[thelist] 10 best ecommerce insights

[alan herrell - the head lemur]

Steven Streight wrote a good series of insites:
I will toss in my 2 cents on a couple of items having done this since 1997

> (2) First, do research and consultation with clients to fully understand
> client business, what the company is trying to do, and what the users want
> to know, do, and buy, and then custom build a site around that.

(2A) Understanding Client Business. Successful pixel mechanics will get 
down and dirty with the client. You have to understand what the client 
does to make money.

Once you understand that, your job is to create a site that will give 
the client the information needed from visitors, to close the deal, in a 
manner and order that allows the client to respond as fast as possible.

*You also have to see how the client relates to their employees, vendors 
and partners. You are at the bottom of the food chain looking to get the 
client to give you money. How they treat their own people will tell you 
much more about how you will be treated than any cross my heart 
statement by the client.

One of the wierdest things about small businesses is that when they get 
a case of the cash shorts, the first thing they stop is their 
advertising. You know where you are on the food chain.

  (2B) Do not take the word of the client alone as to who the 
competition is, do your own research. This is twofold. One it will help 
you to understand if the client knows, and two it will provide you with 
more information and leads if the one client does not work out.


> 
> (4) User observation tests are mandatory.

     (4A)Client observation tests are mandatory! See (2A) above


> (9) Study books by Seth Godin, Kellog Marketing Faculty at Northwestern
> University, Jakob Nielsen, Jared Spool, Tom Peters for insight, strategy,
> and inspiration.
(9A) 	Don't make me think by Steve  Krug
	Building Accessable Websites by Joe Clark
	Taking Your Talaent to the Web by Jeff Zeldman
	The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett




-- 
alan herrell - the head lemur
raving lunacy
http://theheadlemur.typepad.com