Marketing Sherpa (subscription required) just published a report, showing yet again that one size does not fit all when it comes to optimizing shopping carts.

Not much marketing data exists regarding color choices on Web sites. This is one reason why so many marketers go with trendy colors or gut feelings.

One office supply retailer wanted real answers, so they tested five specific color and button size design elements. The results didn’t go as expected [...]

In terms of the Buy Now button appearing…

...continue to read "Conversion Testing: The Red Button Fallacy"

We’re sick of the term ‘users,’ and we’ve been unhappy with it publicly for many years. So congratulations to Josh Bernoff for puting his foot down and saying enough is enough. Users is a terrible term . It puts everyone in the wrong state of mind. Users don’t come to your website – people do. Give people a great experience in a scenario that reflects their buying process, and they won’t just become your users; they will become your customers.

...continue to read "Amen Brother!!! Down With “Users”"

I grocery shop once a week and, although I’m never without my grocery list, there are always impulse items I buy for various reasons. There are also those items on my list that I simply have never thought of purchasing online instead of at the grocery store; cleaning products, bath towels and light bulbs, for instance.

Now, I’m big on environmentally friendly products and I recycle as much as humanly possible, so I’d easily be attracted to a product such as…

...continue to read "Are Your Visitors Searching for Your Products?"

Several major websites are down today: Netflix, Craigslist, Typepad and others. I’m sure they all have back-up and redundancy plans but were they ready for this “A drunk employee kills all of the websites you care about“? They’re losing business.

Is your website vulnerable? Do you have redundancy plans?

Breaking news: Angry mob gathers outside SF datacenter

...continue to read "Your Website May Be More Vulnerable Than You Suspect"

There are infinite ways to keep visitors engaged with your website — whether the experience itself is broken or the person visiting it has issues. Smashing Magazine highlights some of the best “404 error” messages around, with some great ideas for flipping a potentially negative impression into a positive one.

Anyone have a custom 404 message they’d like to share?

...continue to read "Flipping the 404 Pancake"

Jeffrey Eisenberg’s post on the 12-kinds of ads slideshow reminded me of the much talked-about VW “Safe Happens” campaign, which in turn reminded me of my comments regarding negative images and modulating their intensity.

To me, this VW (Volkswagen AG) campaign gets it wrong. First, they make the negative image as intense as possible — even to the point of pointing the camera in a passenger’s-eye view during the most traumatic moments of the crash. Definitely a present tense and “You” perspective!

Additionally, they…

...continue to read "Are VW Ads Sending A Dangerous Signal?"

From the Economist:

DESPITE an increase in entertainment choices, watching television remains as popular as ever, according to the OECD’s “Communications Outlook 2007”. In 15 of the 18 countries for which data were collected, broadcast-TV viewing increased from 1997 to 2005. Only in Spain, New Zealand and South Korea did people watch less. America takes the couch-potato crown, with households goggling at the box for an eye-straining average of 8 hours and 11 minutes every day. The nearest rival, Turkey, only…

...continue to read "Is New Media Killing TV Viewership?"

We’re not big fans of meetings and neither is Jason of 37 Signals his post has received tons of comments on the the one hour meeting:

It’s no mystery that we’re meeting averse, but here’s another reason why we think meetings are toxic: There’s no such thing as the one-hour meeting.

If you’re going to schedule a meeting that lasts one hour and invite 10 people to attend then it’s a ten-hour meeting, not a one-hour meeting. You are trading 10 hours of…

...continue to read "The Myth of The One Hour Meeting"

I just got back from my daily trip to Starbucks (SBUX). They recently installed a drive-thru window at the one near my house, so I’m pretty excited. Generally speaking, I’m not a lazy person — but time is money, my friends!

So, here’s the deal. I order the same thing every day; a tall, iced chocolate milk with a shot of almond flavor. (I know, pretty lame.) Some days, they charge me $2.91 and some days, they charge me $2.59. Initially,…

...continue to read "Too Much Foam in Starbucks’ Pricing"

How do you determine the color scheme for your website? Do you use proven color theory? Do you try to match the colors in your logo? Do you choose colors you like?

If you’re trying to appeal to women, should you use different colors than if you are trying to appeal to men?

First, I have to go on this very short rant. If you’re targeting women, please do not automatically default to pink. Don’t do it. Yes, some women love pink. Others hate…

...continue to read "Web Design Colors — Do Men and Women Respond Differently?"