brand and also about
people’s behaviours. The elevation then is
also about discovering loyalties, shopping
patterns, and enthusiasm towards specific
brands not from the perspective alone of a
seller but consumers themselves.
Products have a story to tell
Many products have a story in their creation,
while some others gain significance post-sale.
In both cases, it is the story that the customer
can tell when talking about the product. For
instance, a hand-crafted artifact may have
originated from a particular tribe in New
Guinea and the story of its origins may be of
interest. Or the proceeds from the sales of
a particular product are donated to a cause.
People are becoming increasingly socially
aware, and so it is important to them that what
they buy in some way contributes to a cause.
Sevenly.org is a clothing store that dubs
itself as an Organic Funding Movement and
“the world’s most effective cause activation
platform leading a generation toward
intentional generosity”. Each week they
choose a charity or cause to donate to, an
associated NGO, and set a target amount
they want to donate. A part of the proceeds
from each sale they make that week are
then set aside for donation. A counter on
the website tells users how far they are from
reaching the target amount.
Shoppers are choosy about who
they accept advice from
People often turn to their most trusted friends
when seeking advice on making purchases.
They choose who to ask for advice based on
their knowledge of the friend’s interests, tastes,
and choices in other purchases. Decision-
making assistance has been a huge point
of focus for e-commerce sites with tools and
apps to recommend products. However, these
are based on past purchases, which is big
drawback when it comes to drawing first-time
customers. Brand owners are hiring curators
for various categories in an attempt to solve
this problem. Curators analyze the vast amount
of data- professional, personal details, likes,
hobbies and other interests of consumers.
AhaLife is a shopping portal that promotes
its curators more than the products they
sell. Each curator has a dedicated page
complete with bios that establish expertise
in their respective areas. Users can get
product details, and also the curator’s views
and reasons for a product chosen, and what
makes it stand out. Taking it one step ahead,
they are now organizing live meet-ups in
major cities where consumers can personally
meet curators and designers.
Credit: Rob Ellis

3. Social Technology Quarterly 06
References
Chu, Julian. “The Ultimate Online Shopping
Experience, Part 1: Strategy and Design.”
E-Commerce Times 10 Dec 2008.
Gerejo, Lyndon. “Improving The Online
Shopping Experience, Part 1: Getting
Customers To Your Products.” Smashing
Magazine.15 Sep 2011.
Lynch, Liz. “The Rise of Curated Shopping.”
The Relevant Marketer. e-Dialog, 18 Aug
2011.
“May 2012 Trend Briefing: Retail Revolution.”
Trendwatching.com. n.d.08 Sep 2012.
Credit: Susan NYC
Reading about product utility is
not sufficient
If a consumer is investing in technology with
the intention of upgrading from an existing
device, product utility is not one’s focus.
In such a case product specifications are
sufficient to make a decision. Conversely in
the category of beauty products no matter
how much one reads about those products,
sees them or is persuaded by the women
in branded uniforms, it is not the same as
experiencing those products.
Shopping is about taking a
break
Going shopping is a way to relieve stress,
the same way that coffee breaks are used.
It helps one ease up for a while. People
often drop in nearby stores during a break
to browse, discover brands, and make few
impulse purchases. The intention is not
buying out of need, but to do an activity that
would brighten up one’s busy day.
To make the experience worthwhile,
commerce sites make shopping a “break-
like” activity through videos of product
demonstrations and sales pitches. This is
based on the premise that while taking a
break people watch videos, surf the net, or
check updates on social networking sites.
Joyus, a commerce portal that specializes in
beauty products for women, has implemented
an entire video-culture. The website is video-
led with product demonstrations and make-up
how-to’s. Customers who visit the site while
taking a coffee break at work can watch videos
on new products, brands, and usage tips.