Understanding your customers

Your website is your store front; you want customers peeking through the window and ultimately coming through the door to make a purchase. A successful website is should be customer-centric.

The Web is a selfish and "noisy" place. Most people have absolutely no interest in links such as "What We Do" and "About Us". They only care about what you can do for them. When they reach your home page, within 30 seconds they determine whether you understand their needs or if you are wasting their time.

ACTION: Before designing a site I get my clients to write a descriptive paragraph about their customers. They find this exercise very valuable, since it forces the business to articulate details about their customers. It is an important factor to consider when designing a customer-centric website. Usually, the good operators are able to provide these details in a matter of minutes and in many cases, so can their staff.

Consider the following:

Customer Value Proposition - Three or more reasons why a customer should spend money in your business - it may not just be about the product, but also the experience, helping the environment, feeling good about themselves etc.

Are we selling to an individual, a company or a country?

Demographic attributes such as age, sex, beliefs, etc. For example in Australia, women and Generation Y are the big spenders. Not considering them as part of your web design, means you are excluding a huge chunk from your customer database. Think about who actually has the persuasive power to purchase your product.

Identifying a customer's potential "pain" or need

What information are my customers seeking?

What main products/services do my customers need

Did you know?

Research shows that89 percent[1] of consumers shop for information about products and services online, before leaving the house. Many of these consumers then go on to purchase the item they were researching. Many consumers making these purchasing decisions are women. Most of the product research is done on the web, after hours when the kids are in bed.

Consider Generation Y and Millennium Babies' purchasing habits. These new generations of shoppers, spend hours on the web, via their iPhones, Netbooks and mobile phones. They investigate and in many instance purchase items that can bring them instant gratification. These shoppers don't need much of a reason to spend, they just need an opportunity. Use your website to harness the power of these spenders.

For customers in today's market place, not having a website leads to lack of credibility and a business can be perceived as "dodgy".

Think global, produce local. Today, the shopping market is global and not restricted to your backyard. This is especially a valuable opportunity for business' that are no longer restricted by regional borders, but only if their customers are able to find them on the web.

An effective website can level the playing field between big and small business. Online shoppers use a business' website to establishes the fact that your company and brand are trustworthy and of the highest quality.

Understanding your customers
Ensure your website is easy to navigate and use
Content is King!
Google Adwords - changing the way business market their products
Convert a visitor into a purchaser using a "Call-to-Action"

[1] Yahoo! and comScore Study Finds Online Consumers Who Pre-Shop on the Web Spend More In-Store. Please see press release http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1547

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News Flash

Would you like 50% increase in sales from last year?

Current Affair ran a story on how some business are leveraging the internet to sell their products online. Some have experienced an increase of 50% since last year.

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