Page 209 - Electronic Commerce

Chapter 4

interest. The site should include words that are likely to jog the memories of visitors and
remind them of something they want to buy on the site.
These keywords are often called trigger words because they prompt a visitor to stay
and investigate the products or services offered on the site. Links to explanations about
the site or instructions for using the site can be particularly helpful to this type of
184 customer. A site should include extra content related to the product or service the site
sells. For example, a Web site that sells camping gear might offer reviews of popular
camping destinations with photos and online maps. Such content can keep a visitor who
is in browser mode interested long enough to stay at the site and develop a favorable
impression of the company. Once visitors have developed this favorable impression, they
are more likely to buy on this visit or bookmark the site for a return visit.

Buyers
Visitors who arrive in buyer mode are ready to make a purchase right away. The best
thing a site can offer a buyer is a direct route into the purchase transaction. For visitors
who first choose a product from a printed catalog, many Web sites include a text box on
their home pages that allows visitors to enter the catalog item number. This places that
item in the site’s shopping cart and takes the buyer directly to the shopping cart page.
A shopping cart is the part of a Web site that keeps track of selected items for purchase
and automates the purchasing process.
The shopping cart page should offer a link that takes the visitor back into the
shopping area of the site, but the primary goal is to get the buyer to the shopping cart as
quickly as possible, even if the buyer is at the site for the first time. The shopping cart
should allow the buyer to create an account and log in after placing the item into the cart.
To avoid placing barriers in the way of customers who want to buy, the site should not
require visitors to log in until they near the end of the shopping cart procedure. You will
learn more about shopping carts in Chapter 9.

Shoppers
Some customers arrive at a Web site knowing that it offers items they are interested in
buying. These visitors are motivated to buy, but they are looking for more information
before they make a purchase decision. For the visitor who is in shopper mode, a site should
offer comparison tools, product reviews, and lists of features. Sites such as Crutchfield and
Best Buy allow customers to specify the level of detail presented for each product, sort
products by brand, or price, and compare products with each other side by side.
Remember that a person might visit a Web site one day as a browser and then return
later as a shopper or a buyer. People do not retain behavioral categories from one visit to
the next—even for the same Web site.

Alternative Models
Although many companies work with these three visitor categories, other researchers are
exploring alternative models. Much of Web site visitor behavior is not yet well understood.
One study conducted jointly by the consulting firms McKinsey & Company and
MediaMetrix examined the online behavior of 50,000 active Internet users and identified
the six behavior-based categories of Web site visitors shown in Figure 4-4.

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