TulipTools Internet Business Owners and Online Sellers Community

Quote:Because web site design is so fundamental to success in online retailing, Internet Retailer proudly announces its first single topic conference: Web Design ’08, which will be held at the beautiful new InterContinental Hotel in Miami on Jan. 30-Feb. 1. From the leading organizer of e-retailing conferences, Internet Retailer’s Web Design ’08 Conference will feature two full days of conference sessions with 33 expert speakers who will present the dos and don’ts of retail web site design and usability. They’ll provide attendees with practical tips that will immediately enhance their web site’s conversion rates and profits. What are the proven principles of effective retail web design? What new concepts in web design are showing great promise? And what technologies are on the market or in the pipeline that will change the form and function of online retailing?

Quote: The Artful Home is all about selling original artwork and crafts. But it took a scientific look at how customers were searching its web site to figure out why so many were having trouble finding the items they wanted.

By poring over search logs, Dawn Wayt found as many as 30% of customer searches yielded no results, in part because the site presented no alternatives when customers misspelled an artist’s name or a word like “jewelry.” By enhancing the search feature so that it returned results for the most likely correct spellings, the site reduced null results to 8%.

The lesson: “Focus on your customers. Know why they come to your site, what they’re looking for and help them find it,” ...