Hititng The Checkout

Part of the dotDigital Group PLC

Hitting the Checkout
The dotCommerce benchmark study of
ecommerce site performance

20 best and worst, top brand
ecommerce sites - exposed
Over 130 best practice guidelines and tips
2009/10

Contents

Description Page

Introduction 3

Methodology 4

Executive summary and results 5

Section 1. Website Content 6-11

Section 2. Website Design 12-15

Section 3. Product Search 16-17

Section 4. Product Page 18-22

Section 5. Marketing 23-28

Section 6. Checkout and Transaction Funnel 29-34

Section 7. After Sale 25-39

Conclusion 40

Appendix: Full Results 41

About dotCommerce 42

Hitting the Checkout 2009/10 - The dotCommerce benchmark study of ecommerce site performance Page 2

Introduction

Background
The dotDigital Group PLC has a ten year history of working with big name brands to design and
build ecommerce sites and websites and create email marketing campaigns that effectively
convert visitors.

Following the launch in 2009 of dotCommerce - the latest ecommerce platform from the
dotDigital Group PLC, we set about researching and benchmarking the effectiveness of major
UK ecommerce sites. The eye-opening ﬁndings of that research are presented here, in Hitting
the Checkout.

Who is the report for?
Although this benchmarking study measures the activities of some of the UK’s largest retailers,
the information and guidence provided in this report is relevant for businesses of all shapes
and sizes who have the potential to make more money from online direct sales, in both B2C
and B2B sectors.

The internet widens the goalposts, allowing anyone to sell online with relative ease, and any
online retailer and supplier can beneﬁt from the advice and guidance set out in this report.

Notes
dotCommerce recognises that different retailers have varying objectives and requirements for
their websites and differing experiences of the best ways to achieve these with their own target
audience. This report analyses success factors on a general, best practice basis.

The study represents a snapshot of certain key pages on the websites on 13th May 2009. It is
acknowledged that the websites included may have changed since this date.


Methodology

The dotCommerce team analysed the websites of a sample of 20 of the UK’s leading online
retailers.* A sample of ﬁve of the top retailers were selected from the following four categories:

Department Store Entertainment Health & Beauty Electricals
Argos Amazon.co.uk Boots Comet
Tesco hmv.com lookfantastic .com Currys
Marks and Spencer Play.com Vie at home Maplin
Asda LoveFilm.com The Fragrance Shop PC World
John Lewis Game Avon Dixons

The retailers were judged on seven key areas of ecommerce and against 24 criteria, based
on best practice guidelines drawn up by the dotCommerce team. Each retailer was awarded a
percentage score to indicate the effectiveness of their ecommerce site.

The 24 criteria assessed were:
Marketing
Website Content Search engine marketing
‘Added value’ editorial content Sales promotion mechanisms
Finding important information Data capture
User generated content Social networking and viral
Customer service contact information marketing options

Website Design Checkout and Transaction Funnel
Homepage layout Integrated payment – payment screen is
Page design consistency on the branded domain
Tone and presentation Delivery options
Design and brand experience Data security and permission capture
Option to remember payment details
Product Search Product recommendation and
Search functionality loyalty scheme

Product Page After Sale
Page weight Email conﬁrmation
Product images Online order tracking
Merchandising detail Post-sale email marketing

*Sample of ecommerce sites drawn
from IMRG/Hitwise Hot Shops list
February 2009, contributors to the
IMRG Capgemini Index (e-retail
sales) and winners of the IMRG
Annual Online Performance Awards.
None of the companies chosen is a
client of the dotDigital Group PLC


Executive Summary and Results

This table presents the overall percentage scores for each of the 20 retailers, with the highest
score denoting the most effective ecommerce website*.

Brand Total Brand Total

Marks and Spencer 82 Look fantastic.com 67
John Lewis 78 Maplin 66
Boots 73 Tesco 66
Amazon.co.uk 73 Argos 65
hmv.com 72 Play.com 65
PC World 71 Asda 65
Game 71 Currys 64
Comet 71 Vie at home 62
Dixons 69 The Fragrance Shop 56
LoveFilm.com 68 Avon 54

Whilst none of the retailers we assessed scored less than half marks, the average score was
just 68%. So there is clearly still some work to do on the part of online retailers to ensure they
are taking advantage of the opportunities available to them online.

Marks and Spencer topped the table, followed by John Lewis. At the bottom of the league table
were 3 leading Beauty sector sites – Vie at home, The Fragrance Shop and Avon.

The study reveals that most retailers are following best practice guidelines when it comes
to the more traditional aspects of ecommerce. For example, every website included easy-
to-use FAQs, free-text search with thumbnail images, online order tracking and email order
conﬁrmations.

However, many retailers are failing to embrace the aspects of ecommerce that can really add
value for customers and help drive customer spend. Only 45% provided editorial content
on their site and only 50% used video to give an extra dimension to the online shopping
experience. User generated content and social media were also largely ignored, with few
embracing blogging (15%) or allowing user comments (10%).

Elsewhere, retailers are neglecting additional marketing opportunities that can increase basket
value: just 55% offered free delivery options and 40% didn’t include up-sell functionality
during the checkout process.

The majority of companies made little effort to forge longer term bonds with online customers.
Only 35% actively publicised a loyalty scheme or asked shoppers to sign up for email
marketing at the time of purchase. Post-sale efforts were also poor with only 40% sending a
marketing email within 10 days of delivery of the product and only 4% personalising the email
marketing message – essential for maximising engagement and response.

*See Appendix on page 41 for a full
breakdown of scores


Section 1 Website Content

The old adage ‘Content is King’ certainly holds true in ecommerce. Engaging content helps
to grab and hold the attention of website visitors and encourage customers and prospects to
keep coming back for more.

1.1 Editorial content
To succeed, an ecommerce site cannot simply provide product details and a purchase channel.
The content of the site needs to provide ‘added value’ and contribute to the user experience.
Including engaging content such as editorial features or video will encourage visitors to stay
longer and can introduce them to new products that they hadn’t previously considered.

Additional keyword-rich content can also help push a site up those all important search
engine rankings.

Average score: 12 out of 25 = 48%

High ﬂyers: Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, LoveFilm.com, Vie at home, Maplin.

i John Lewis provide a video i
guide to shooting good movies,
helping add value for customers
and sell more camcorders.

ii Opening in a new window,
Marks and Spencer link to a
microsite that provides editorial
content on their corporate social
responsibility plans. They wisely
provide a prominent link back to
the online shop.

ii



Overall performance in this category was poor. Over half the retailers we assessed failed to
include editorial material or video content in their ecommerce site. 30% didn’t include any
added value subject matter at all. Of those that did, buyer guides were by far the most common
content of this kind provided.

Some of the retailers were more creative with their content. For example, Marks and Spencer
included a wallpaper calculator to help customers work out the amount of paper they would
need to ﬁt a certain sized room. The inclusion of video was mainly focused on adding an extra
dimension to product descriptions. Maplin however included its own branded YouTube channel
featuring product demonstrations and ‘How to’ guides and Virgin Vie included YouTube videos
of clients’ home parties.

Best practice guidelines

Where possible use video to provide an extra dimension to product pages and to
editorial content
Include SEO keywords in editorial content to improve search engine rankings
Top tips If optimising content for key search terms, aim for a keyword density of around 1 keyword
per 100 words. Keyword saturation can cause Google to penalise your site
Think about grouping
gr
roup Use editorial ‘human interest’ content to build a customer community around your site –
products into themes and
include features and proﬁles on customers, suppliers, branches or members of your staff
devising some additional
content that would be useful Include ‘How to’ guides on areas of related interest to customers
to customers shopping in
that particular area. Test using microsites to focus on added value content, but ensure there are always
prominent and relevant links back to your online shopping site, on every microsite page



1.2 Important information is easily accessible
There are few things more frustrating for online shoppers than trying to locate information
when it’s buried and hidden in the depths of the website. In fact, a recent survey found that
46% of UK consumers felt that the inability to find information was the most significant cause
of frustration when shopping online1.

We studied our 20 leading online retail websites to see how easy it was to find important
information regarding their returns policy, delivery costs and options, and an ‘About Us’ page.


High flyers: Currys, The Fragrance Shop ,Vie at home, Boots, Amazon.co.uk,
John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Argos.

i The ‘about us’ link is clearly
i
visible in the top menu.
The ‘free delivery’ option is
clearly advertised next to the
logo – a key selling point.
In the bottom menu there is
another link to the ‘about us’
page, alongside ‘delivery info’,
‘returns’ and ‘FAQ’.

The retailers we assessed included most of the key information on their websites, but the links
were often hidden and hard to find. However, an FAQ or help section was easily identifiable on
every website.


About us – this page should include relevant information about the company including
its contact details, history and how long it has been trading. Customers like to know
that a company is reputable, especially in the current climate
Delivery pricing – savvy website shoppers know that, more often than not, a delivery price
Top tips will be added to baskets during checkout. Providing this information when the goods are
added to the basket will prevent any shocks – and abandoned baskets – in the checkout funnel
Whilst it is th pr
he
the product that Delivery terms – if you need something for a certain date – a present, for example – it’s
will eventually draw the
eventuall
customer to t checkout,
the
crucial to know how long delivery will take
making sure that all the Returns information – for many products, customers will be more willing to buy if they are
details they need to inform assured that they can return the item if it is not required
a purchase are readily
available will significantly FAQ – a help or FAQ page online will encourage visitors to find the answers to common
improve the customer queries themselves and can help reduce the number of calls into your customer service team
experience, and their
confidence to purchase.
Ensuring all this information is easily accessible to customers will make them less likely to
abandon their visit

1. SciVisum, September 2006



1.3 User generated content
In today’s web 2.0 world, user generated content is becoming a must-have rather than a nice-
to-have for an effective ecommerce site. It’s a no-brainer – encouraging visitors to contribute to
a site increases brand affinity and makes them feel valued and included.

It’s also a great way to get additional (often very high quality) content for a site, inspire
customer confidence and increase conversion to sale rates – (research shows that 87% of
people trust a peer recommendation over a critic’s review2).


High flyers: LoveFilm.com, Vie at home, Play.com, Amazon.co.uk

Only 5 of the retailers we surveyed scored more than 50% in this section. Whilst user product
reviews featured across many of the sites, wider use of user generated content was lacking,
with few of the ecommerce site taking advantage of blogs, forums or polls for example.

These retailers are missing the opportunity to have their site loaded with up-to-date, ‘SEO
friendly’ and customer confidence-inspiring content – free of charge, courtesy of their site
users. What’s more, they are missing an opportunity to build an engaged community of visitors
to their site who will spend more and refer more.

i The Vie at home blog includes i
contributions from staff, experts
and guest bloggers, and provides
clear links to Facebook, Vie at
home on YouTube and Twitter.

ii LoveFilm.com offers a range of
reviews categories along with a
user ratings breakdown.

ii

2. Marketing Sherpa 2008




Include a blog on your ecommerce site. It helps add personality and currency to the site,
and can assist SEO – blogs are indexed by search engines faster than standard content pages
Give customers the opportunity to leave reviews and ratings for your products in order to
add credibility to the online shop and inspire users to buy with conﬁdence
Make sure you have editorial approval over user generated content before it is published
Top tips on your site
Include user forums to help reduce demand on your customer care team by enabling users
Incentivise customers to
cu
usto to share questions and answers around your products and services, on the forum itself
write reviews in post-sale
email marketing campaigns.
market Monitor your user forum carefully for surfacing issues – either positive or negative – that
These could include money- you need to act on or address
off vouchers or exclusive
access to new products.
Use polls to encourage users to interact with your site and help build an online community
spirit as well as encouraging return visits



1.4 Customer service and contact information
No matter how comprehensive the FAQ section, customers will inevitably have questions
that can’t be answered on the website alone. In these circumstances, visitors have two main
options: either try and get help, or switch to a competitor. Making the first option as easy as
possible will help retain a potential buyer and increase conversions.

Perhaps unfortunately for retailers, in today’s multi-channel world, customers expect a
multitude of different contact options to be available to them. Creating a good customer
experience will depend on being able to provide as many contact options as required and
making sure these are easy to find on the site.


High flyers: Comet

i On the Comet site, the phone i
number is clearly displayed at
the top of every single page on
the website.

Users are offered a ‘click and
chat’ box on each product
page, so they can directly talk
via IM to a customer services
representative.
Almost every retailer included phone (95%) and email (95%) contact details with 75% also
providing a postal address. But live chat options were far less common with only Comet
providing this facility. Not one of the retailers assessed included a ‘Call Me Back’ button that
allows customers to proactively request a call from the customer services team.

Whilst the cost of customer service can put a strain on business resources, technologies like
live chat can help by enabling agents to handle multiple chat sessions.
Top tips
Use live chat and FAQ
sections to mminimise the
inc
number of incoming calls Offer as many different contact methods as possible, including:
and emails, ensuring Phone
customers can receive help Email
directly on the website at Live chat
their time of need, rather
than forcing them to use Call me back
slower, offline channels. Post
Highlight contact options clearly and obviously on the website, especially on product pages
Flag up self-help options like FAQ and searchable knowledge base sections, but don’t force
customers to use these if all they really want is to speak directly to customer services
Build in user generated content to enable users to share questions and answers amongst
themselves on your site, e.g. in an online forum.


Section 2 Website Design

Good ecommerce site design requires a balance between supporting or enhancing the brand
identity, and making sure that usability, content and the online shopping experience stay
centre stage.

2.1 Homepage layout
The layout of the homepage is crucial as, in most instances, it will be the landing page for
visitors. The homepage needs to use design effectively to communicate a number of pieces of
information in a clear and concise way.


High ﬂyers: Amazon.co.uk, Play, Comet

i The top and left navigation i
bars clearly outline the main
categories and product areas.
Special offers are obviously
displayed alongside new
products. New releases and
hot picks are other marketing
devices that will entice
‘browsers’ who might be unsure
what they are looking for.

The retailers we assessed performed well in this category with only one failing to score. One of
the danger areas for some of the homepages was that the page layout became overly complex
and busy. The most effective pages struck a good balance between content and focused calls
to action.


Top tips Don’t drown the user with text and information – use design to focus the user’s attention
on the core messages, links and calls to action
Use dynamic content to tailor
cont
c Keep main calls to action ‘above the fold’
and personalise homepage
personalis
Make sure the main navigation is obvious, with key departments or categories clearly labelled
content for returning users,
ret
based on their own settings Use personalisation to entice returning visitors
or behaviour on your site.
Keep a good mix between popular items and special offers



2.2 Page design consistency
Consistent use of logos, strap lines, navigation and design across the site is important to
maintain usability and user confidence.

There are conventions to follow as well. Most web users will be familiar with seeing a brand’s logo
at the top left of the webpage. The logo can also provide an easy to find link to the homepage no
matter where a user is on the site.

High flyers: Asda, Comet, The Fragrance Shop

i The logo is clearly presented i
in the top left corner. The
colours, fonts and layout used
clearly reflect the company’s
branding. The design is
consistent between homepage
and product page.

The retailers scored very highly in this category with most websites demonstrating consistency
Top tips throughout their sites. The area where retailers fell down was in relation to the consistency
between landing pages and product pages, with some sites including a very different look and
Don’t assume tha because
e that feel on deeper pages.
your brand is sufficiently
well known ‘o ine’, a
‘offl
strap line on your website Best practice guidelines
isn’t necessary. A powerful
strap line, consitently Keep the logo and strap line in the top left on every single page. Link the logo back to
positioned on all web pages, the homepage
with a single-minded and
compelling proposition can Keep navigation consistent across the site
say more about you than
pages of website content
Keep link styles and fonts consistent across the site
– and help to drive more Ensure there is enough consistency between homepage and product pages to maintain
conversions. user confidence in the site and the brand



2.3 Tone and presentation
This section looked at how well the retailers knew their target audience and how well the
website spoke to this group.

Tone is always a very difficult criterion to get spot on and requires a range of considerations
from design and branding, to content and vocabulary. This is important both for customers
that are already familiar with the brand and for those who are trying a website or a brand for
the first time.

High flyers: John Lewis, Boots, hmv.com

i The Boots site feels like
i
walking into a freshly fitted-out
Boots store. Although the design
is appropriately clinical, good
photos and banners lift the site
to make it more friendly.

With so many components to get right, it is no surprise that there was a varied range of scores
in this section.

Whilst some of the websites were clearly (and correctly) geared toward a particular
demographic and user profile, other sites took a more neutral approach, aiming to appeal to a
wider cross-section of the population. Both approaches are equally valid, as long as they don’t
become confused.

At one end of the scale, the John Lewis site conveyed the high-end quality of the brand
and its values. Conversely, the hmv.com site, with its splash of offers and deals spoke to a
different target market using a very different tone and presentation.
Top tips
Best practice
Get to know your customers.
your
‘Paint a picture’ of the
pictur
people you want to attract
wa Think carefully about every component on the website and ensure they all match the
and sell to – how they look, overall tone and presentation style of the brand
the kind of sites they visit and
Pictures are vital for any ecommerce site, but the style of photography will largely
media they consume. This
will help you design and write depend on the tone you want to convey
content with an appropriate Writing compelling copy that will appeal to the right audience is no easy feat. ‘Less is
tone and style.
more’ is often a good start here



2.4 Design and brand experience
Engaging design can be the difference between increasing or decreasing your ‘bounce’ rate
(i.e. percentage of visitors who enter your site on a certain page and leave without visiting any
other pages). If a site’s design is compelling and fits in well with the brand and the products
being sold, this can have a dramatic effect on conversion rates.

High flyers:, Play, lookfantastic.com, Argos, Boots

i With a brand that is all about i
looking good, the site design
certainly has a glamorous feel.
The ‘fashion’ photography adds to
the magazine-type feel of the site,
backed up by good quality content.

Top tips
R
Remember that trust plays
b th t t
tha
an important role in a users
decision to buy a product
d i i t b Again, there were mixed scores in this section. The challenge for most retailers seemed to stem
from your site, or from a from problems around combining brand enhancing design with the necessary functionality
competitor’s. Investing some required on the site. Too often, content ran the risk of getting in the way of the overall look and feel.
of your budget (and your
time) in creating a really
good site design will pay Best practice guidelines
dividends down the line.
Some designers are not ‘Clicks and mortar’ retailers need to have a clear understanding of their offline brand
as au fait when it comes to and shopping experience in order to ensure the online brand supports and reflects them
designing for ecommerce
and its particular design
consistently
rules. Remember – you’re Understand clearly what the proposition, competitive stance or USP of your retail business
not designing to win awards, or online shop is. This will inform the tone and presentation of the site (e.g. if your
you’re designing to win
proposition is that you ‘pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’ then your website design
business.
and tone of copy should convey this)


Section 3 Product Search

Flexible, refinable and effective product search is essential for a successful ecommerce site.
Users need to be able to find what they want, examine your products in detail and compare
them with other products easily. They need to be able to narrow and broaden their searches,
sort them as they choose and see their results at a glance. If a user can’t do all this, they may
well search elsewhere.

3.1 Search functionality
Providing an easy to find and easy to use search box is crucial, especially for retail websites
that feature a large range of products.

However, it’s important to provide additional options above and beyond standard search
functionality. If nothing else, your search engine should allow for the following:

Free keyword search
Refineable search
The ability to add or remove filters without starting over

High flyers: Marks and Spencer, hmv.com, Asda, Amazon.co.uk

i The search box on the i
hmv.com site is clearly visible at
the top of every page with a drop
down box to narrow searches
from the start. Searches can be
refined or sorted by a range of
different options and search
quantities are included in
brackets. hmv.com also had a
very impressive advanced
search function.

ii Marks and Spencer provided
the ability to sort search results
by price, relevance, best-selling
and new arrivals. Up to 60
results can be viewed on the ii
same page.


Section 3 Product Search

Unsurprisingly, it was the retailers selling a wide variety of products that scored particularly
well here, but it would be wrong for any retailer to become complacent with basic search
functionality. Many web users are pretty good at using advanced search options (think of the
possible search options that Google now provides) and so are entitiled to expect the same
standard elsewhere.

Every retailer included free-text search on their website and 85% gave the option to refine
search results using filters. However, only 55% gave the option to add or remove further filters.
This is particularly important as many web users don’t get their search right first time. They
will often need - and want – to refine and improve search queries to find exactly what they are
looking for.

Few retailers included advanced sorting options with only a minority including the ability to
sort by features or user rating (both 35%), best-selling (20%) or newest to oldest (15%). Only
25% gave the option to view all search results on one page.

Top tips Best practice guidelines
If your out of the box site Make sure the search box and search options are prominent on every page
search isn’t powerful
p
enough then consider out- Enable users to add or remove filters during their search, without having to use the
sourcing search to one of back button
the many third parties who
can do this for you. However Include thumbnails of product images in search results pages to encourage click-throughs
be aware, they don’t come Where feasible, allow users to view all their search results on one page without having to
cheap. So make sure you click forward through separate pages
have the traffic and revenue
to support it. Enable users to sort their search results by relevant criteria (e.g. price, user rating, best-
selling, best match)


Section 4 Product Page

The product page is your opportunity to showcase your goods, highlight key features and
ensure the customer has all the information they need to make a confident purchase.

4.1 Page weight
The ‘weight’ of the homepage will decide how long a new visitor has to wait for the page
to load.

Many people choose to shop online because of the time saving advantages. So as well as clear
and logical site design and navigation, the speed of page loading is also an important factor
for users.

Accepted best practice is that a homepage should load in less than 10 seconds. The challenge is
to test and find the best balance between loading time and the use of impactful, sticky content.

For the purposes of scoring in this report, we used an ADSL broadband connection, for which a
homepage needed to weigh 500kb or less in order to load in 10 seconds or under.

High flyers: Asda, Vie at home, Avon

i The Avon homepage weighs i
just 232kb, delivering a fast
load time, whilst still including
impactful images and content.



Top tips
The retailers were a mixed bag in terms of homepage weights, with 8 of the 20 ecommerce site
1 If you are going to use large
goi
homepages we analysed weighing in at more than 500kb. The Fragrance Shop, Game and hmv.
images then co
consider using a
CDN (content delivery network)
d com each weighed in at well over 1mb.
to ensure that content is sent
to the user at the highest Whilst some will achieve swift loading times on a broadband connection (average speed of
possible speed. Ensure that 2.95mbps), others run the risk of losing visitors simply because their homepages can take
caching is enabled on your longer than 10 seconds to load on broadband and therefore much, much longer on dial-up.
front-end servers so that
information isn’t needlessly We found that many of the retailers’ homepages with quicker loading times didn’t have
sent twice. to abandon the use of images and sacrifice impact or stickiness.
2 Check your site in Firefox
using the ‘yslow’ plugin for a Best practice guidelines
test of overall performance of
your page, and for tips on how
Ensure key parts of the page load quickly to capture and hold visitors’ attention
to improve it.
A/B split test different weights of homepage, to test the effect on bounce rates
3 Check your analytics system
to see if mobile browsers are Optimise image files to reduce their size to the minimum required whilst maintaining
making up a significant or sufficient image quality
increasing chunk of users. Use Flash files and large animations with care
If your site isn’t compatible,
redirect them to a purpose-built Use analytics to profile your visitors by internet connection speed, before deciding on your
mini-site with contact details or target homepage weight
special phone number.



4.2 Product images
Showing off your products in the best possible light is a sure fire way to entice website visitors
to find out more and purchase with confidence. By including multiple views of each product
you increase the chances that a shopper will convert online rather than seek the product out
in-store.

High flyers: Play.com, Amazon.co.uk

i Play.com product pages i
include enlargeable images,
multiple images and video
product demos.

ii Amazon.co.uk provide a ‘Look
inside’ feature so users can read
samples of books before they buy
– just like in a real book shop.

ii



We were surprised to ﬁnd that not one of the 20 retailers we assessed offered 3D rotatable
images. The more detailed views of products a retailer can offer, the greater the likelihood of a
conversion to sale.

Although all retailers provided at least one product image, just half of the retailers we
examined provided two or more. Even for entertainment products like books and DVDs, it’s
beneﬁcial to give customers the opportunity to read the back of the case, just as you would in
the shop. Amazon.co.uk was exemplary in this respect. By allowing site users to look at both
covers and also inside the books, they made the experience as immersive as if the customer
were in a store.


Always include at least one, clear, high quality image of your product or service on the
product page
Include an image gallery to provide customers with multiple views of products and see
them in context and in use
Top tips Ensure products images are enlargeable
Include zoomable and 3D rotatable images to enable customers to get detailed, 360
U thumbnail t
Use thumbnails to reduce page
th b il
degree views
weight and download times.
dow
Include videos and animations of products where possible



4.3 Merchandising detail
Converting an ecommerce site visitor to a purchaser is largely a matter of providing the user
with enough information that they have the confidence to purchase. During the course of our
research, we looked at key online product merchandising techniques that help drive user
confidence, including stock indicators, product comparison options and the option to select
which currency to purchase in.

High flyers: Argos, John Lewis, Play.com, Dixons

i Comet allows customers to i
compare products and their
features and ratings, side by side
to aid the purchase decision.

14 out of the 20 retailers provided a stock level indicator. Those who failed to do this are
risking losing potential sales.

Only 5 out of the 20 sites included a product comparison feature, with department stores
leading the way – Argos, Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, Comet and Dixons. Customers who
like to shop this way will simply go to a competitor site that offers a comparison feature if they
Top tips need to make comparisons.

Most surprisingly of all, only 2 of the retailers offered pricing in a choice of currency on their
Make sure you co is
your copy
ur sites. Online selling has the potential to give retailers access to a truly international and global
salesy! Sell the benefits and
features of a p
product, but
market. Those who offer flexible currency pricing place themselves in the strongest position to
also make sure you have a tap into these lucrative markets.
good collection of product
shots and as much data as Best practice guidelines
possible for the analytical
types. If you have more copy,
product imagery and product Provide an indication of stock levels to reassure customers that there will be no issues with
specification data than the delivery of the product they want to order
competitors, buyers will view
Provide an option for customers to compare their selection of products, side by side
you as more authoritative,
and you are more likely to get Provide multi-currency pricing options so website visitors from overseas countries can
the sale. select the currency in which they want to see the price


Section 5 Marketing

Search engine description - in a Google natural search, what description
is displayed by Google for the homepage?
A website’s meta description has one key purpose – to drive click-throughs from the
search engine results page to your website. Think of it as an advertisement – NOT as a
collection of keywords.

High flyers: Argos, Tesco, Asda, John Lewis, Play.com, LoveFilm.com, Vie at home, Comet,
Currys, Maplin

Not enough of the retailers were on top of this, with only 10 of the 20 ensuring their meta
description in a Google natural search displayed an effective and compelling summary of their
mission, without becoming truncated. Truncation is where Google is unable to show the whole
of the description because the text is too long. In these cases some editing would help to
ensure the description is optimised to deliver the strongest message within a limited character
count, and maximise click-throughs.

In too many cases retailers who had compelling reasons for searchers to visit their site, such as
free delivery, price discounts or a USP, didn’t mention these in their meta description.

i Maplin’s description is i
compelling – but don’t forget to
check for typos before publication.

Don’t focus you m
your meta
ur Your meta description should provide a clear and concise summary of your website and
description on keywords. It’s
clearly communicate what a visitor to your site can expect to find
well worth usin a couple
using
of keywords where possible The description should compel the searcher to click through to your website (without
in your description, but the being gimmicky)
page title rather than the
description is your best The length of text should be optimised to avoid truncation
optimisation tag for keywords. Meta copy should not sacrifice click-throughs for search rankings


Section 5 Marketing

5.2 Sales promotion mechanisms
Once you’ve enticed the customer to explore your website, it’s time to maximise their
spending potential. Cross-selling and up-selling, ‘deals of the day’ and best seller lists will
draw customers to products they may not have been considering, drive return trafﬁc and help
maximise revenue per visit.

The sales promotion mechanisms we scored against in this category were:

Just arrived/coming soon
Offers department
Deal of the day/week
Best sellers
Bundles or buy-one-get-one-frees
Most popular searches
Wish lists
Cross-sell
Up-sell
Loyalty scheme advertised on front pages

Average score: 50 out of 90 – 55%
High ﬂyers: Boots, Avon, lookfantastic.com

i The Fragrance Shop displays i
a wide variety of mechanisms
to encourage users to explore
their product range and offers,
including: Special Offers: Top
Sellers: New Fragrances: Best
Sellers of the Month: This Week’s
Star Buys.

No retailers scored full marks in this section and 45% scored less than half marks.

Retailers need to take advantage of every tool and technique available to help increase spend
per customer per visit. Proven sales promotion techniques such as bundled offers and cross-
sell/up-sell suggestions drive customers to spend more and lend themselves perfectly to the
ecommerce site medium.


Section 5 Marketing

Somewhat surprising was the fact that the electrical retailers, whilst efficient at cross-selling,
performed poorly in the area of up-selling. High-value goods offer an ideal opportunity to
tempt an aspirational customer into buying the next model up!

We were also interested to discover that just half of the retailers offered customers the
opportunity to build a wish list. Wish lists are a great mechanism for reminding users of
products they may have forgotten they wanted, and can also encourage customers to refer
their friends and family to the site too.

Sales promotio d
promotion devices that
on
Test different promotional mechanisms to see which work best for your site
automatically “discover”
likely cross se based on
sells Promote special offers on the home page as well as product pages
shopping habits and “x goes
well with y” are difficult and Use time sensitive offers such as ‘Deal of the Day’ or ‘Deal of the Week’ to encourage users
expensive to write yourself. to return regularly to the site
However there are several Make it easy for users to find special offers
3rd parties that offer this
functionality on a monthly Inspire customer confidence by showing best sellers and most popular searches
rental basis. If your
Maximise returning visits by featuring regularly updated just arrived/coming soon sections
ecommerce platform does not
support using one of these, Increase spend without discounting price by creating bundled offers
then consider changing to one
Enable users to set up private wish lists as well as gift lists to encourage engagement
that does as these are proven
mechanisms to generate more and referrals
sales. See also section 6.5. Where appropriate, encourage customer spend through an online loyalty scheme


Section 5 Marketing

5.3 Data capture
Using the website to collect opted-in, permission-based contact data is a corner stone of
successful online marketing.

The homepage of an ecommerce site is a critical channel for collecting customer and prospect
contact data for opted-in communications. Once a visitor has taken that first step to engaging with
the retailer by signing up to a newsletter, the customer relationship building process can begin.

Getting visitors to sign up to a newsletter or alerter takes more than just a form. To maximise
the number of signups, retailers need to spell out the benefits of subscribing and make this
call to action a ‘no brainer’.

High flyers: hmv.com, Virgin Vie, Avon, Comet, Currys, PC World, Dixons

i Vie at home provides i
prominently placed links inviting
users to sign up to their newsletter
or request a catalogue.

ii Currys feature a prominent ii
invitation to users to sign up
for offers and other subscriber
benefits.


Section 5 Marketing

20% of the retailers surveyed did not include a data collection/sign-up mechanism on their
homepage. Of those that did have the data capture link on the homepage, only half of them
positioned it above the fold where it would be easily visible. The retailers who failed to score
here are missing out on valuable opportunities to capture the contact data of visitors who may
abandon the site without buying, and remain otherwise anonymous.

Top tips
Ensure your data collection link is in a prominent position, above the fold on both your
Experiment with your signup
w homepage and on deeper content pages
form by testing alternative
testi
Spell out the beneﬁts of subscribing or signing up, e.g. special offers, new releases,
copy, incentives and
copy incent
capturing different amounts subscriber previews and privileges
of personal data. If collecting Let recipients know how frequently they can expect to receive communications from you
personal details impacts your
(and stick to these commitments)
signup rate, try collecting
this in an initial welcome Look to capture detail such as ‘where heard’ and ‘gender’ to help you target your initial
email to new subscribers, messages where possible
or in a follow-up form after
registration. Consider using ‘double opt-in’ whereby the contact is required to validate their email
address by clicking a link in the validation email you have sent them


Section 5 Marketing

5.4 Social networking and viral marketing options
Over 25% of the UK’s adult population use a social network in one form or another, be that via
sites like Facebook and Twitter, recommendation engines like Digg! or blogging networks.
The power of social recommendations is often greater than paid-for marketing activity, so
retailers would be wise to enable and encourage their customers to share any bargains, unusual
product ﬁnds or wish lists by making it easy for them to post the pages to their social networks.

High ﬂyers: Maplin, Argos, lookfantastic.com

i Maplin include a nice range i
of social network bookmarking
links, but some of the big players
are missing, like Twitter, which
has exploded in popularity in the
UK in 2009.

Overall the retailers we surveyed scored poorly in this section, missing out on opportunities to
spread their marketing reach at no extra cost.

Top tips
Make sure links to share pages on social networking sites are on every product page
Make it as easy as possible
easy Use ‘Tweet this’ buttons which include the URL and pre-written text
for customers to post your
web pages on their social Use ‘Email this’ buttons which generate a pre-written email or form
networking sites with a one- Use ‘forward this page’ buttons
click process.
Encourage customers to follow you on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook, and link with
other marketing messages


Section 6 Checkout and Transaction Funnel

Ensuring your customers are comfortable and confident about transacting on your website
is crucial for turning site visits into sales. With identity fraud and phishing scams rife, online
security is a key concern for many consumers and if your site fails to reassure them of your
integrity and of the safety of their details, most will take their business elsewhere.

6.1 Integrated payment
Reassuringly, this is a criterion that all the retailers we assessed appeared to take seriously.
We awarded full marks to those whose payment pages were integrated within the online shop
domain, and penalised those who took customers off to a third-party domain.

Redirecting customers away from the branded ecommerce site may damage the consumer’s
confidence in the security of the transaction. From the point of view of best practice and brand
trust, dotCommerce recommends always integrating payment screens into the branded site itself.

Poor performers: Avon and Currys

i Avon clearly states that it i
is redirecting the customer to
the secure payment gateway,
but customers would be more
reassured by simply staying on
the Avon site.

Only two retailers made customers leave the main website in order to complete their
payments. The vast majority recognised the importance of keeping a purchasing customer on
their website.
Top tips
A majority, if not all credit
majority n a
cards have da
dates expressed
as numbers. So why do some
numbers S Ask for the billing address first, and then ask if the billing address is the same as shipping
checkout systems specify the address, so users don’t have to type an address out twice
month component in words Many people still have problems with CCV/CV2/AVS. Make sure you explain what they
(Jan, Feb Mar) etc? By all
mean and if you take AMEX, be sure to accept 4 digits rather than three and tell users
means have both words and
numbers to express a credit where to find the security code on an AMEX card
card expiry date, but don’t Be aware of any PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance issues that you might have when
ask your users to do even
you process or store credit card information. Talk to your payment processor for advice on
basic mental arithmetic.
these issues



6.2 Delivery options
Confidence in delivery is a crucial aspect in an individual’s decision to purchase online. Sites
that succeed are those that offer fast, low cost effective, reliable and highly flexible delivery
options to their customers.

High flyers: John Lewis, hmv.com, Game, Currys, Maplin, PC World

i Dixons provide detailed i
information on their choice of
delivery services, including a
premium service that enables the
customer to select the date and
time for their delivery.

Retailers scored poorly in this section, with 4 out of the 20 scoring no points at all, and 30%
scoring just half marks. We found a lack of choice and flexibility in delivery options, and a
resistance to offer a free delivery option. In a fiercely competitive online market place, it is the
retailers who shine in this area that online customers will choose to shop with.
Top tips
You might want to c
ou t consider
Best practice
using multiple s shipping
providers offer the best cost
t Be transparent about delivery pricing, early on the purchase transaction process – don’t
routing for your deliveries. leave the details of delivery cost until late in the process when the customer has already
There are multi channel carrier invested time and effort in completing form fields
solutions that will manage this
for you so you simply pass the Be clear and specific about delivery terms
details of the delivery and they Where possible, offer a free delivery option
will return the cheapest carrier
for the desired flexibility. If you offer free delivery options, then publicise this on the homepage, in your meta
Even if you outsource your descriptions and in the basket and checkout process
warehouse, check if they would
support different carriers. Use free delivery as a mechanism to up-sell to customers, (e.g. ‘spend an extra £5.50 and
get free delivery’)



6.3 Data security and permission capture
Capturing a consumer’s permission to be sent email marketing messages is email marketing
best practice, and important for retailers who want to maximise revenue and sales. Including
an opt-in tick box during the checkout process helps to build a marketing database of actively
engaged email marketing responsive customers.

High flyers: Avon, Currys, Comet, PC World, Dixons

i Avon requires customers to i
accept the terms of their privacy
policy. Avon then invites them
to actively opt-in to marketing
messages - selling them the
benefits of doing so.

Just 6 out of the 20 retailers we assessed provided our mystery shopper customers with a
simple tick box to opt-in to future marketing communications. The retailers who were marked
down in this section may be missing out on the opportunity to create and segment a highly
responsive email marketing database, and use it to drive viral and referral opportunities to grow
the database further.


Legally, B2C online retailers are required only to offer an opt-out of email communications,
if data collected in the checkout process is to be used for marketing purposes
Collecting an opt-in during the checkout process is best practice, as it can help to build a
Top tips more cost-effective database of highly engaged and responsive consumers
Include at the point of opt-in/opt-out, a link to a friendly privacy policy that states how and
The inclusion o a genuine
he of why you store and use personal contact data
VeriSign, Thawte, Comdo
Thaw
or other recogn
recognised SSL Use the wording of your permission statement to inspire confidence on the part of the
provider logo in your customer – not as a legal warning that is more likely to scare them off
checkout process is essential
Consider using double opt-in to ensure you capture accurate email addresses of highly
to reassure customers on
their security and privacy. engaged customers who are happy to confirm who they are by clicking on an email link in
order to opt into your email marketing programmes



6.4 Option to store payment details
Online retailers who give their customers the option for their payment details to be securely
stored, make it easier and quicker for their customers to return and make repeat purchases.

High ﬂyers: Tesco, Asda, Play.com, Game, PC World, Dixons

i
i Asda enable users to opt-
out of having their card details
stored. These details can then be
managed in the ‘My Account’ tab.

With an average score of just 35%, this was one area where the retailers we assessed really fell
down. By making it as easy as possible for customers to buy from you, you’ll increase repeat
transactional visits and reduce shopping cart dropout.

Be aware of th P
the PCI
he
Include an opt-in tick box to enable users to indicate if they would like their billing and/or
regulations wh storing
when
credit card det
details on your credit card details securely stored
own system. If you want to Ask for the CCV number each time a repeat order is placed online
leverage repeat purchases
without the expense of Provide reassuring copy stating how and why this is a safe and secure option for the user
gaining PCI compliance then to choose
check with your Payment
Look for opportunities to store and personalise other information shown to individual
Service Processer and see if
they can store those details users – either through the use of cookies, or a log-in. Using customer intelligence to
for you. personalise content on an ecommerce site helps customers to return to your site, ﬁnd what
they want and purchase quicker and more easily



6.5 Product recommendation and loyalty schemes
The power of online product recommendations should not be underestimated. By
recommending relevant and popular products during and after the checkout process you
encourage customers at the point where they are actively purchasing, to make extra impulse
buys. It’s just like supermarkets putting all those bars of chocolate and celeb magazines in
racks by the tills to encourage last minute impulse purchases.

Well run loyalty schemes can also help to drive customer spend online.

High ﬂyers: lookfantastic.com, Amazon.co.uk, hmv.com

i Amazon.co.uk’s shopping i
basket is jam packed with
both cross-sell and up-sell
suggestions. Customers prone
to making impulse purchases
may find one of these
suggestions hard to resist!

ii Amazon.co.uk include
‘recommendations for your next
visit’ in their email conﬁrmation
following an order – never
missing the opportunity to
encourage customers to make
more purchases.

ii



iii hmv.com use their shopping
iii
basket to promote their
‘purehmv’ rewards scheme and
other special offers.

We awarded retailers marks for recommending products during the checkout process, on the
confirmation/thank you page and in the auto-responder correspondence, as well as awarding
points for loyalty schemes.

We were shocked to find that seven retailers did not take advantage of any of these up-sell and
cross-sell opportunities and only 5 of the 20 ecommerce sites surveyed used 2 or more of the
touch points described to encourage customers to spend more.

The shining beacon of up-sell was Amazon.co.uk who smartly missed no opportunity to offer
website users further ideas and opportunities to spend their money on.

Top tips We did find 45% of retailers publicising a customer loyalty scheme. Whilst these schemes can
be complex to administer and can come with as many pros as with cons, retailers not using
them may be missing an opportunity to increase brand affinity and online spend.
The most effec
effective product
ctive
recommendation system at
recommendat
checkout is rerelated cross- Best practice guidelines
sells. So, if a customer is
buying a TV, the checkout Include product suggestions, related products or ‘customers who bought this also
page will recommend related bought...’ suggestions on product pages, in the shopping basket, on the confirmation/
products with an offer such as
thank you page and in the auto-response confirmation email
a stand, cables, dvd player etc
- items that a customer might Link the product suggestions to the relevant product pages to enable easy purchase
also want to purchase with
the main item. Don’t try and build recommendation technology yourself unless you have very capable
developers - most ecommerce sites oursource this to third parties


Section 7 After Sale

Once an online sale has been successfully completed there are some key steps that retailers
can take to make sure the customer feels both confident about their decision to purchase, and
valued as a customer.

Staying in touch throughout the fulfilment process is important, so the customer knows when
to expect delivery and is alerted if any delays occur. Once the item is delivered, it’s time to
start consolidating and nurturing the customer relationship by using carefully targeted email
marketing messages.

7.1 Email confirmation
Making sure customers receive a detailed email confirmation immediately after an online
purchase is a very important step. The email should state clearly the details of the transaction
– the products bought, price paid and the method of payment used.

It is also important to set out the delivery details and set expectations in terms of delivery times.
This will help reassure the customer and can pre-empt calls into your customer services team.

It’s also a good idea to include details about how the customer can get further information or
help if they have any post-transaction queries or questions.

The next step is to send an email to the customer to let them know when the item has been
despatched. Again, it’s important to set expectations and let them know when the product
will arrive.

High flyers: Tesco, John Lewis, Currys, Dixons
Every one of the retailers we looked at sent an order confirmation email following the sale.
Most also managed to send a confirmation of despatch, with only 25% failing to follow this
latter step.


Keep emails short and to the point whilst including all the relevant details that
customers need
Always include customer service details in the email in case your shopper wants to get
in touch
Make sure that delivery estimates are as accurate as possible
Include returns information to increase customer confidence


Hititng The Checkout

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Hititng The Checkout

Similar to Hititng The Checkout (20)

More from Stanislav Dimitrov

More from Stanislav Dimitrov (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Hititng The Checkout