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The ability to touch and feel a product is an important part of the buying experience.  When buying shirts, pants, shoes or anything wearable, I need to understand the product fit and feel prior to purchase.  In these cases, I will find a local vendor, try the product and either purchase in-store, or go back online and make a purchase - depending on price of course!

That said, outside of clothing, most products are better explored and understood online than in the store in my opinion.  Why?  In the store, a book sits on a shelf by itself, without reviews, comments or any insight into the content other than what the publisher can fit on the back cover.  Reviews are a great way to get a feeling for a book online.  Yes - I really like reviews!

Similarly, a gadget - defined as a non-essential item that I simply MUST have - is typically sealed in a plastic prison, with only a single angle viewable and pieces usually hidden in a cardboard void behind the main product.   Even worse, some products are completely enclosed in cardboard, with a black and white or colour picture stamped on the front of the box - preventing me from seeing the product at all!  Fortunately, many vendors have samples available to play with, but typically, not all products are available to touch. 

This is when online shopping has the opportunity to deliver a much better experience.  While I can't hold a product in my hand, I can usually find pictures of a product from almost any angle.  This is far more valuable to me as a consumer than holding a product in a plastic prison. 

What prompted this discussion?  After our bike ride, I decided a bike computer was in order to help pace myself.  I dropped by a local bike store and saw a number of CATEYE products, encased in little plastic prisons with parts hidden in a cardboard box within the plastic.  So I had no idea what I was getting other than the description on the box.

Having multiple images for review during the purchase process  helps the customer understand the product - if customers are anything like me that is.  Online, vendors have the option to employ rich imaging technology to deliver more angles and the ability to zoom to view the finer details of the product.  You can see a simple example here.  While this is ideal, it seems this method of delivering imaging is not yet standard - it's still ahead of the curve.  Companies like RichFX, Fluid and Scene7 (now part of adobe) deliver this functionality well.

Until then, I have to google CATEYE Astral 8 pictures myself.

Online retailing is a complex and at times over- analyzed business.  Due to the nature of the medium, every last piece of data is tracked and picked apart by retailers and vendors alike.  Buzz-phrases like “path to purchase” “visual hierarchy” and “suggestive selling techniques” abound in our business.  Retailers are constantly on the lookout for the next magic bullet that will give them the edge over their competitors and provide the ever-elusive customer loyalty that eludes so many these days.

But as with many complex problems, the cure can be worse than the disease, and make us lose site of what’s really important. Case in point: I recently purchased a PDF of Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Handbook. It is a document designed to provide research data and first hand best practices on page design, e-mail marketing campaigns, etc.  At least that’s what I think it’s about, because they have made it EXTREMELY difficult for me to even read the thing!

The document itself, once purchased, comes password protected -- requiring a code for entry.  Ok, fine, understood – I will just grab the code.  But where is it?  Not on my buyer’s landing page, not in the confirmation e-mail…but in an obscure link within the online receipt.  I am forced to read through two pages of largely useless information from the vendor (I am singularly focused on getting that code now), where finally, almost as if by chance, I come across my code.  So, I save the document to my hard-drive and move on with my life.  Until of course, I want to access the document again – and AGAIN I am prompted for the code…you can probably guess how the rest of this goes…and why it has resulted in a frustrated consumer.

Despite much advancement over the past 5 years, the buying experience of many online stores has lots of room for improvement.

Moral of this little story?  Make it easy for your customers to BUY!  Having a good product, advanced customer acquisition campaigns and detailed data tracking tools is all fine and well, but the process begins and ends with allowing the consumer to buy and begin using, your products.  

What's the first thing you do when you go online to search for a product?  According  to most research, you are probably like me -- you either:

A:  type in the brand name of the manufacturer, followed by the product name into Google  or

B:  type in the corporate url into your browser ie apple.com, hp.com, nissan.com etc..

Also like me, your "intent to purchase" following the successful completion of A or B is probably pretty high.  I bought an Ipod Nano last week and used option B -- typed in apple.com and away I went.  The ease with which I could find my product and purchase it is big reason why Apple's direct to consumer (DTC) revenue is almost 18% of its total revenue -- (that adds up to about $3 billion).

So why aren't more manufacturers selling direct online?   Well, some are, and examples like Apple,  Philips, Coach and Nike prove that it can be done successfully. 

For some manufacturers though, the idea of a DTC eCommerce site is cause for "contemplation".

On one hand, they recognize that their brand equity creates a huge opportunity for direct sales via the web, for coveted direct customer interaction and for better overall margins.  On the other hand, channel conflict remains a delicate issue for many manufacturers, and a general lack of domain expertise can also be a concern.

That said, as more and more consumers like me look to the source for their products, the opportunity for manufacturers online continues to grow.  Not to mention the non- transactional benefits the web provides, including being an unparalleled source of customer data, a platform for key message delivery and a resource to help drive business to the distribution channel.

DTC is not right for all brand manufacturers, particularly if their channel is powerful or they are selling low priced commodities -- but for many, the road ahead includes an eCommerce strategy...

Over the last few weeks, word of a '7:00am ride' has been floating around the office.  While I would normally prefer to be snoozing my alarm at 7:00am, I reluctantly decided to participate.  How hard could it be?

5:45am - Saturday morning - this is hard already.  The last thing I want to do is get up and try to fit a mountain bike into the trunk of my car.  I get up anyways.  I manage to get the bike into the BACK SEAT of my car WITHOUT taking the quick-release front wheel off.  Even now I wonder how I managed to do that.

6:20am - I'm on the road, heading to our meeting point - Tim Hortons.

6:55am - I'm not going to make it for 7:00am, I call Bruce to tell him I will be late and he informs me that I'm 10 minutes closer to our meeting point than he is.  Perfect.

7:15am - I arrive, Bruce arrives with Kevin and another co-worker.  Shortly thereafter, another co-worker arrives.  We're all here, our bikes are being unloaded, Kevin orders a pre-ride coffee and we're set for a pre-ride picture.

7:35am - An early morning picture of a diverse set of riders - Project Management, Sales, Core Development and Engineering Services.

7:40am - We're on the road.  I'm feeling good, and am realizing that a road bike might be easier to ride than a mountain bike for long flat surfaces.  We're averaging about 20km/hr.  This pace is perfect for someone who hasn't taken a ride longer than a 5km commute to work in... my life?

8:00am - Chugging along.  Feeling good.  A co-worker notes that the pace has picked up and we're now averaging about 27km/hr.  I am okay with it, so I let it ride.

8:40am-ish - This is about where I start losing track of time.  We have already hit our turnaround point, are now riding into the wind and still increasing our pace.  The last I hear our pace has increased to 30km/hr.

?:??am - 5km to go - I can tell by the signs on the highway next to us.  I check the pace with a co-worker, he notes it at 33km/hr.  I feel like I'm slurring my words.  We're at the 32km mark.

More time passes...  I see the Tim Hortons and feel like I am riding in the tour and make a break for the finish-line (i.e. my car).  I drop my bike and manage to stand while my legs continue to burn.  Everyone else seems content, and the idea of continuing for another short ride is raised.  I say nothing, but am dreaming of my bed.  Thankfully Kevin had an appointment back in the city, so we continued to pack-up. 

The idea of celebrating with a Tim Hortons donut is suggested by a co-worker, so the three development staff on the ride (myself included) show our true colours by eating a post-ride donut.  It seemed a fitting reward for our hard work.

There is no after-shot.  I had enough trouble finding my car, never mind finding my camera.  But I did remember to take the front wheel off my bike prior to putting it in the trunk.   :)

Thanks for the ride guys.