Of buttons and brains:e-commerce tricks and tips

Eric Reiss@elreiss

UXcamp Europe8 June 2014

Berlin, Germany

Rational/physicalIntuitive/emotional

UnderstandableRewarding

Let the games begin…

Right answer.Wrong focus.

Thanks forplaying.

Goodbye.

Words of wisdom #1

Forms are the Elmer Fuddsof e-commerce.

Words of wisdom #2

Your form may be the firstand only true dialog youhave with a customer.

Words of wisdom #3

There is no such thingas “online-conversion” without a form that works.

The most (in)famous form of our time?

Source: L. David Roper

Words of wisdom #4

Bad form design costs morethan just customers.

A bad form can cost lives.

The top four problems with forms

• They come at a dumb time

• They are unintelligible

• They are difficult to complete

• They cannot be completed

Words of wisdom #5

If you want people to giveyou something, give themsomething first. They willfeel a sense of obligation.

“I don’t want to marryyou guys. I just want to buy something. Stopforcing a relationship on me!”

A frustrated shopper

Opinionated observation #1

Some e-commerce sites are essentially the cyberspaceequivalent of date-rape.

10 things customers will tell you1. Don’t tell me how great you are. BE great!2. Go the extra mile.3. Don’t get in my way when I’m trying to shop.4. If I know what I’m looking for, help me find it.5. If I have questions, I want straight answers, not a salestalk.6. Tell me if you’re going off to look for my size. Don’t just turn and leave. 7. If you expect me to buy something, tell me what it costs8. Are your own affairs so important that you feel justified in ignoring me?9. Don’t make me feel stupid.10. If you make a mistake, admit it.

Sources: Paco Underhill, Eric Reiss

The top four problems with forms

• They come at a dumb time

• They are unintelligible

• They are difficult to complete

• They cannot be completed

Courtesy of Mark Hurst

The top four problems with forms

• They come at a dumb time

• They are unintelligible

• They are difficult to complete

• They cannot be completed

Scary fact #1

About 75% of the people whorequested a password, didn’t even try to complete a purchaseonce requested.

Source: Jared Spool

The top four problems with forms

• They come at a dumb time

• They are unintelligible

• They are difficult to complete

• They cannot be completed

Rational/physical

Understandable

Intuitive/emotional

Rewarding

Berlin

HollywoodGermany

And what are you looking for in a shoe?

Words

What’s in our shared-reference toolkit?

Words“Words”

http://www.cdnow.com

“Words”

“Who are they?”“What is this?” “No habla inglés”

“I’m new to the web”

But culture can kill

Old Hawaiian Hula Dancer Girl Motion LampAll original and signed Dodge Inc on the base. Shade is original also but needs some repair or restoration. The hula girl is in wonderful condition with a fabulous patina. There is a little loss to the bronze finish at her right shoulder. No chips, cracks, repairs or scratches. Hula mechanics work excellent -- strong and quiet. Light works also. The only damage I have to report is the switch is bent some but still works -- I don't want to try to straighten it and risk breaking it. There are 4 settings--off, hula only, lamp only and lamp and hula. Wiring looks good. Base is 7 1/4" diameter. Lamp is 18" tall to top of the socket, 21 1/2" tall with shade attached. This is the very first hula girl motion lamp -- she has a lei around her neck and around each ankle. She looks to be made of bronze but I don't think so. Circa 1940's. What looks like spotting on the base is magnified dust particles from rubbing my finger on her skirt to straighten it out -- my camera really shows them up for some reason.

Scary fact #2

Longer text outperformsshort text by 40.5%

• Short-copy ROI = -14%• Long-copy ROI = +21%

Source: Marketingexperiments.com

“Words fail me…”

Words of wisdom #6

Show Bugs the carrot patch.

Rational/physical

Understandable

Intuitive/emotional

Rewarding

I gss you cn rd ths txt :) wtht vwls.

And what comes next…� Big Mac� Large shake� ???Fries

Words of wisdom #7

Content is king.But context is the kingdom.

The magic of context

• It differentiates your products

• It differentiates your company

• It provides a service

• It facilitates upselling

Scary fact #3

In the dark, all toothpaste looks alike. But so does hemorrhoid cream.

Context differentiates. Yet often changes.

Source: Eric Reiss

Words of wisdom #9

Bugs might be interestedin your lettuce patch, too.

Rational/physical

Understandable

Intuitive/emotional

Rewarding

Mid brainlove, hate

Old brainsex, survival

New brainMT = a + b log2(2A/W + c)

Cognitive challenges

• Control images and colors• Limit choices (or expand them)• Provide social validation• Invoke scarcity• Play on fear of loss

Buy now! Buy now!

21% increase in conversions

Source: University of Bergen, Norway

Cognitive challenges

• Control images and colors• Limit choices (or expand them)• Provide social validation• Invoke scarcity• Play on fear of loss

+

vs. vs.

Three different scenarios� Buy camera and case at same time

� Expectation that some high-end cases would be sold

� Case bought separately – two choices� Expectation that mostly low-end case would be sold

� Case bought separately – three choices� Expectation that mostly mid-range case would be sold

Inspired by Dr. Susan Weinschenk

Cognitive challenges

• Control images and colors• Limit choices (or expand them)• Provide social validation• Invoke scarcity• Play on fear of loss

Scarcity

Social validation

Fear of loss

39 x 3 = 117

Words of wisdom #10

It’s always funny when Bugs’prefrontal cortex triumphs overElmer Fudds’s amygdala andhippocampus.

Rational/physical

UnderstandableRewarding

Intuitive/emotional

Words of wisdom #11

You play the game.Or you lose the game.

Danke!

Eric Reiss can (usually) be found at:

The FatDUX Group ApSStrandøre 152100 CopenhagenDenmark

Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44Twitter: @elreissinfo@fatdux.comwww.fatdux.com