How NOT to sell anything online — Ever. (Please, don't do this!)
February 26, 2010
So I was in the market for a new help desk system, and I decided to go with the one that my primary hosting provider uses because it's really great to interact with from the user perspective (in my opinion). I file support tickets with my host all the time to get all kinds of things done, and it's always very straight-forward and easy to do. As I look through the back-end demo on the support software vendor's web site, I see that it does lots of great things that will help my support staff.
Wonderful, I'm ready to buy.
Problem #1: Where's the buy link?
But, wait, how do I buy? I'm looking around on the page describing the various levels of the software I can purchase, but there's no "buy" link next to any of them.
After a few moments of hunting, I finally see it in the upper-right hand corner of the page — masked by its background color. Not easy to see at all.
I click Order Now.
Problem #2: I can't buy without an account.
After clicking Order Now, I'm taken to a screen informing me that I have to create an account or login. What? Why? Why do I need an account to purchase a piece of software?
I'm annoyed, but I start filling out the form. It asks for all kinds of irrelevent information: my address (it's a software download, why do they need my address?), my company name, fax number (does anybody fax anymore?) etc.
At least it doesn't make me verify my email address before logging me in.
Problem #3: I can't buy using the email address I gave them.
After logging into the system using the account I (for some reason) had to create, I have to step through four pages of selections before finally getting to the "make your payment" button (yes, four pages of unnecessary selections).
I click the "make your payment" button — but wait! — I'm informed that I can't purchase using a Gmail email address.
Seriously! They won't take my money because my email address is through Gmail! How ludicrous is that??? On top of that, they inform me of this AFTER I go through four pages of selections and NOT before I create the account!
So after hunting around the account screen, I finally find an 'Account Settings' link where (I assume) I can change my email address to an email address that I never use (since they won't take the one that I use all the time).
Are you sensing what's coming?
I can't change my email address!
Nope, I have to contact their support staff to have my email address changed. Their support staff which is currently offline.
Problem #4: Where's my software?
Rather than going through the process of contacting their support staff, I just logout and create a new account (under an email address that I never use) and walk through the four pages of selections again. I make it to the "make your payment" button again, and, holding my breath — I click it.
It works! I'm taken to WorldPay to checkout. They don't take PayPal (which I prefer to use), but that's okay — I just generate a one-time use credit card number via PayPal and use that instead.
On the checkout page, there's a big box asking for the billing address, and a box below that asking for the zip code. Hmm… do they want my FULL billing address in that box, or just the PO Box number? I don't know, and the help under the Billing Address link doesn't tell me.
I enter in my full billing address and other details and — holding my breath again — click submit.
Yay! It works.
After the payment is made, though, I'm immediately informed that my transaction has to be verified by the vendor before I'll get my software, and that the process will take 24 hours.
What??? Why on earth do you have to verify the transaction? You have my money, where's my download link?
NEVER sell ANYTHING online like this!
The support software these guys sell is stellar, but their sales process is the most painful I've ever had to get through. The ONLY reason I didn't cancel and walk away from it is that I know how good the software is. I actually did walk away for a while before deciding that I had to put up with it in order to get the best software to provide the best support for my customers. Had I even a little less conviction than I do, I would have left them behind (and they would have lost about $300).
I'm telling you about this because you need to know how NOT to sell online. People purchasing online are impatient and easily put off by long and difficult sales processes. The high rate of abandoned orders at major retailers is evidence of this.
When you want people to buy from you, make it work like this:
- Show them the product, complete with description and price and a BIG VISIBLE "BUY NOW" BUTTON (or link).
- When they click BUY NOW, take them immediately to the checkout process. Don't require them to create an account first, and PLEASE don't prevent them from buying just because they use Gmail.
- After the purchase is complete, if it's a digital product, deliver it instantly. Don't wait to "verify" the sale. If your payment processor doesn't support that, GET A DIFFERENT PROCESSOR. There's too many out there that support instant delivery to use one that doesn't.
- If you need the person to have some kind of account with you for support purposes, etc., have them create that account after the sale. Send them directly to the account creation process after purchase, and email them a link to create their account in case they fail to do so. Trust me, when they need support, they'll eventually create an account with you!
Whew. Okay, I had to get that out of my system.
Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this post.
[Edit]To respond to some of the comments: I'm not giving the name of the software because the purpose of this post is not to bash the vendor. Let me just say that it's a BIG NAME in the help desk market. Also, the software is GREAT, but their sales process is lousy — must be different teams responsible for the two![/Edit]
Comments
165 Responses to “How NOT to sell anything online — Ever. (Please, don't do this!)”
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Jonathan Leger has been earning his living online full-time since the fall of 2004. He regularly posts advice about search engine optimization (his current passion), AdSense and Internet Marketing. He is the creator of a suite of popular software tools, including: Jonathan L Leger 
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Yep that sucks … I've come across a whole load of websites for physical products where you need to create an account first which always annoys me (especially when 90% of the time it's likely to be a one of purchase, I'll never remember the account name and password anyway and it takes forever).
Does seem to be a growing trend (for some crazy reason). On a plus note … they had an obvious add to cart button : )
Al
That's just a little bit more of a pain in the ass than buying a domain at Godaddy now
Jon, thanks for sharing this. Yes, there are many many sites out there that are living in the paper-work era of the past and make things really painful for serious buyers. Some webhosting companies themselves are not good at it, despite being the guys who make it all possible! The problem often arises from website designers and owners not thinking through the sales process. In a competitive world, with recession, I guess they should lose sales to businesses that plan better. Good luck with your software!
Jon,
I couldn't agree more. I don't care what market you're in all the bullets you listed are vital.
Why not even put 6 or 7 order buttons
Can you have enough order buttons or call to actions - never.
..and.. creating an account before paying… I have always thought that method to be completely backwards. Charge them, then have them create an account - if an account is even 100% needed.
Anyway, good post Jon.
Wow, you were able to get your product that fast huh?
I have left more sites than I can remember because of lousy sales steps. Let's of course not mention the confusion that follows some sellers that give you the product in sections. At this very moment I am having problems understanding what my recent purchase is about, why there are so many accounts.
36 hours ago I made a purchase that I considered for a couple of days, yep still haven't got all that I was supposed to get yet, after 36 hours?
I also get frustrated with incomplete links and this site had a beauty, tells you to eamil if you have questions but no link in the email address address. Also not told of certain costs which hold the purchaser from getting what they think they are getting.
Product refund on it's way guys.
I don't think vendors realize the sales process should be approached like any good customer service department's process. You should be doing everything you can to make it as easy as possible to buy from your website.
I have lost track of how many purchases I bailed out on in the middle of buying because I felt there were to many hoops for me to jump thru just so I could give them my money.
I've long advocated that those who design software systems (or anything else, for that matter) should be sentenced to use it for a minimum of 6 months just as a normal user would. The result would be much friendlier user interfaces.
There is no question that anything that makes buying difficult is going to negatively impact sales. I can think of any number of occasions where I've simply abandoned the process because it took too long and/or got to complicated. I try to make my own sites as straightforward as possible for this very reason.
As you said, the average user has little patience and unless there's a very compelling reason to slog onward, as in your case, will just give up and go elsewhere. This should be obvious to those who design these processes and would be if they approached it as though they themselves had to use them.
That said, the owners of the site have some responsibility to insist that what they bought works to benefit their customers and by extension themselves.
John
LOL I bet they are not Americans. I often go through that kind of stuff on Russian sites
Hi Jonathan
You're more patient than I am! They demonstrated a total lack of commercial awareness and potential customer empathy/sensitivity. I hate to think what their 'Help!!' system would be like…..in fact I suspect I've already met it elsewhere and given up in hyper-frustration.
On a similar vein, some marketers use an upsell followed by multiple downsells to such an extent that a freebie 'loyalty generator' becomes a major timewaster (and disrespectful) for the receiver. Personally I unsubscribe immediately when this happens.
Mike
Wow, how frustrating? It has been quite awhile since I have been to a site like that one. I guess I have been lucky with a good buying experience every time I have purchased things lately.
Thank you for the post. That is really great information.
All the best,
Glen
Yikes. I sure know that one of the first things I learned, way back when I was first creating affiliate sites in the 90's, was to always, always, always, make the buy button very obvious so the customer had no doubt as to where and what it was.
Hey Jonathan,
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I think many of us have had one or more of these that leaves a bad taste, but on the flip side, you have posted this here so others know what to look out for.
Plus, we can learn NEVER to create such a boondoggle for our own customers to wander through such a maze.
Best,
Paul Klein
Hi Jonathon.
I do not like to have to work to spend my money, either.
Please add these to the list of "How Not To Sell" list.
1.Sales pages where you do not know what the price is
until you click the add to cart button.
2.Long winded videos on sales pages that do not
give the price until the video finishes playing.
3.Anything sold using DELAVO.
Mike
I've been there. but, sometimes they won't let you buy if you won't give them your phone number. If you swap numbers around they check the number and come back and say invalid phone number. But, the worst site i have come across in a long time is the Comcast Cable site. It's the most miserable site to deal with, i put in 3 different emails and, it still would not let me in!! Finaly i had to dig around and find a phone number i could talk to a real person. Even they could not get me in without a total reset.
Hi John, I had that same experience a month ago and told the vendor he is so worried about protecting his downloadable product from hackers that he's losing out on thousands of dollars because of all the hoops. It was one of those pdfviral software tools. I had to go through a bunch of hoops, and then still had a hard time finding the product.
This is brick-and-mortar mentality in the age of the Information Super Highway at its shiningly, painfully obvious best! It's the mentality that says we must apply the old, tried-and-true way of doing things to the new world.
It's a mentality that says we must get all of the customer's information because we might need it in the future. This, at a time when all they need to do to contact us is send an email… sad.
It's a mentality that does not do any reverse-engineer-thinking… that is, they don't look at the process from the customer's viewpoint, only the salesman's viewpoint.
And, yes, it's the WRONG way to sell anything online. Whenever I encounter this kind of short-sightedness, I write a politely firm email detailing exactly what is wrong with their system and, more importantly, WHY it is not good customer service to put a customer thru this. I've always gotten positive responses to such emails.
I hope you have no further trouble with that company.
~cj
Ohhh I have been through proceses like this before, and by the time I was done I was furious at how hard they made it for me to give them MY money for thier product. I have even decided against purchases in the middle of things, due to just this type of experience. Great info to pass along. thanks for the reminder!
Ok John…..I'll ask…..what was the name of the 'help desk software' you ordered?
–Glen
PS: You ought to send their support people a copy of this post
P.S…. you should send a link to this post to their PR/customer service department!
I agree will all your points but one Jon: Instant delivery. I have been burned by PayPal on many occassions so stopped instant delivery. PayPal does not back you for digital product downloads if someone rips you off. I get people making purchases whose PayPal account shows their address is in NYC but when I lookup their ip address they're in Pakistan. Had I had instant delivery enabled PayPal would have contacted me and told me so sorry, you're out the $300 and your customer gets away scott free with your product. (unless I can provide undisputable proof that I "shipped" the item and to what physical address and by what delivery service.
I'm all for instant gratification but having been burned enough times my customers will have to wait a couple of hours for me to lookup their ip address and make sure they're not about to scam me. I'm online 17 hours a day so unless it's the middle of the nite I approve most orders within the hour, many within minutes.
Greg Chadwick
And I thought I was the only one complaining about such information being asked for when it was totally irrelevant. Especially the address when nothing is being shipped!
Nancy
Software people and sales people are two very different types…
Because of the HUGE differences it is very difficult to even team them up.
That leaves us with 2 options: go for the great software and the difficult customer care software geeks offer or settle for a good software with great support and even greater customer care. Each option has ups and downs…
The third would be to call Bill Gates and request a new addition to Windows :)) but I'll leave it out of the question
Seriously speaking, there is the corporate choice but I tend to stay away from them.
PS. Hope the software is worth the headache
Cheers!
Ummmmm, my question is after making me read thru your venting I could still not find the name of the product you wanted to buy, what's the name?
How true it is, Jonathan. My only question is, why did you persist in the sale … I would have switched to another product and sent them a copy of my receipt just to show them what they missed out on.
To any of you reading this who sell on a site? Go back and look at your own processes. Believe me, a huge majority of sites have similar sales obstacles like this … it's dumb.
Why collect physical addresses and phone numbers unless you plan to use them?
If you MUST collect physical addresses, a simple trick I also have preached for years … ask for the purchaser's Zip Code first and fill in the city and state automatically. It will save you server time, for free, impress your customer with your competence, and eliminate all sorts of bad data in your database.
I have also noticed that a growing number of sites that sell products force you to create an account. in order to buy, then they send you emails promoting all of their other products.
I also wonder if your delivery address is sold to other companies.
I usually look elsewhere if the process is too much of a hassle, but as in your case, sometimes you have no choice if their product is the best or cheapest.
I believe the owner of the software did not know how to sell online. and I'm surely not single person in their team are not internet marketer.
They surely will lost the power of making money using internet
I agree with Matt. Go Daddy has become a total pain in the butt. Their process leaves you wondering if you've checked or unchecked the right boxes. Totally confusing. I now buy all my domains from namecheap. It's far easier and better value anyway.
Go Daddy lost a customer so it proves your point Jon.
What is the name of the software? Just wanted to try to go your way.
But if seriously, it is a good example HOW NOT TO SELL ONLINE.
Also, nowadays I am annoyed by everybody's attempt to get me on a list for anything including buying process as well. You click on buy button and get into optin page asking you name and email BEFORE allowing you to go ahead and purchase. I think it is not much better than your experience here…
Jon, thanks for sharing your experience, I thought I was the only one who had gone through this kind of crap. I just bought a video course, I got some of the videos, but I have to use my pay pal email address to log into their site, along with the password that they would send me to get the rest of the course. Problem is, they have never sent the password.
I've resubmitted 6 times for a lost password and still haven't received it. Yalk.
I had another appalling purchase experience yesterday as well. I had no problems with the vendor, but their payment processor has chosen to require the abominable "Verified by Visa" scheme.
I have NEVER been able to get my Visa card verified, and while the processor also accepts Paypal, I just wanted to pay with my Visa this time. Of course, I never managed to get the "verification" process complete, so I call my bank. They say that the card is blocked (why, no-one knows) from the VBV system, and they'll unlock it. Wait 10 mins for the change to take effect, and you should be good to go.
Of course I was not. Call the bank again, and complain loudly. This time they promise to send me an email with instructions on how to get the card verified manually. I'm still waiting for that e-mail 24 hours later.
In the meanwhile, of course all cookies have crumbled, I haven't got my software and now I'll have to go through entering the same 4 (yes FOUR) pages of information again, this time to pay with Paypal. What's worse, the four pages of information required are the SAME info on each page. For heavens sake…
Moral of the story… Make sure your processor offers an EASY checkout procedure, and for heaven's sake, make sure they don't have anything to do with the "Verified by Visa" scheme.
I'm not yet into selling online business, but thanks for the tip. I'll use in the future if i can got in selling online products.
Oh Boy! Does this resonate with me!
I hate it when I have to create an account to make a one time purchase. Then the comany sets up the site like they do not WANT any sales. Even when paying bills you often have to hunt around with a microscope to find out where to login or an account link. You think they would want to get paid! On some sites there is no order link. You have to guess and click on something like "more info" or similar to have the privilege of buying from them. Maybe someone should copy this thread and send it to their customer service dept. Or maybe their sales dept. I think they ARE interested in sales.
Wow John, that must be some great software to not abandon the purchase after going through all of that!
Makes you wonder why some make the purchase process so difficult.
One thing I really don't like, is when I am asked for a phone number for a digital product. Last time I gave my real phone number, I kept getting pestered by a high profile internet marketer who was trying to up-sell me over the phone.
I have purchased a few things like that, never went back to the site. I could never figure out why anyone would set up a sales process like you described!
Jonathan,
I certainly empathize with you. I encounter similar problems all the time. I am American but I live in Thailand. Many times when trying to make a purchased there is no function for entering the province if not USA or Canada.
I also have an APO address but alas there is no way to use this either.
In affiliate marketing situations I also get challenged about my status. Even though I give an SSN# the software insists I am a foreign entity because my mailing address is not physically located in USA.
For me it don't make sense in business to put your customer through hell to purchase the product or service. Or to make it difficult for the candidate to join and make some money for the biz.
Seems in todays world it would be an easy fix. I know it is often intentional to make cancellations challenging but why on the get money end?
I have encountered several businesses that have awesome customer service and make it a pleasant experience. I would happily do business with them again. Whereas the company who puts me through something like you just went through go on a blacklist..
I hope their service is worth the hassle.
Jon,
There's a massive disconnect in all this: if their software is so good, why is their own implementation of the same processes so abysmal?
Or did they hand the job to the same geeks who coded the software? *shudder*
I hate when you get sucked into those scammy and spammy marketing schemes. If it smells like a rat it probably is.
Jon,
I certainly can see how that would be frustrating, I'm dizzy just reading it.
It sounds like every step was an add-on to an after thought…oh, and we need their email…oh, and let's create accounts on our site….oh, forget Gmail, they're all spammers…..oh, crap where did I put that order link????
Create a flow chart for them, maybe you'll get the software free!
Don't stop sharing..
Neil
Kudos to you for staying with it and completing the purchase. Businesses need to understand that most consumers will not even go past one small hurdle in the buying process and that is lost business. But if they have to jump through that many there is very little chance they will purchase even if they want the product.
I would not have gone to the end like you did. But you offered up a very good post that is an important read for any business to take note of when planning their sales process.
Kevin
Hi Jonathan -
I know what your talking about. Been through a few horrendous buying experiences myself. I like a quick in and out. This has me wondering because I have been looking at helpdesk software myself. I hope I have a better experience than you.
Don't you just wish you could slap them upside the head? I've been through this like so many others and I gotta tell ya, these people just don't have a clue when it comes to user friendly.
What are they thinking? Have they tested their own site? Have they been tracking their customers?
WOW! Truly Unremarkable.
I am with Mike on the long winded videos and sales pages too. I hate them, if I want something I just want to know how much it costs so i can decide it it is worth it or not.
I am now going to try to work out how I can get my website to work without customers having to register. I totally agree. who has time for all that nonsense?
Bravo Jon. I was in a similar boat as you were. I have 5 hosting services of which one was just to host a blog. I like to host my sites on different hosting plans for a reason. My credit card company broke transactions with the bank that my hosting company does business with so I looked for another option. Paypal, but the Paypal button was never visible. I spent over 30 minutes looking for it because they already blocked my site and never gave me a reason. I had to use the live chat to contact the technical support. The procedure took around 5 minutes to complete after filling forms on 4 pages.
Since I am not the patient kind of guy if my sites were not hosted with that company I would have clicked on BACK and off. I am considering switching to another company with more user friendly interface.
Wow don't you just love that process it like sites that wont list there prices until you order I refuse to stay on those site put your price on your product or lose sales.
That's ricidulous. Can you imagine how many sales they are losing because of that? They'll be kicking themselves for not changing earlier once they change their process and see the improvement in sales.
It is amazing how common this kind of stupidity is. You should send a link to this post to their management.
Wow Jon! Your a better person then me. Who has the time to deal with all of that nonsense?
I've also ran in to problem sites like that. I usually just hit the red X in the top right corner.
Bravo to you for sticking in there and getting what you wanted! I hope it's everything you wanted.
Gloria
If I had a $ for every time I've been through the same excruciating experience (and it is not confined to offline business or mentalities) I would be very rich. Sadly this is all too common.
I am an online copywriter and I know for a fact that the vast majority of people who sell on line (or set up sites with the intention of selling online) have no clue about how hard and un-friendly to the customer their buying process is. It's as if they do everything to stop them buying or ensure they never return.
In one case I wanted to purchase some software and there was no order button! I was so annoyed I emailed the VP of the (well known) company and complained. I told him here I was, ready to spend money and all they were doing was wasting my time. To give them credit the VP responded to me almost immediately and within 2 days the process was much improved.
If I purchase software online I want immediate download. The vendor should be thinking of my experience not protecting his download. Online processing is common enough - there is no excuse. Vendors should spell out each step of their process - even if they think it is simple (it is probably only simple to the tecchies who built it).
Vendors need to try out their own processes as if they were a customer… it would open their eyes - and probably make them more money. Better still, they should get their sites and order process tested for usability by an outside person.
I'll be re-blogging this post. Thanks for sharing.
Kayako does the same thing with requiring an account and asking stupid questions.
I'm not sure about the GMail thing or the WorldPay thing.
Jon,
I market physical products that require a full mailing address. So my customers have to create an account. Now I like your idea of doing the account after the sale is complete. At that point, I can pretty much bet, they will create one.
Problem is I am using a prebuilt shop cart and don't know if I am smart enough to modify the flow. Open source software so support is about non-existent.
I have seen a few sites like this. Absolutely terrible. Sometimes you tend to wonder if you are making a legit purchase or not.
It never ceases to amaze me how stupid some so called "web masters" can be. The more user "unfriendly" the site is, the more lost sales and money. I ain't got time for that crap!
Hi Jonathan,
Great article.
It amazes me that in this day and age - you have to go through such a painful process when you are there waiting and eager to hand over your money.
When I used to have a bricks and mortar business and attended training college in the retail field, one of the first things that we were taught was to make sure that you always looked at your sales processes and the customer experience and put yourself in their shoes every so often to make sure that the customer was always getting and receiving a great "shopping experience", so I always made it a point to make sure that every time I arrived at my own store I would look at my own store front to see what my customers would see - with a very critical eye indeed.
I also made it a point to purchase products as if I were a customer and queue up just like any other customer.
I can tell you its amazing what you can learn from "walking the store" as they used to call it in the retails business.
Makes you wonder how even successful businesses online don't bother going through their sales processes.
Can you imagine how much more successful they would be and how much money they are leaving on the table by not experiencing the processes themselves.
Thanks Jonathan for pointing it - we all need to examine our own systems from time to time to make sure " The Customer is King" and not just to get every bit of information and juice out of them even if the technology is there to be able to do it.
This is a genuine reminder of the wrong way to do business. I agree with you 100% that one needs to make the process as easy and quick as possible.
The mind boggles when one thinks that people are so archaic in their thoughts that they still expect people to jump through these hoops to buy from them. What a croc !!
Thanks for sharing.
It makes me feel; oh so much better, to know that other people are going through these same difficulties. Good for you for being patient enough with this person to stick with it. You obviously wanted this software. Sometimes even if it smells like a rat it isn't; but due to amateurishness on the marketers part technically it looks and smells like a rat. So as a result they miss out on a lot of buyers who aren't quite as patient as you Johnathan. Then when all is said and done the guy says to himself, "I am an honest well meaning person… how come I am not making money???? Some of these people might profit from a good mentor or an e-course. But I haven't got everything figured out either so there we are!
Take care…God Bless and pray the virtual creeks don't rise.
Ruth
Well thanks for the blog is really important to think in the end user……..is such a shame waste long time to spend your money.
This happens to me (more often than not) when purchasing non- affiliate marketing products. If its tangible or even downloadable as in your case, vendors tend to make the purchasing process a nightmare. What's worse is that after buying the product, a lot of times, I see no support desk or way to ask questions once the product is officially mine! Annoying! Great post, Jon. I hope everyone learns from this one.
I can understand why you decided to put up with all that, but nevertheless it's really frustrating when things have been set up to upset you instead of to help you along. It might be that their online sales department is run by a monkey of some kind.
I just think that when it comes to business, the simpler you make it the better for all parties included.
What's amazing is how some companies make money in spite of themselves! But if the product's good!
In the past I've actually not bought stuff when it's been a digital product and they want my physical address, phone number etc. I've even felt strongly enough about it to email them and tell them. Didn't here anything though. Must be that they don't consider their customers to be all that important.
Jon,
I feel your pain, and that's why we often try to buy from Amazon if we can.
Hi Jon,
I was actually laughing as I went through this post. I have also experienced similar buying frustrations in the past. Its always funnier when you are reading about someone else going through it though.
Its good to know that its not just the newbies who don't know how to sell and make buying easy. This means a totally level playing field for everyone.
Thanks for the share.
Dallas
I just purchased a piece of software (Article Submitter) and was going to pay through PayPal. I was responding to a special offer with a special price. Paypal showed the original (higher) price. I responded to the creator of the software, and he asked for a copy of the email with the special offer. I provided it and received an email that the problem was fixed.
I downloaded the software and installed it. The process involved registering accounts with 600 blogs, and then responding to the followup registration email. I received errors on all 600. Back to the vendor. He told me I was using a name already in their system and I would have to create a new email address and reregister. I did this and received 300 registrations and logins. Back to the vendor. He told me that was too few and to create another email address and redo it all. I couldn't login to any of them this time.
I contacted PayPal for a refund. They denied the claim and referred me to 2Com. They responded and said they had forwarded the claim to the actual seller and if I didn't hear from him in a reasonable time to contact them again and they would try to help..
That is my experience. Needless to say, when I get the refund, I will never purchase from him again.
Your right Jonathon, did they clearly state the price before you started the check out process?
I wonder is part of shopping cart abandenment figures are due to prices you can't get till you go to the shopping cart!
Why hide prices?
Jon
I just went through the same thing today myself. I have been hitting these sites that won't take my gmail or yahoo email as well. Very tiresome.
I agree - I would fire anyone who did that kind of crazy non-thinking with one of my sites!
Great post and comments. Did nobody else think that Jon was reluctant to name what sounds like a fabulous product simply because the vendor doesn't need affiliates to sell it?
I'm surprised you stuck with it that long!
Now you need to contact them and offer to fix their process for a fee. Send to this post and they'll understand how they are killing their business.
There's a great one: Not specifying the software/installation requirements!
Some software products have great sales pages and branding but little or no information about compatibility, OS and other requirements.
Do you want to test their sales system fully?
Use their help desk and Ask For A Refund!
Jon, couldn't agree with you more, I have been in sales my entire life and everyone always forgets the Golden Rule - Get The Money - Always get the sale, then build a relationship/account info. later. I have backed out of any sales page that requires anything more than the basic information. Considering the number of products our office has purchased from you, I appreciate your patients and perseverance. Thanks
I love the ones with 3 and even 4 upsells. Enough already!
"should be sentenced to use it for a minimum of 6 months just as a normal user would. The result would be much friendlier user interfaces."
That had me rolling on the floor, laughing. I think a lot of software designers would run like the wind after about 15 minutes, if they had to do that.
I don't design software anymore (and I was always a normal person rather than a geek!), but I always sat and used my own software like an end-user and I ALWAYS found things that were really difficult to use.
Those were usually the same things that, at design time, I thought were rather cool….
And no, that's not the main reason I no longer code for a living!
Amin
You were so patient, much more than I would be. I resent sites that hide the price, pay button and all those hoops you had to go through. I will back out of a site if they suddenly require a payment processor that I do not use and I try to avoid giving out my phone number too.
If I wanted to do business on the phone or be harassed by Great OTO's at suppertime, I wouldn't mind giving out this information. But since I do mind, I will often back out of the purchase.
I must say that I bought a piece of article to video software today that was a breeze. Went to the site, submitted a coupon code and I immediately got a 50% discount which showed up on the Paypal button. Received both a thank you, list of all customer service personnel with their email links and the key to my download within minutes. Surely an experience which will keep me coming back to that company for further purchases.
Your article was so valuable to anyone who SELLS anything.
Hi Jonathan,
I don't think I would have held out that long?
That must be the best of the best in the support software department.
I'm surprised you did not ask them about an affiliate promotion in exchange for a reduced rate?
Did you send them a link from this page to their help desk?
Good luck with the new software and Thanks for sharing
Mike
I agree about the silly thing of asking for an address when it is a download of software.
I really think they only use generic forms, and don't engage their brains. They don't think about their customers, so thanks for bringing it to our attention so that we don't make the same mistake.
The software seller should have just use Clickbank.
Hi Jon
Haha what a lousy sales process.
You're most likely right when you said the software development team and the sales process team are 2 different teams.
Anyway nice post. All of us should be reminded that we have to always think about the end user in mind when designing the sales process.
Best!
Welly Mulia
It reminds me on how we sell membership site using Amember.
I need to go through a series of questions and create an account. It is easier if we can just call a URL directly after payment and pass all the details to the system.
It is all about integration.
Anyway, I don't like Amember due to the complexity but it is still a good software for membership site.
You mention paypal.. one time use credit card number.. I thought paypal did away with those 2 yrs ago.
I'd love to use that one time use feature again… where do i find the link in my paypal acct??
Here's one for you: a company selling an online web calendar script. You can purchase online with your credit card, but before they will send you the $100 software, you must either a) fax them a copy of your credit card, or b) take a pencil and trace the numbers onto a sheet of paper and then snail mail that to them. Their web site says it is standard practice. I say it's a lost sale. And it's silly - whatever you fax to them could be easily photoshopped anyway.
Ouch, Jon! What a way to do business online. Amazing story, but unfortunately not such a rare experience. We will all try to learn something from this. Thanks.
Jonathan.
I have had similar experiences.
Ridiculous!
The buying process should be made as simple and easy and quick as possible to benefit all parties concerned.
By the way, I am very interested in this:
"I just generate a one-time use credit card number via PayPal and use that instead."
I have no idea what you are tlaking about. I did not know Paypal had that function.
(Maybe paypal in the USA. Never heard of it in Australia.)
(Finding out how to do anything from Paypal Australia is another painful process.)
Wayne
There is no cure for stupid.
I was worried about my sales flow. After this story, I feel a
little better.
Honestly, I would have abandoned the cart, especially for a
product like that.
I like your writing. No link here.
Problems mentioned in this post are very common. These seems very small issue, but critical from user point of view.
Lol, this was a test of perseverance. Let all the competitors are selling so online. And we will easily earn with Amazon affiliate program.
Thanks for the reminder to check our sales system and process through the eyes of our customers. We should always buy from ourselves on a regular basis to uncover the flaws and deterrents in our sales process. I must say Jonathan, you are a very patient guy. LOL
Good advice !
I've had this kind of problem before.
So now on, when I buy something expensive online from a seller I don't know, I ask an information by email to make sure there is real help at the other end of the line.
I discovered that frustrations online are always a good occasion to write a post about it.
That's what I do when somebody steels my content and it helps my readers at the same time.
Wow … but don't think its just you. Sometimes the cheapest and the most expensive are the most difficult - the mid stream are the most sensible.
It is amazing what a little rage can make you write!
I've got a few cases that need resolving, and if they don't resolve them to my satisfaction … I'm writing a blog
I manage a client's ecommerce site where we have enabed guest checkout. We still capture an address (as she sells physical product) however, at least 50% of all orders are placed as a guest, i.e. users who just don't want to go through the account creation process.
Hey Jon
Don't we find this to be true with a lot of company's nowdays. They see to make it hard to purchase anything. I wonder how some stay in business because they seem not to care.
And they wonder why there is so much identity theft these days. Often on the internet such details are required and yet the page to create the account is not secure only the actual payment page is.
Building an ecommerce spot is like the U.S. Army…it must be geared to the slowest person to be successful. You must take your customer and lead them by the hand…and tell the what to do step by step.
I sell gourmet coffee an I've made it a easy to buy your coffee as it can possibly be. I've even got notes and reminders around the site and shopping cart to make sure that each customer has the best shopping experience…and I have my phone number at the bottom of every page.
I will take your order any way you want to give it to me…including via smoke signals…when the winds allow…I can't afford to have even one unhappy or unsatisfied customer…even my coffee is second to my customer service…and most of my customers are happy repeat customers.
I agree, make the buying process as painless as possible.
My partner and I also run a bricks and mortar store, I think I can guess what would happen if every time someone came to the checkout we made them create an account, give us all their details, and jump through hoops BEFORE we took their money!
But on the other side of the coin…
One company, that supplies most of my hosting, that I have dealt with for many years made me fill out my details, including phone number, before I could deal with them.
Just before Christmas the credit card that I use to fund many of my purchases was hacked, and was obviously cancelled.
Some of my regular charges were returned as unpaid, services cancelled, and I then had to start sorting out the problems.
Apart from this one hosting company who took the time and effort to calll me personally, ask me if I was aware of the problem, and how could they help….
Now that IS customer service, and only made possible as they had a number to call me on!
So most times I don't mind giving my details as long as it is painless, relevant, and easy.
But take the money first
Phil
Also very interested in the One time Use CC number Jon
Any info on this on PayPal's website is sadly lacking.
Iain
Hi Jon, I trust you sent this blog link, or an email of its content, to the boss of the company?
I know what you mean, the one thing that really winds me up is having to sit thro a half hour pitch video just to find out what th price is of something.
Hi Jon,
yes, it can make you a bit aggro. but you end up with a good product.
But this is worse i think, because this makes you mad . . .
You get sold on a product on a sales page. You pull out the cr. card, pay, and you feel good about all the time you'll save and the extra cash you should make. You feel triumphant also because he was only selling another two packages. "I have no intention of selling hundreds of these things bec. you'll all be competing with one another."
You were only just in time.
Obviously the last thing he w'd contemplate is selling 3 million of them at $97 each.
He must really be pulling out all stops too to sell the last two, because you notice in the footer that he's looking for affiliates.
So we head off to get to the download page,
"But wait, we are rewarding our early-bird buyers a special deal because we can see you are one of the few who really mean business, one of the few who are able to take decisive action. These are the only types of clients we can work with."
You feel a bit peeved because you've paid, and now find out there's something ten times better, worth $3500.
It's the dreaded OTO which is supposed to add dynamite to what you have just bought.
By now you are deflated. What you proudly just possessed does not look so shiny. It looks a bit tatty.
"And no, i don't expect you to have to come up with $3500. I was in your shoes 3 years ago and i want you to get a good start in I.M.. It's going to be only $1700"
"blah. . . blah . . blah . . $297. Now there's the final offer. Once you leave this page you will never see my face again.
You're tempted but you hit the exit button . .
"Before you go as a really special deal (my friends in the business tell me i'm crazy to do this), but you can have the $297 product for just$147. It has all the power of the other, but you will just not get the 25 video lessons (which are not really essential, but my customers tell me they made all the difference for them)."
By now your mind is really made up and you hit the exit button, and then wade with some grit and determination through the remaining one-time offers, "OKs" tricky "Cancels" and "Continues".
Now where on the receipt does it say where you go to get an immediate refund?
'best, Rob
I don't like Amember due to the complexity but it is still a good software for membership site.
Jonathan,
I don't know whether someone else has mentioned this in any of the posts above. But from your "painful" experience described above, the answer seems to be obvious.
The creators of the software must be excellent sofware engineers, but their knowledge of sales/marketing/customer service is next to zero. The way they had set up their sales process points to the fact that they used their software process and not a marketing process to sell their product.
Why make it so complicated ? There's an easier way to say "DONT BUY FROM ME"
It is a real wonder how these businesses stay alive but no surprise that so many fail! I don't think i'll be making these mistakes…
I know what you mean. I starting a website where by as soon as you have paid. if it's electronic your sent directly to the download page and if it's a physical product. all they need to enter is name and address. No account set up no email address! why I believe all that data collecting puts people off buying.
Look at it this way if some one buys from you and all you require is the bear minimum. don't you think their going to bookmark you as there favorite shopping site. you bet they will, But what about customer support ! well if something dose go wrong they can always come back to the main site. and request help this would be the only time you would need an email address. I spend about ten minute's a day deleting emails from companies I bought from last year or last week. people don't need this it should be buy and go just like you do in a shop.
So if you won'a JV with me on this Jonathan your more than welcome to contact me. I already have a grate domain site name registered. I need a web technician like you to make it work right.
Regards Paul.
Marketing lesson learned: 1. Make stellar product 2. Let people find you
(have you heard build it and they will come?)
It just shows that a stellar product will make your marketing work so much easier. Never promote half decent affiliate products. Then make sure the sales process is also stellar and you have stellar business as well.
Simon
Unfortunately all too believable. I, along with 80 or so others here, have had a similar experience attempting to buy software which I knew was excellent.
Took me three days to actually manage to make a purchase, and this company has an affiliate program. No I didn't join it even though I think the software is brilliant and I would love to promote it but I think the conversions would be absolute crap.
But here's another, try doing anything with Paypal's help desk or perhaps eBay's help desk, another with absolute morons on the front line.
It is clear from the way they respond that that they don't even read the emails you send and just give a canned response. It's nearly enough to make you slash your wrists.
On the other hand I just had a brilliant example of good customer service and software support from the support team for Market Samurai. They went out of their way to solve the problem I had and they responded to my emails quickly and appropriately.
Britain is full of vendors like this. It is incomplete and luddite-style thinking. Sure, you can be ripped off and PayPal might not make it easy or possible to get your money back - unless it's a physical product (even then..), get over it! If you have lost x amount of sales (that customers were too annoyed to tell you about) you could have covered the occasional loss in extra profits.
Little convenience stores suffer losses all the time, but they don't resort to obtaining details of customers in case the print is subsquently found not to have dried on the five pound note they just used!
But this is great news for people that do see why making things easy is sensible, don't you think?
Ditto: "Also very interested in the One time Use CC number"
I hate it when someone says not to use "free" email addresses. I have Verizon broadband but the email system they have really sucks and I don't even remember my loggin info. Gmail loads much faster and is generally more dependable.
J…
Man, I think we've all lived that nightmare. One thing's for sure – if you make it hard for your guest to spend their money, you'll make it easier for them to not spend it. That's a given!
These things considered, I think it's more important to remember to treat your customer with respect the moment the enter your site.
Making things convenient, simple, and intuitive is not an option, it's your responsibility and part of fulfilling the DIFFERENCE between you and your product versus another one floating around on the web.
I say give your best the minute folks walk through the door, deliver the best while they are there, and shake their hand as you hold the door open for them as they leave your store with your product in their hand. Rinse and repeat.
Great post Jonathan.
Jerry
LearnGuitarFastAndEasy.com
I've had similar experiences in the past. Just reading your post stirs up old angry emotions. It may be just me, but trying to buy a domain name from hostgator is also very aggravating. I think these purchasing systems are put together by software people who are clueless about the importance of the customers experience.
Maybe it was because I was feeling what you had gone through — having to go through too many things to accomplish what you wanted to do — that I went through this: I looked all over for your comment button. I thought it would be right under the post. When I got past your Related Posts, I thought I missed it. Going through all that brought a smile to my face.
Back to your situation, very frustrating to order indeed. Maybe they feel the more you suffer, the longer you'll keep the item once you buy it, because you know what it'll be like to return it. 
Wow Jonathan, to use an old cliche' you really had to go around your a$$ to get to your elbow there. Incredible. If I had to guess, I'd say the problem here lies in their company training. Instead of someone actually overseeing the "end product" they are simply allowing a low level flunky set up their forms for them, and this person has No Clue in what they are doing. Unfortunate. You're right, I probably would have walked away from that. I have no patience for stupidity. Thanks for the great post Jonathan.
Wow! They were very lucky you really wanted that software. I am sure they have lost many potential customers along the way. I don't see how they would think this way of business is even ok. Thanks for another great blog!
Hi Jonathon
You've covered about all the elements in the sales conversion funnel that, fortunately, for most ecommerce sites are not all found together, but many are in varying combinations.
You're right that once you've done the hard work in getting your prospect into the buying mode and, having eventually, in your example, found the buy now button, they makes that final commitment and click, the rest should be as simple as 1-2-3.
1. Collect the minimum of information required to deliver goods (will vary depending on type of purchase)
2. Take payment details (offer the widest choice of options)
3. Confirm transaction/payment and deliver goods
There might be benefits in having an account but they should be for the customer not the the vendor. However, if it is deemed necessary to have an account why not simply create one in the backend and send a system generated password with email as login username.
The level of cart abandonment runs about 60% and for reasons far less onerous than your example but it may be, as you suggest, the quality of the product that kept you going and the real or perceived benefit to be gained that overcame as many obstacles.
Unfortunately, for most ecommerce sites they don't have that luxury and there is always another one just a few clicks away!
Hey Jonathan,
Funny you should send me this e-mail as it is somewhat similar to what I went through with your support team… very nice but you didn't make a sale.
"I want to pay for this with my paypal account however, you won't let me just go to it and pay you… all of my info is already there… why do I need to re-write my personal history?
Thanks,
Nicholas
PS… This ticket thing is very annoying… jut when you think it's finished… it's not."
"Sorry for the rant and spelling errors… I've been hit with some personal bad news.
Nicholas"
"Reply by: Amin
Hi Nicholas
I'm sorry you've had bad news. I hope things improve for you.
I'm not too clear what you mean about personal history?
What is the exact problem you're having with your purchase?
Amin Motin
HelpDesk Moderator"
"Reply by: Nicholas
Hi Amin,
I have a paypal account and I always just click through without having to fill out the form as if I were using a credit card… your form won't let me just go to my ppal account.
N"
"Reply by: Amin
Hi Nicholas
After you see the PayDotCom payment page, it will take you straight to Paypal in the normal way.
Amin Motin
HelpDesk Moderator "
"Reply by: Nicholas
Hi Amin,
I'm afraid that I've lost the link… been having trouble with my e-mails. Can you give me the link again please.
Thanks,
Nicholas "
He gave me the link however, due to this transaction the price went up and that ticked me off… so much that I didn't buy what seemed to be a good product.
Thanks,
Nicholas
Kudos to you for the learning experience. Too bad for me for waiting untill the last minute to buy your "The Best Spinner"
I still like the personal touch… some people do it… you should consider it… trhe ticket thing is still annoying and reminds me of trying to get to companies that put on a automated system that asks you rediculous questions in the most annoying manner… don't believe me… call verizon.
Thanks,
Nicholas
Ugh! I've been through that plenty of times. Honestly, even if it's a big company, many times I've abandoned my sale out of principle! Hopefully potential sellers will read this blog and will build an easy to use and navigate system to buy products on their website.
Thanks again for some more great advice!
Regina
I'm just surprised that you went through all that.
I know I wouldn't.
I've went through a similar situation but I later halfway decided not to continue pursuing the product purchase.
I'm also surprised that you shared this with your list - good info for a lot of us but for a person in your position it's amazing that you've made it available to the public (thinking of time).
This is exactly what a Pro Internet Marketer who values his/her business would do and cares enough to share the lesson learnt with his/her friends.
A BIG THANKS to You Jonathan Leger!
In your statement " the purpose of this post is not to bash the vendor"
I do not agree with that above statement, in the world of purchasing something from a vendor weather it is a service or a product, and you are not happy with the service, than it is your duty to let the Customer Service departments know your Not happy with the process; and there fore should address this with the appropriate people in order to make it a better experience for all the customers that do business this vendor again.
Even better since you are a consultant in this industry, then you should make an effort to secure a contract with the company to help correct the problem and hence forth would be a win - win situation for you because you could be PAID for your consultation they could benefit from it.
If it is your desire to become a expert consultant, then Chase after the Money to be made….
Never figured out why companies want my home address for a down loadable product!
What you experienced wasn't good but what really upsets me is reading through a "library" of sales page information only to discover that there is no price on the page. One has to go the through the "buy" link to find the cost and many people don't realize that they can just cancel out. Wonder how many sales are made this way!
Its time for sellers to be upfront with their prices. Regardless of how wonderful a program is, if I can't afford it, I won't buy.
Put the price at the top of the site because the first place I'm going, before I read anything, is to the bottom of the page to find out the cost.
Either you are going to make a sale, or not so, don't waste my time forcing me to read through
what is generally a waaaay tooo long sale page.
Nicholas, If you'd clicked on your history file the link, you were missing, would have been right there.
Good to remember if it happens again.
I know how you feel Jon. I guess some online business have heard so much about the importance of having a CRM or mailing list that they forget the whole purpose of doing business is making money. Get the money, deliver the goods then you can ask a ton of questions if the customer is still around.
All you really need is an email address. The payment processor should handle all the payment verification and that does not take more than 30 seconds.
I guess some business owners still think their customers can live without them that's why they make them jump though hoops.
I am not as patient as you are Jon. Thanks for sharing that experience as a lesson to all.
Hi Jonathon
I think you were extremely patient persevering with all of that I would
have given up the first time about half way through those four pages of selections. Well done for actually getting to buy the product.
Michelle Jayes
Wow - amazing story. I think many companies are drinking the same stupid water. I bought a product recently called "Fences." Nice desktop product, horrific download process. Talk about hoops…
I sent them an email (below) but didn't get a response back. Wonder why…?
"Hello - I just purchased Fences Pro, and I'm really ticked off!
I like the software, but the purchasing experience and download/install was just awful! I'm not sure I'd ever buy another product from your company if I have to go through that again.
The idea that I was FORCED to join some "community" that I know nothing about (nor do I want to take the time to learn about it) just to be able to download and install a product I have already PAID for really ticks me off. Who knows what was in all that legal mumbo-jumbo that I was forced to agree to. That whole process probably took me an EXTRA 15 to 20 minutes trying to figure it out, all the while shouting "where the *ell is my download" - totally absurd! Perhaps you feel you must do it that way to avoid pirating or unauthorized downloads. Surely there must be an easier way without having to "join" something. Perhaps you should tell people BEFORE they pay of the upcoming circus they will be forced to perform in - but wait - I don't think that would help your sales, would it?
Didn't the FTC just come out with regulations about forced program sign-up without full up-front disclosure - free or not? Even Adobe's product registration is easier and less confusing than yours.
I plan on uninstalling "Impulse" at my earliest convenience. Hopefully my uninstall program is still working.
Honestly, why would you make a great product and then muck up the install experience by making your customers jump through so many hoops? Are your customers that easy to get that you don't care to make it as easy as possible for them to use that product, thus reducing your refunds? Do you think that the majority of customers that would purchase a program like this are so stupid that they can't install it normally? Are you secretly from some government agency and are here to help?
I don't know what your company policy is, but I've always thought it was a good idea to try to retain customers, and keep them HAPPY.
Right now I'm not happy, although the software looks very good.
Product is great, install process sucks!!!
Maury XXXXXX
I imagine we've all experienced this type of Offline corporate mentality at one time or another. However, sometimes we accidentally lose sight of what are visitors are looking for - like the make a 'comment button' or link for this blog. After finding the link that read - 122 comments- I clicked on it because it was blue- and this comment form opened.
Next time I'll know how to comment.
Thanks for sharing! A really good wake-up call for every webmaster to have a good look at their sales process. My favorite peeves:
1) No purchase without account (esp. when they want my credit card number instead of Paypal; WHY would I leave my card on file with someplace I may never visit again for a year?)
2) Contact forms that don't refresh to a country-specific form. I'm in Canada, can't put a postal code in a 5-digit ZIP code box! I have been shut out of purchases by that one thing alone, because the form won't take my address.
3) Sales pages that do NOT give you the price until you get to the checkout - really irritating. If your product is worth buying then I have the right to know what I'm expected to pay!
I guess the plain old "do unto others . . . " holds true for a sales process, as for any area of customer service. Starting with some respect for your prospective customer, realizing that without them you don't HAVE a business, should help any business owner streamline things for a pleasant buying experience.
Hi, like everyone else here I experienced these "bad practices" but instead of telling you just another story I would like to give everyone an advice:
You went through all this misery buying something at some company and now you know it is no good for THEIR business.
Now go and check your own websites and payment options and try to imagine what a customer would think about it.
I wish you all great success and very pleased customers
Hi Jonathan,
I think the above explanation is too complicated to me too, but how about if there was a software like JV Manager, to buy their products we have to fill out an email on the first screen, then the amount to be paid as well as coupons for discount if any at second page, and then click to pay at third page, the last process in paypal or other processor, and go to the download page by the limited time.
What's included uncomfortable? I think it is good because it protects from thieves who want to download free.
Thanks for sharing,
Widi
Jonathan,
I enjoyed this comical post, but it is serious at the same time
And you mentioned "I just generate a one-time use credit card number via PayPal " - that's news to me. Thanks for this tip.
p.s. did you ever come across automated customer service software?
I purchased this before, mainly to study the code to see how it worked. It was based on learning the most often asked questions, and automatically answering support requests.
Andy
Hi Jon!
I feel your pain! Just 2 weeks ago I made a purchase and they do accept PayPal, but before you can use that you still have to give them your mailing address, phone number, etc. Yes I did bite my lip and purchased. No I did not get what I expected. And you may have already guessed, at the bottom of the Sales Page, in small print, no refunds. Is it any wonder that identity theft is on the rise?
Victor:
If you are truly unhappy with your purchase and feel that it didn't live up to its expectations, ask Paypal for a refund.
Give them an explanation and they will look into it for you. 90% of the time you get a refund
I have come across the same thing several times, and only stayed for the same reason you did, I really wanted what they had, but I have left plenty of offers I would have bought, because they made the buying process a nightmare.
I also leave offers that are downloadable, but for some reason they require my home phone, and my address.
I had the same problem with a wonderful company that sells a great coconut oil. Their site did not have "Buy" buttons just about anywhere, and their system would not sell to me without an email account, which I actually already had, but the system did not recognize.
I called them to place the order and let them know the same things you reference above. It was a terrible shame, because the company and products are excellent; their online-sales system was so terrible they were likely sacrificing countless sales.
Jon
I can identify and certainly commiserate with you on this. I've actually been through similar experiences. You get so annoyed and frustrated that you feel like closing the browser window, if not for the fact that you're actually interested in the product!
All the best!
Ed Legaspi
Wow, I've heard of some bad set-ups before but I think this one takes the cake. It's almost like they don't want to get sales!
Jon:
One of the better things the internet must have is simplicity. You let us know a very complicated method to buy a software interesting for you. Still, that company got the sale. Well, your unpleasant experience must be very useful for us all and really learn what no to do in these cases.
Regards,
Jesus Moreno
Well written and helpful information; a valuable lesson.
I have been through a similar experience and I gave up halfway. If it takes too much effort to buy and it is something that I can live without, then sorry, the company won't get my money. Nowadays, there are usually plenty of alternatives out there that if a site isn't user-friendly, there is always another one to go to.
Ha, it's really amazing why this happens, but from experience I have come to realize that most of such people are NOT everyday marketers like you and I. They are mostly companies who just have venture funds and don't really know how best to manage it. Subsequently they end up with staff that are not too bothered whether they make sales or not. All they know is that they will get paid their wages at the end of the day. Sucks, though!
I can't remember exactly who said it, but one marketer once advised that everyone selling something online should go through the entire buying process as if he/she was a real buyer to see if he/she will be pleased with the process. If we all do that, we will be able to get in the buyer's shoes and see if he will be pleased with the buying process and correct things that need to be corrected.
Thanks for sharing this, Jon. I am sure lots of us will learn a thing or two and will eventually make corrections. Thanks again.
Oh this is really not user friendly and it may help you loose your interest in buying. The one thing with sales, you must be able to make it easier for your consumer to go through the process of buying your item.
I like the way you put it. I must say it was quite hilarious. The 'phew' and the 'yay'. I have the same experience too. Especially when we are about to click the button but don't felt confident about the outcome. But when it turn out alright, we'll actually say these words out loud. And I mean 'out loud' in exasperation or joyful exclamation.
Can't keep quite in this kind of instance, can we?
Cheers for finally getting your helpdesk software. I was thinking…if your ticket submission system response could allow attachment of file, it'll be great.
What do you think? Is that possible? There's always room for improvement. Cheers again for the better.
All in all if we are planing to order it right now we might be able to order it by the next TWO days. Sometimes if we registered ourselves on it It takes time to approve our account. To reach the stage where we can effectively manage the whole online shopping concept it requires some common sense from the buyers perspective.
Its so kool from my perspective that someone like you, Jon, have had similar problems.
I'm gonna put my newbie hat on, and let all and sundry know that the paranoidness (if that's a word, if its not, you know what I mean) of newbies is such that when we have to fill in all our gory details, we think that our information is just being sold to some kinda lead generation company!
Any more info than my name and email address, I back off big time!
And experience shows me that, if I have filled in all my details, I start getting emails from folks within a similar field to what I have applied to/purchased from/expressed a desire for further information from…….
The Big Brother Syndrome reigns supreme………………..
I agree. The payment process should be as straightforward as can be. I bet many who have a poor payment / delivery process will lose sales. With the amount of payment systems around now this ISN'T a hard task.
Andy
you know what jon… sometime shopping-online is sux!!! the idea of easy-shopping became so irrelevant this day…
Thanks for sharing this, Jon. I am sure lots of us will learn a thing or two and will eventually make corrections.
I am dumbfounded that you went through all that drivel.
I will name names; I have already nailed the president of Intuit for the same hostile ratrace.
I told him: " If I were the CEO of the company I would fire the programmers who published that crap without a 'Buy Now' or similar button on the first page."
I am in the business to sell/promote stuff. I love the guy/gal who clicked through to my site. I want them to leave with a warm thank you note and an invitation to allow me to email them with other gems they might be interested in. It's called a 'squeeze box'.
I signed off then; went online and found dozens of marketers who wanted to sell me, what else, Quicken 2010 and at one third the cost.
Intuit has some wonderful programers, creating reliable products I've used for years and will continue to do so in the future. BUT… INTUIT HOME OFFICE landing page will never darken my screen again.
My friend, you should have kicked ass at the outset, with gentility, of course.
Diatribe Two: Sales pages longer than two screens. Like the one I just waded through. BUMMER. I haven't any idea what you were trying to sell. Your content killed most of my congenital curiosity.
I once asked a Canadian marketer at her company's weekend seminar; " Why in the world do you use such absurdly long sales pages…. boring repitition?"
Her answer: "Because they work".
So, do your tiring long verbal assaults pay a higher ROI than the short ones? I sincerely hope so, I do. But this note I'm writing is beginning to bore even me. Enough is Enough.
FYI: J. L. is still safe from my purge key… for now.
Best regards
Sam I Am
Great advice and wisdom. I have had a similar experience attempting to order face products online. They are cheaper than in the dermatologist office so I have endured…but what a frustrating experience.
It is also a great reminder as I begin to put some of our products online.
I throughly agree with the tips suggested in this post.Because in the present times online business is the most blossoming field of business.Implementing these tips can surely help you in progressing high.
I have ever experienced this too with a proxy purchase. I intended to use Paypal and give them some piece of information. And later, when I entered my email, they said Yahoo address was not allowed. I canceled right away. Imagine the lost income if this happens everyday.
Oh I feel bad to hear about your experience.Well I have not purchased anything online.According to me people should really care about online shopping.Many sites have their customers views for previous purchases.There are also many sites which protect customer's personal information.Peon should first know about that online shopping site.
I haven't any idea what you were trying to sell. Your content killed most of my congenital curiosity.
I can appreciate your post. I have had the experience before of not being able to find a way to buy a product - cannot locate the buy button. You are so right. If you have to jump through too many hoops, I eventually frustrated and call it quits.
I can certainly sympathise with you. I've had to go through similar process to what you went through and abandoned the transaction after getting so frustrated and all the forms to fill out.
My pet hate is sites that don't list their shipping costs (obviously for physical items) and the only way you can find out is by going through the whole order/sales process.
Your predicament is really frustrating! I wonder how would I react when I am on your shoes in that situation. Sometimes, online sellers just don't think too much of usability when they push their products online. And, mind you, the reason why most people keeps buying from the Web is poor user experience. You should tell that to the company selling you stuff. It's time they know.
I agree with all of your points. But Unfortunately these things are happening in most of the eCommerce websites.
Good post, nice share. I like this post. Thanks for your post.
Yeah, I had almost exactly the same experience this past week, just with another payment provider … if I hadn't REALLY wanted to software, I would have bailed in a heartbeat. Yuck!
Jon,
even I do not sell any digital products or offer any products for download on my site so I read your post with interest.
I watched very careful about how the checkout process will work for the user when I created the online store and kept the checkout steps to 3 steps maximum with the option of a 4th step for creating a different shipping address than what the billing address is.
Any single item in my store has the Add-To-Cart button, so it is easy for the user to add something to the shopping cart without he/she will have to check around how to. Also, without leaving the product pages, the user always can see a summary of what was added to the cart, without leaving a certain page. I think if the user had to leave any product page just to check on what is in the shopping cart and to how much it totals up, so this can disturb the shopping experience of the user very much.
What really bothers me, whenever I personally shop around online, is stores they make me registering or to sign up for anything before I actually get to see any products or product prices, I want to see. This happened to me several times and mostly with stores they name themselves a "Wholesale Store" but are selling to the public without asking for any sales tax certificates. (But that's a subject of it's own) Then after a few weeks I receive all kinds of spam mails. In my opinion this is another way of selling or running an online store, that I would not recommend at all.
Great post… You are right about the fact that there are some really confusing websites out there.
It is amazing how many e-tail businesses out there unknowingly kill transactions before they're complete. Yes, some conversion testing companies charge an arm and a leg for consulting, but some things really are common sense. You can look through analytics to see where people are abandoning or even recruit some of your internal staff for cheap (free) user testing. Seems like a no-brainer, yet as you pointed out, these mistakes can be devastating to your bottom line.
Well, I should say I LEARNED a lot I appreciate you sharing this article.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
Indeed not the best way to sell to your customers. It was like Murphy was in the house. When something can go wrong, it will.
what type of product did u sale?
This type of stuff happens because people don't do training before they set up their website. I think you should read as much articles as possible before you even consider selling anything.
As a really impatient person myself I can't stand it when I have to work at purchasing something online. This kind of site would have turned me right off and on a bad day I wouldn't have even cared if the software was virtually indispensable. I just hate jumping through unnecessary hoops. I've got enough to do online without having to spend 30 minutes just inputting payment information.