[thelist] how design affects ecommerce

[Jamie Bakum]

>The best way is to get them in the mindset that they are now buying 
>something, is to collect their information, before presenting 
>shipping and tax information.

I disagree, though to some extent it depends on what you're selling - 
For something fairly unique (not so much the uniqueness of the item 
or service, but the uniqueness of the source) I don't mind so much 
finding out until the end.

But comparison shopping becomes a *big* hassle when that info isn't 
readily available - I just bought a laptop. Comparing the price of 
the computer was simple enough, but shipping options ranged from $13 
to over $60 with as much as a 50% variation between vendors for the 
same shipping service - More importantly, I was looking at over $100 
in potential sales tax I was hoping to avoid.

I don't see how putting a button that says "calculate shipping" or 
"states we do business in" up front does anything but put a customer 
in more of a buying mode. Especially if you can offer service 
comparable to or better than your competitors.
-- 

Jamie