I’d add to #1 by saying that it’s critical for the customer service process to be “usable” in addition to the web site. When customers call or e-mail, successful companies realize the need to have customer service reps (or in a small business, the employees working at the shop) who are genuinely interested in helping the customer find a product or solve a problem.

Instead of hiring a web analyst, why not get your customers to tell you what they think? This is what Sony, Philips and others are doing on their e-shops – asking for customer feedback on every transaction, and measuring the results with Net Promoter Score.

Your customers will tell you which areas to improve and invest in (and it costs less than getting a web analyst to do it for you!)

The first question should be: How will they know my website even exist?

The last question should be: How will they feel each time they think about their buying experience?

There are about 55 questions in between.

But most other sites need that granularity, too. Knowing if a product is manufactured in a plant that produces peanuts is vital knowledge to some consumers. While this is important for the consumer, companies need this to reduce risk.

Best Buy indicates that something like a 1/4″ descrepancy in product deminsion information leads to about a 3% increase in returns for certain products. Both consumer satisfaction and company costs align here in the need for granular, accurate information.