Creating a Successful Web Presence Designing the User Interface and Promoting the Electronic Commerce Web Site

2 Objectives To explore effective web sites To learn about business promotion techniques To understand how to meet the needs of web site visitors To explore usability testing in website design To identify and reach customers on the web To view making approaches that work on the web To understand elements of branding To understand branding strategies and costs

3 Creating an Effective Web Presence What is presence –Public image an organization conveys –Often portrayed through employees –Web presence is critical: in eCommerce it is the primary means of customer and supplier contact Web presence goals –Sales brochure, product showroom, financial information, customer contact

4 Identifying Web Presence Goals Goal: create a distinctive presence, and meet business objectives –Attracting visitors –Encourage visitors to stay & explore –Obtain information about the company –Create an impression consistent with the desired image, or –Reinforce existing positive images of the organization

5 Web Presence Goals for Non-Profits Disseminate information Provide a two-way contact channel Examples –Amnesty International –United Nations –Greenpeace –Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) –CNIBCNIB

6 Meet the Needs of Website Visitors Why do visitors arrive at a website? –Learn about, or buy, products or services –Obtain information about a company –Identify people who manage the company –Obtain financial information for making an investment or credit-granting decision –Find out about warranties or service –Get telephone or other contact information

7 Creating Flexible Website Interfaces Goal: build flexibility into the interface. Interface definition –Interface is the view it offers to visitors –Includes layout, colours, hyperlinks, images and controls Design for visually impaired and disabled users. –ALT tags/screen tips

8 Flexible Website Interfaces (cont.) Let visitors choose information attributes. –Level of detail –Grouping or selecting items to display –Viewing format –Downloading format Provide multiple ways to find information on the site.

9 Usability Testing Definition: an observation or monitoring of person’s actions as they use a website. How? –Focus groups –Automated testing

10 Website Design Guidelines Design around how visitors will use the links, not around the organizational structure. Place frequently used links at the top of the page. Show company name and contact information on the home page. Make sure all pages include a link back to the home page.

11 Website Design Guidelines (cont.) Be consistent with design features and colours. Clearly label navigation controls and links. Ensure colors and text are visible to colour-blind visitors. Conduct usability tests. Update frequently, eliminate stale content

12 Measuring Advertising Effectiveness Standard metric: Cost per thousand (CPM) –Value per visitor varies, depending on the amount of information gathered or known Other metrics (see page 2.20) –Visit: a visitor loads a page –Impression: a view of a banner ad –Click-through: a visitor clicks on a banner ad

13 Communication on the Web Mass media –One-to-many model –Flows from one advertiser to many customers –Seller is active, buyer is passive Personal contact –One-to-one model –Interchange within a framework of trust –Seller and buyer are active

14 Communication on the Web (cont.) Web –Many-to-one/many-to-many model –Buyers can communicate with many sellers –Buyer actively searches, and controls the length, depth and scope of the search

15 Communication Channels

16 Levels of Trust

17 Marketing on the Web: Customer Relationship Management What is CRM? Companies obtain detailed information about a customer’s behaviour, preferences, needs and buying patterns and use that information to set prices, negotiate terms, add features and customize the entire relationship with that customer

18 Customer Relationships DimensionsTechnology-enabled Customer Relationship Management Traditional Relationships with Customers AdvertisingInformation provided in response to specific customer inquiries Deliver a uniform message to all customers TargetingIdentifying and responding to specific customer behaviours and preferences Market segmentation Promotions and discounts Individually tailoredSame for all Distribution channels Direct or through intermediaries; customer’s choice Through intermediaries chosen by seller

19 Customer Relationships DimensionsTechnology-enabled Customer Relationship Management Traditional Relationships with Customers PricingNegotiated with each customer Set by seller for all New product featuresRespond to customer demands Seller-determined based on its own research and development Measurements used to manage customer relationship Customer retention; total value of the individual customer relationship Market share; profit

20 Permission Marketing What is spam? –Unsolicited ‘Opt-in’ is a part of permission marketing –Only send to customers who have indicated an interest in receiving it –May require incentives

21 Privacy Policy What is the firms policy?

22 Creating and Maintaining Web Brands Brands try to represent quality, value and other desirable attributes Branded products are easier to promote, because each product carries the reputation of the brand name The value of brands nearly always exceeds the cost of creating them

23 Elements of Branding Differentiation –Ivory soap example – “it floats” Relevance –The product offers utility to the consumer Perceived Value –Customer perceives they are getting “a good deal”

24 Emotional & Rational Branding Emotional branding –Feel good about the product Rational branding –Substitutes an offer to help web users in return for viewing an ad –Popularity is diminishing

25 Affiliate Marketing The linking of a review, rating, description or information on one web site to another where the product can be purchased Example –Amazon

26 Website Naming Issues Obtaining a domain name Domain types –.com (most popular) –.org –.net –.biz –.ca (country codes)

27 Website Naming Issues (cont.) Trademark issues “Framing” your domain name Legal issues and the confusion on who owns a name

28 Assignment Evaluate the information that Indigo.ca provides in relation to the chapter materialIndigo.ca Write a memo to your superior that. suggests 3 things that can be improved on in the web site design. (Also look at the web design checklist) Report an dead links in the chapter

29 Assignment (cont) Complete Tutorial 2 as described in the text Select 10 of the websites referenced in the text in Tutorial 2. In tabular form list each URL and describe: –the purpose for the website –the users of the website services –does this website successfully 1) inform, 2) persuade, and 3) empower its users? –the effective use of branding in the website –how is this e-commerce company trying to establish trust and do they succeed?