Comments on: Online Shopping Frustrates Me

By: John E.

John E. — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:31:57 +0000

Google Checkout anyone? Or some sort of secure “wallet” on the customer’s machine for one-click transactions.

Amazon got the easy checkout part right, if they would let me ditch all the recommendations and random buttons it would be even better.

By: Jeffrey Eisenberg

Jeffrey Eisenberg — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 03:23:55 +0000

Buyers simply expect the best experience they can get. The buyer will not settle. She will look for more enlightened business people who will try harder and not smugly insist that they “get over it.” Quicker, cheaper and easier are admirable characteristics but they are not always the only factors that make a purchase pleasant and fulfilling.

By: David H.

David H. — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:43:39 +0000

Shopping carts are not the problem. It’s the buyer’s buying process. The buyer expects their buying experienceto be the same on the web as it is at a local brick-mortar store. We can throw millions of dollars of technology and software development at a shopping cart checkout process but alas Mr. Eisenburg will STILL be releasing new articles, books and seminars on optimizing your shopping cart.

The solution? It will ultimately come down to acceptance by the Internet purchaser. Many of us have come the accept the fact that if we want stuff cheaper, quicker or easier we must endure a shopping cart checkout.

By: Online Sales Lose Steam says the New York Times

Online Sales Lose Steam says the New York Times — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:09:42 +0000

[...] cites a few more reasons, none allude to the fact that many online shopping experiences still , um, suck. While allowing shoppers to shop online and purchase offline is still a vital health metric, we [...]

By: John D

John D — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 17:19:55 +0000

I agree with Robert. we are passed the days when ordering online was a novelty and how clever it was when your order actually arrived. Some online shopping sites still think thats all that is needed. My wife and I both ordered items online in the last few weeks to be told the items were in stock and will be shipped promptly. Guess what,neither item was in stock and both missed critical birthday deadlines.

My recent “experience” is broken promises and poor telephone service follow up that lacks any ownership of the relationship. There is nothing better than seeing the whites of the eyes of people you are buying from. That is the experience online retailers need to capture or they will end up rightfully with ” E Shutters” on their shop window.

By: Robert Gorell

Robert Gorell — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:49:39 +0000

“Luddite” is definitely the wrong word. Anthony’s suggesting that how people BUILD checkout processes is what’s old and broken.

Besides, the technology’s the simple part now; so there’s no excuse.

This is about planning, and what’s lagging these days is how ecommerce sites over-complicate the checkout and under-plan the experience.

By: Bryan Eisenberg

Bryan Eisenberg — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:31:04 +0000

If you take the premise that every evolution in sales and commerce is supposed to reduce the friction for the consumer, I think it is easy to say that checking out of a shop online is still incredibly more work than it is to check out in a physical retail environment. Most people would prefer apples to apples to swipe and sign than fill out 20+ fields in a form. There is still a huge opportunity for someone to simplify this process and make it as easy as its off-line counterpart.

By: PK

PK — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:22:39 +0000

valid points, but please. whaaaaaaaaa! you’re in the wrong business to be a luddite.