"Wow, I really love your web store experience. It is so intuitive and responding so nicely. I want a website just like that!"
This is the story every retailer is familiar with. Their biggest competitor is doing better and has the perfect experience. And you, as a developer, has to improve the sales experience with some small modifications.
What many of the retailers and sales representatives are simply clueless about is that a 'good frontend User Experience' is more than applying a couple of styling changes. The UX experience can only be created, if the entire order and data flow is handled correctly. Because the last thing you want are some suggestions of your front-end dev team to enrich the dataset of your 10.000+ catalog items.
A good User experience in eCommerce is created, when the customer's expectations and experience level is matched, when it comes to ordering. You have to prevent the visitor from worrying about: 'What is my credit card?' and, 'When do I get my order?' And it does not only depend on if the button color is the right one for the best conversion. And getting a WOW from clients only, is not enough for Young-dogs. We believe that a WOW has to be delivered as well to the team running the eCommerce operations. Only if both front- and backend users are enjoying working with the eCommerce environment, we will be getting a WOW that converts into a successful digital Sales Business model.
It is important to take a close look at the different stages of incorporating Digital Sales into a team, organization or business. In order to get the right User Experience on your eCommerce platform. Here at Young-dogs we focus on 5 stages when it comes down to getting eCommerce experience to a WOW level. Our objective is first to get a good strategy for the mid- to long-term. This in order to be able to make the right decisions and avoid wasting valuable development time.
UX expectation definition
eCommerce Business scan
Project definition
Development and implementation
Adding WOW for all
When we zoom in more on these 5 stages, we can see which effect they will have on the User Experience.
Defining your WOW experience
There is no default for a good online experience. Clients shopping for fashion items are demanding another approach than your B2B client who has to order frequently on your order platform.
At Young-dogs we start with defining with sales intel, current client order process and summing up the Unique selling arguments. With those as a base, we know what flexibility towards the UX and the dataset are required. It also gives us a good insight in what to study in more detail. In this phase, we can make a first indication of a project budget.
eCommerce Business Scan
Making the sales process a good User experience, requires lining up all operations. Marketing, production, administration, payments, logistics and transactional messages. Every business and product type has a special way in achieving these objectives. To get this right we execute a full business scan using checklists, data scans covering all these areas and documenting it. If you have a Business to Consumer situation, do not forget to reserve a special part for your Search Engine Ranking and Advertising in this part. We move the data towards the next phase in defining a eCommerce project with a good UX, making RFP definitions.
Project definition
An eCommerce project definition can be considered to be more complex than a standard software development definition. It also has to include Graphical experience definitions and data flows. Covering all departments of a business. We, at Young-dogs, keep the format that is used in software development and state all definitions in an RFP (request for proposal).
As part of this process, we will benchmark the RFP comparing solutions offered in the market. Whether this is Open or Closed Source, existing or full custom-made. We will take all options into account. Resulting in a Project plan and definitions of tasks that can feed the Scrum working method. After making some hard decisions, the important final project and budget can be defined.
Development and implementation
Every developer is eager to get the hand on. Nothing more satisfying than a well-thought-out solution coming to live in a data process flow. The Scrum working method here is best where close contact between Product Owner, Scrum master and development team is taking place. Keeping an eye on the definitions and budget. Because if one of them is moving or adapted, you have a challenge in your project that needs attention.
Adding WOW
Time for implementation and get the eCommerce environment ready for usage. This can be with a 'big bang' of course, by replacing all the existing software simultaneously. However, you might want to consider a more fluent implementation following the Scrum method. Delivering in blocks or partial solutions.
Final element, get your WOW right. Spend time with your developers and involve the marketing department in the process to spice up the entire user experience with some WOW.
In case you have any doubts on how to follow or implement this structure for the setup of your project. Or you want a consult, just contact us.
This entry was written by Folkert our eCommerce specialist
