website investigation
website design
techniques used to engage, entice and retain customers
Below is a description of four different techniques deployed by eBuyer to either engage, entice or retain their customer base. Transactional web sites use many different techniques to do this and a lot of these have been used in physical stores for as long as businesses existed. But with the advent of the digital economy further opportunities have emerged that can make businesses more successful in dealing with their customers.
1. Ebuyer's "Deal of the day!" advertising campaign
Every day eBuyer has a special offer that is aimed at enticing new and retaining existing customers. The deal of the day advert is usually displayed along the right side of each page in the web site. It normally consists of bright colours that stick out from the web site's white background. An example is shown to the right. Notice how the 'deal of the day' text and the price is in bold to highlight the advert's presence. An attractive snapshot of the product is placed in the centre to attract even more attention. When the advert is clicked the customer is taken straight through to the product's details page. From here he or she can quickly purchase the item.
2. Blowout products
I found in my studies of e-commerce websites that this technique is unique to eBuyer's operation. It is similar to when factories sell imperfect or unwanted goods. A 'blowout' is an open box product that has had its price discounted because there is a minor problem with it such as a missing user manual or the packaging has been opened. All Blowout products are offered in good working order, with a 90 day warranty to give the customer complete peace of mind. This entices all those who love to sniff out a good bargain.
3. Customer surveys
After every purchase that I have made on eBuyer, I have always been asked to complete a customer survey asking for my own personal opinion of the web site and the entire buying process. This survey has always asked questions about certain web site features. Thankfully, I have found these questions to be very easy to understand and answer and believe that even the most inexperienced e-customers would have no trouble doing the same. Most of the questions are of the multiple choice variety and I would imagine this is to make it easier for eBuyer to identify significant trends in the received data and then offer their customers a more personalised service as a result. This type of survey along with the other data collected enables eBuyer to build up a profile of their customers thus allowing them to be innovative and create new ways to persuade customers to spend more money at the web site and also reduce any wastage.
4. Email newsletters
Ebuyer's advertising and web site operation is backed up by a strong email campaign. However these emails can sometimes generate a negative reaction in existing customers. In my opinion most would look upon these as unsolicited mail (aka SPAM) and would be surprised that a creditable company like eBuyer uses these means. However they must do it for good reason. Ebuyer's email newsletter usually contains a prize draw of some kind. Below is an example of this:
This prize draw is at the head of the email newsletter and is immediately followed by some special items of interest. This is a very clever and enticing technique--the customer is attracted to the prize draw and thus eBuyer gains their attention, then they bombard the customer with a selection of mouth-watering special deals. It must have some effect on some customers otherwise eBuyer would not be using this rather suspect technique. The newsletter also gives the company a platform to inform customers of any updates to the site. In their most recent newsletter, they invite existing customers to preview the new beta version of their site.
Judging by these four techniques deployed, I would suggest that eBuyer makes the most of all the customer information that they collect; especially in the realm of advertising.
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