Internet shopping may be growing in popularity, but competition among providers of goods and services may be tougher online than in the real world because it is so much easier to go to an alternative supplier.
This is the view of Dax Data MD Jeremy Matthews, who points out that on the Web, "competition is never more than a few clicks away".
Matthews says the online consumer market is rapidly progressing beyond the mere delivery of products and services. This means that, as in the real world, providing a superior customer experience remains a key differentiator.
To remain competitive in what Matthews calls the "emerging experience economy", he says Web designers have to move beyond the limitations of traditional HTML-based sites.
"The impact of new technologies has accelerated the emergence of rich, client‑side platforms that deliver a more compelling sensory experience and highly responsive user interface," says Matthews.
In addition to being visually stimulating, Matthews advises that Websites should be simple to navigate and enable customers to accomplish their goals as efficiently, reliably and predictably as possible.
"Customers welcome the ability to store personal and customised information," says Matthews. This effectively reduces the likelihood of a customer switching to another Website because of the time and effort invested in establishing this data, he explains.
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