14 Jun 2010 |
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The transcript below is from the interview that I had with her about eCommerce, Social Media and Mobile Devices. She has a lot of great insight into how people act when they use the web, and I'm very glad that she was able to have a talk with me about this. If you have any questions for Pamela or if you would like to get in touch with her about your own projects, you can do so at her website or on Twitter, @pamelahazelton. If you are interested in following other Developer Interviews, you can follow me at @twintrview or at the hashtag #twtv. Alright, Pamela, let s get started. Are you there? I am here! And, to save space, I'll let you call me Pam - just this once. :-) 1. Thanks Pam. :) To start, would you mind telling everyone a little bit about who you are and what you do?I am an ecommerce consultant - primary focus on shopability, which is the usability of an online or mobile store. I also design and develop, primarily with the Miva Merchant shopping cart. I speak at events, and am also - no surprise - a webOS devotee! 2. How long have you been working in eCommerce? Or, more specifically, with Miva Merchant?Been working in ecommerce and Miva Merchant since 1997. 3. What are some aspects of shopability' that you find particularly important to new eStore owners?The most important aspects of shopability are: 1) Pleasing, not-too-busy design; 2) Easy Navigation 3) Guidance without lengthy text or treating them like "idiots" and 4) Logical flows. One big problem I encounter with newer sites is BIG BOLD RED text because they think that s the way to get attention. 4. How would you advise someone get a visitor s attention, if big red text is so ill-advised?Get attention by making it easy for them. Don't over-clutter and use compelling graphics in conjunction with text. Logical buttons - like a shopping cart icon with text for "cart" or "basket". But most things newbies put in BIG BOLD text are restrictions, which should instead be "programmed". For example, if you don't ship to Alaska/Hawaii - put a standard message then don't display the state. 5. What I hear you saying is, simplicity is Best'. Right? Is this just with the design, the layout, content or something else?Absolutely! Simplicity works. People hate to read until they "want to" - so keep it clean, all the way to the product page. You can still be very descriptive about products, but tell the story first with the name, pictures, bullet items and key features. Then provide all the finer details (in a scroll box, popup, or further down) to keep them from going elsewhere to find out more. The simplicity concept goes with everything. Keep in mind that all the important stuff has be above the scroll line. 6. What is the importance of developing an eStore for mobile devices when the market is still somewhat small?I get asked this by clients and store owners all the time, and the reason is simple - to be closer to the top when it gets hot. Even for the few shopping via mobile right now, they need stores to shop. If you get in now, you stand to gain new customers. And if you provide them good service, they'll stay with you AND refer you. That s a golden opportunity. Because when your competitors finally come in, you'll already have established yourself. 7. What are some important things to consider when developing for mobile devices? Any good eStore examples?Ironically? Amazon - they are web site is not a prime example, but their mobile site does it s job. Quick to use, searchable. Many people think a mobile store is the same, just smaller. Not at all. BUT that doesn't mean you can't provide details.graphics and reviews and some other features. The key things are simple navigation, robust (yet simple to use) search and easy to read/scroll product pages and a simple checkout. I hear many leaning toward mobile apps - and while there are advantages, you have to consider that they cost more and most users - down the road - don't want to be running 100 different apps just to shop. 8. I agree that we don't want 100 different apps just to shop, but how do we solve that when there are 100s of eStores?Well, I would like to see some "standards" on mobile browsers to ensure that a mobile site looks on an iPhone just as it does on webOS. BTW, I'll point out, that while a good portion of business people use iPhone, the bulk of Mom and Dad "shoppers" do not. So secluding yourself to a single device won't get you the ROI you would expect. 9. From a Follower: You currently do a lot in the webOS community (you run a LinkedIn group here, for example). Why Palm?I was introduced to the Treo line by colleagues and I just fell in love with what I could do.When the iPhone came out, I thought it was cool, but kind of too fad-dy for me, but man, who wouldn't want a touchscreen? When webOS came out, I followed it all along, but had to wait, because I'm on Verizon - so when I got my Pre Plus, well, I just fell in love all over again. And I have compared it to friends' iPhones, and webOS just slaps the iPhone around. LOL But, if I had to give a single answer to "Why Palm?" Because they embrace developers to give US, the users, everything else 10. Do you know of any webOS shopping apps that you would recommend to users?I honestly haven't used any "store" apps on my Pre as of yet, save for App Catalog, but there are some useful apps for Shopping locally that I love - like Shopping List. When I shop on my Pre, I shop via browser. 11. Do you think that mobile shopping could possibly overtake regular browser shopping in the number of users?I think it would be YEARS before we would see the number of mobile shoppers come close to desktop shoppers. First, not everyone is going to upgrade to smartphones - they cost more upfront and more to use. Second, I think many will be overly concerned with security, just as we saw when ecommerce itself first started really taking off. But, I do see (project, that is) that we will see more money spent per order from mobile devices, and more visits/orders by loyal customers. Because shopping from anywhere won't just be easy, but it will also, in a way, cure boredom, like in an airport. 12. What kinds of services do you offer people who need a new eStore or need improvements to their current store?Analysis - that s always necessary to determine what needs to change; design (I have a great graphic designer) and consultation. If they are on the Miva Merchant shopping cart, my company can handle just about everything, if not, then we'll work with other developers. 13. If you could tell one thing to every potential eStore owner, what would it be?One Thing: RESEARCH before you Dive. If you don't know what you are doing, chances are it will cost you more later. Awesome, thanks very much for talking with me tonight, Pam. Any final words before we go? Long live webOS!!! (and ecommerce, and me, of course) Comments (1)
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