Usability tips for eCommerce retailers and consumers.

1. THE TWELVE DAYS OF
USABILITY
STUDIOK&M
THE DESIGN & USABILITY EXPERTS .

3. CYBER MONDAY
Americans spent a whopping $32.6 billion dollars online last November
and December, up 12% from the year before. With all of these
consumers doing their holiday shopping over the Internet, how do you
convince them to buy your products?
For starters, having the right products is not enough in the highly
competitive world of e-commerce. Appealing to your consumers
through a highly usable site will not only foster increased sales, but also
provide a pleasing experience that will lead to returning customers.

4. ON THE FIRST DAY OF USABILITY
An eCommerce expert said to me...

5. SELLER TIP
A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE
So now that your partridge (user) is in your pear tree (website), you
have to find a way to keep them there. So rather than putting that little
birdy in a cage, why not use something akin to a bird feeder? Give your
partridge the right visual treats and they’ll keep flitting around for more.
That’s why a well-organized and usable site is the best way to keep
people from abandoning their shopping carts.

6. SHOPPER TIP
TWO TURTLE DOVES
Intimidated by the idea of doing all of your holiday shopping online? The
experience can be as peaceful as a turtle dove! Just think about it, no
long lines, parking lots, or fighting people over the last iPad on the shelf.
Missing the muzak? Try searching for your favorite genre of holiday
tunes on a site like Pandora.

7. SELLER TIP
THREE FRENCH HENS
If you owned three French Hens, would you hide them in the basement?
Of course not! Similarly, there are three important things on your website
that should NEVER be hidden in the basement, i.e., below the fold:
Navigation, Contact Info, and a Shopping Cart. Don’t make users scroll
to find these crucial elements on your site.

8. SHOPPER TIP
FOUR CALLING BIRDS
Don’t be afraid to contact customer service. Many sites now offer chat-
based support which gets you off the phone and away from that terrible
muzak! It’s a great way to get answers to all of your questions regarding
your order.

9. SELLER TIP
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS
If your company is golden, your site should be too. Security badges,
trust certificates and SSL certificates are the bling of e-commerce sites.
Wear them proudly like the mogul you are-or want to be someday!

10. SHOPPER TIP
SIX GEESE A LAYING
Verifying a site’s legitimacy shouldn’t turn into a wild goose chase. Err
on the side of caution, and never buy anything from a site that doesn’t
have Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. This is represented by a
lock symbol, and the site URL should read https:// instead of just http://.

12. SELLER TIP
SEVEN SWANS A SWIMMING
An effective website is like a swimming swan: elegance is maintained
by a highly orchestrated pair of webbed feet. Now consider yourself
the webbed feet. In order to push that swan effortlessly across the
lake, you must provide the right amount of direction to keep that swan
moving. That means using headlines and helpful tidbits of copy to show
shoppers where they are on your site. Keep your search function clearly
visible above the fold and help your users find exactly what they’re
looking for.

13. SHOPPER TIP
EIGHT MAIDS A MILKING
Milk e-commerce sites for the best deal possible! Sites might have
specials or discount codes available that you’re not even aware of. Sign
up for their newsletter to be notified of special deals and use sites like
RetailMeNot to find coupon codes.

14. SELLER TIP
NINE LADIES DANCING
Women share their opinions about products online more than any single
demographic, so if you want to keep those ladies dancing on your
site you ought to think about adding a review and comments section.
Comments are also a good way to enhance the community of your site,
while allowing you to identify your audience and encourage their input.

15. SHOPPER TIP
TEN LORDS A LEAPING
Ten lords a leaping sounds like the result of too much egg nog at end
of the office Christmas party. Leaping around is also a good way to
describe the frenetic habits of holiday shoppers. If you know where
to look, clicking around the myriad of e-commerce sites can help you
find some killer deals. There are some great resources, like Google’s
shopping tool that let you compare prices from various stores all on the
same page. This works both online and off, so be sure to remember
that not all the best deals are online.

16. SELLER TIP
ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING
Act like the pied piper and lead your users through the shopping
process. Don’t set up barriers by making them register before they
can add items to their cart, and make sure an “add to cart” button
and color or size options are easy to find. It’s all about making it as
simple as possible for a user to find their shopping cart and proceed to
checkout, so think about adding express checkout options and one-
click shopping.

17. SHOPPER TIP
TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING
Drum up your approval (or disapproval) by sharing your shopping
experience on a site’s internal reviews. Social media like Twitter or
Facebook are great for spreading the news of a good deal to your
friends, or asking about the latest sales in the area.

18. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
We’re Studio K&M, a New York based, full-service web and graphic
design/concept firm. Our passion is to improve the user’s experience on
the web and deliver powerful online solutions that help drive sales and
increase conversions.
Follow us on Twitter for more usability tips and updates! @StudioKandM
www.studiokandm.com | 212.987.0076 | info@studiokandm.com