The Crazy, Messed Up World of Ecommerce
Posted June 4, 2007 by Jason Billingsley /
What if offline shopping were as cruel and difficult as buying online? What does that world look like?
Video #1 - If Only Search Engines Could Understand What We Want
Video #2 - Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought…
Video #3 - Premature Redirection
Video #4 - Zero Results Found
Video #5 - Price Checked
Video #6 - Bananarama…rama…rama…rama
Video #7 - Abandoned
If you struggle with any of these online retail challenges, you might need to consider new ecommerce software.
Those are pretty funny. I’m subscribed (pick me!).
Hey, I think I see a Team 1040 t-shirt!
heh. nice. Although I had troubles in IE7. Firefox worked fine. just me?
You’ve been blogged!
Hey i subscribed as requested. cool videos.
Subscribed. Hopefully Google Reader will be able to restore the subscriptions it just ate without unsubscribing me….
Subscribed and linked: http://blog.productblazer.com/2007/06/13/laugh-and-learn-from-ecommerce-videos/
Very nice. Subscribed–hope you’ve got more coming! (One grammatical quibble: unless you’re announcing that you’ve just recently recovered from being sick, it’s improper to say “I’m well.”)
Pretty darn funny - for the ‘people who bought this also bought’ it’s less annoying than how in brick and mortar they put little piles of stuff they put in the middle of the already cramped aisle to try and cross sell. :)
Subscribed.
Well done. Theres so many videos that could be made on this.
I’ve already subscribed - so can I still win?
I do like the videos.
Quibbles:
#3 - the point is subtle, and it took me a few moments to figure out what you were saying - that going from a point deep in the web site to another part shouldn’t force you to go back to the top where you can disremember what you were about to do.
#2 - when you check out at a real store, you often go through a ‘channel’ that provides you with impulse buys, such as gum or batteries. This doesn’t seem to be any more intrusive than a web site that offers you stuff during checkout. Maybe your point is that the e-commerce suggestions need to feel less like new web pages and more like the gum hanging on the kiosk?
#1 - this was funny, but I think you could make it even more interesting by showing how the user has to educate herself on the right terms to use to get what she wants - it’s hard to know what the search engine requires, and the choices (”Yahoo!”, in this case) require you to learn alternate methods.
Steve: Thanks for your comments, we’ll take them on-board. We’ve got a few more (frankly, we’re still figuring out how much funny we’ve got left), so we’ll be keen to hear what you think of those.
Yep, you can still win.
Oh, then you should contact me! I’m full of funny.
Oh, but I think I need to withdraw from the contest - I’d contact you to explain why, but there’s no contact form on this site. :/ bummer.
Steve: In truth, the videos are “in the can”–we’re just not sure how many of them are worthy of publication.
You can drop me a line at darren [at] capulet [dot] com. And I’ll get on EP’s back to add a contact link to the site.
Count on me! I’m subscribed and have a link on my blog.
Your videos are really good, I suscribed and linked to your vids!
http://www.voxinablog.com/ecommerce/et-si-le-commerce-etait-exactement-comme-le-ecommerce/
YouTube is block by my company, is there another place where they can be viewed?
Arnie, I’m going to upload these videos to some other sites over the next couple of days. Did you have a particular site you can access? I was thinking of also posting them on MetaCafe, Revver and Video.ca to start with.
Have you thought of doing one on checkout and forcing users to register?
Scenario: shopper goes to checkout. First clerk asks her if she has already an account, and if she has forgotten her password.
She does not have an account, so 2nd clerk asks her for first name, last name, birthdate.
She does not enter birthdate in the right format, the clerk blurps out a random error message and she has to repeat everything again.
Third clerk forces her to enter a user name and password. At that point, she leaves her cart and runs away. Quite understandably.
My $0.02 :)
At that point, understandably
Stephane: Good idea! In fact, we’ve got one coming up that’s very similar to that.
I have subscribed. Great stuff!
I’m subscribed, thanks. The videos are a bonus, I’m really liking the blog posts. Not sure what to make of the one titled “Table Draft” though, … oh, it’s been removed but is still hanging around in Bloglines. No worries.
I just have to say, the women in this series is, Breath-taking..Are you available?
The videos really are brilliant!! Thanks for the tips on the Blogging for retailers white paper Dave O. Found your blog after Etail. Spreading the word.
Al
http://www.izziwizzikids.co.uk
Evan: Sorry dude, she’s currently taken.
An excellent take on customer frustrations as they are negotiating their way through e-commerce sites! On looking at the 3 current videos I would think there is potential ammunition for a good number of these types of videos, perhaps more than 6-8 as you are predicting, but either way this project should provide a richer and more viral way of highlighting common frustrations.
One initial recommendation (just in case you need more!), particularly as the videos are closely related to grocery shopping, could go by the title of ‘I know you sell what I’m looking for so where is it’ which would relate to poor on-site search functionalities on major online grocery stores, which fails to locate a product or products which you know exist in the store - when you navigate the categories (aisles) to find the product it appears as you would expect.
As for the project as a whole and this blog its a great fit to my own blog on usability, user experience and information architecture, with a particular focus on e-commerce after 6 years at Littlewoods Shop Direct, so I’ll be linking to this thread and I’ve also subscribed to the blog!
Great stuff - and good characters also!
I’ve subscribed. And blogged. And very much appreciate the frustrations of the online shopper!
Hi Guys-
Great videos! Love the turnip!
Mark- you are MADE for You Tube! ; )
I agree with Steve’s comments that the points are subtle, especially #2. I have not had experience where I cannot seem to checkout quickly because of the site trying to cross-sell. Is that a common problem?
Either way, great viral marketing!
Very clever. They definitely ring true in many cases. Must go and check my site…….
So hilarious and true!!!
Fantastic, so true!
These are great, very entertaining. Made my morning. I subscribed to the feed and posted on my blog.
Tracy Gibson
http://TheresaGibson.com
Nice and so true videos.
Subscribed to the feed and posted in my blog.
Well done, guys…
Moritz
http://www.blogzwonull.de
It’s so true I could cry. Wickedly funny guys. Kudos!!!
Very funny… Surfers are a unknown unspecific Mass of impacts on a webserver. On the internet no one can hear their screams… ;-)
Bonjour,
Nice job & great viral marketing. You have been blogged again :
http://www.sachal.fr/2007/06/22/le-e-commerce-dans-la-vie-reelle/
This reminds me of other examples I encountered as online shopmanager. They could be quite fun too (I swear they all did happen):
* Basket swapping :
The heroine arrives at the payment desk and wants to pay. The clerk announces a strangely high price. There she notices, the items in her basket do not belong to her (somewhere else, another customer finds himself with her stuff)…
* Problems with the payment :
The heroine wants to pay with her creticard but then notices, there is no slot to put the creditcard in
* Weird product classification :
While going through the alleys, the heroine notices there is one complete alley for each single fruit (ex: one alley filled with bananas, another with apples, etc.). In the alley with the batteries, she notices, all the batteries are mixed up in a huge container without name or label on them.
* No photos available :
The heroine finds herself in a store where every product is shown in a brown parcel with just his name written on it
* Outdated bestsellers :
The heroine notices that in every alley, there is the same, outdated besteller : the brandnew record-player ! (or: a toboggan in the summer)
Nice work, very funny.
Please more!
I found you through SEOMoz. Great videos. I’m looking forward to future releases!
LOL !!!
# 404… If you are feeling lucky….ahahahhahaha..
fantastic!
good job!
wly.it
Good job guys! I have subscribed! I have linked to you guys as well. Looking forward for more…
Heh cool videos, Video #1 is my fav
here is a good alternative to old school search engines
http://www.vast.com
I subscribed. I’ll be posting you in my blog soon as well. Pick me. Seriously.
Zero results found… awesome!
“Video #5 - Price Checked” is the funniest one yet.
Great work!
Enjoying the new ideas from SachaL (BTW, i subscribed to the “Learn French by Podcast” podcast so i can read your blog ;-)) and Stephane - great ideas too. And cheers to Steve for the indepth deconstruction and enthusiasm. I am cheering for you all to win the goods!
Plus … Al, very glad you found the Blogging for Retailer paper helpful - let me know where/when you start blogging.
Great stuff guys. I passed them on to our India office and the feedback was great.
Plus I love the marketing exposure you are receiving for it.
Cheers
Cory
www.linkedin.com/in/coryyork
Funny
Subscribed!
Subscribed!
I like the movies. Nice idea.
I have subscribed BTW :)
i subscribed too =)
These are great, very entertaining.
I subscribed to the feed and posted on my site.
CFerreira
elojas
Brilliant, what a good way to show e-commerce whooses why their clever ‘features’ do not work.
Will add to news/blog page in a bit.
Do keep making more vids. I’m sure that plots will keep being offered.
How about:
Paying by credit card and the card is refused because it is from out of state (or country) and payment by banker’s cheque or even gold bulletin required instead.
Or: Delivery offered, but then refused because the address is not local.
Or items offered at very low prices, but then the delivery is exorbitant and well above actual postage costs.
Great !! It is very very funny.