Likewise, in online experiences it is just plain annoying for people to get popup layers asking for your email address or to provide website feedback and have to attend to them. More often than not, your visitors will think “get out of my face!” and dismiss them immediately, feeling perturbed and wondering, “Do they really care more about their marketing initiatives than my shopping experience?”
The online sales interactions you user experience design represent a similar conversation with your prospects. As such, they should follow the social norms we have for in-person interactions. It’s all about finding the balance between your marketing objectives and the user’s intents and wishes, while also injecting a good dose of empathy into the interaction.
The same is true for an online experience. Most of us want don’t want to be pounced upon when we enter a virtual store. Instead, we first want to get our bearings, sense what this store is about, in terms of layout, brand feel and customer service. Only after that do we want to interact – and possibly engage or buy – at a deeper level.
This is why “premature solicitations” must be avoided. By these I mean:
- Popups asking for your email address
- Popups asking you to participate in an end-of-session feedback survey
- Requests to “Like us on Facebook!”, “Follow us on Twitter”
- Any other promotional graphics or copy that are modal (require a user interaction to continue)
I experienced the following popup layer 1 second after landing on this site.
This model layer forces me to interrupt my thought flow of getting some “comfortable, colorful and stylish summer wedges” and to attend to this offer. Here are some of my thoughts that immediately came to mind:
- “Why are you interrupting me now? I’m just getting started.”
- “Why don’t you just directly give me 20% off my first item? Why do I have to enter my email now, then go to my email to get my promo code?”
- “Why do I have to both with entering my email address twice?”
- “What other benefits do I get for providing my email address?”
- “Will I get spammed? I don’t see any indication that I won’t.”
These are all questions and points of contention. Is this what you want your visitor to feel and think? Likely not.
When you push a popup in front of your user you are annoying 90% of people who arrive at your virtual door. By imposing your marketing will on most or all of your visitors you are not honoring their desire to have a mostly anonymous, uninterrupted experience. Most importantly, you’re not building trust, and prospects don’t buy from companies they don’t trust.
A Better Way: Integrated Into the User's Workflow
A more supportive approach is to help your visitor stay on that “happy path” to finding a set of products that meet her preferences - i.e. selecting shoe size (e.g. in Lightbox layer, that user can skip, if desired), choosing style/color/brand preferences (e.g. in left-column filters), then viewing a list of shoes for consideration. This is the most preferable (and appropriate) path for most users.If it’s important for you to state your sales propositions or offers, consider showing this copy directly within the experience (e.g. in the middle of your product listing, or in the top-left product position if you have “matrix” view. Your prospect will still perceive and see it, and hold it in their working memory. People don’t tend to forget offers that save them money; price is always a top consideration for online shopping.
The site below embeds a couple sales propositions in the top-left position of the product matrix. You could use the same – or other prominent location – to display your special offer. No “banner blindness” here; your visitors definitely won’t missing see your message in this location. If your promo is product or brand-specific (as some are), you can expose it after the user makes that selection.
If You Must Ask For An Email Early In The Experience
I understand the direction from Marketing Department: “We need more email captures, because email is our highest-converting channel.” Email is certainly a key lead-gen channel, but you need to be careful when and how you ask for it.
Based on my learnings from my last couple projects, a better time to ask is 7-10 seconds after the user’s first interaction, or when the user is has otherwise reached a “high engagement point” in their experience, like the product listing (category) page. This is the point when the user is ready to consider specific products and associated offers.
Be sure to also explain the “do fors” – everything the visitor will gain from providing their email address – and any pains that will be avoided (getting spammed, or not being able to unsubscribe from the emails). Doing so will lower the prospect’s fear of providing this personal information.
The site below mentions that not only will you save 10% off your first order, but you will “stay in touch” with the latest styles, deals and sales. This gives the prospect a clearer indication of what to expect after she enters her email. In addition, this layer appears after about 7 seconds (on my cable connection), so as to not directly interfere with my initial scan of the page.
A More Subtle Way to Ask
Rather than directly present the form to the user, consider presenting your form in a subtler way. Good approaches I like are: showing a minimized “Become an insider” layer – e.g. that animates in from the right side of the page. This approach makes your opt-in visible, yet not obtrusive (in terms of space) and interruptive (in terms of time). The user can easily minimize the offer layer if not desired – or not desired at this time. Putting your prospect in control of this interaction will more positively reflect on your brand, while likely not compromising your email opt-in rate.
Consider Starting a Dialog
Remember, many shopping experiences these days – at least for discretionary purchases - are increasingly multi-channel: your prospect first hits your mobile site while waiting in line on Day 1, hits it again a couple days later while watching her son’s football game, then continues their shopping scenario on your desktop site a few days later (pay day), and perhaps “carts” a couple items. So you don’t need to fully convert them on their first experience.As a marketer, ask yourself (and your team): Is it more important to convert this person now, or to give her time to connect with your brand? If the latter, consider other ways to start a dialog, including:
- A short online survey, using a tool like Qualaroo or Userhue.
- A chat interaction (minimized by default, so as to be unobtrusive, yet visible)
I’ll explore these other “dialog modes” in a separate article. For now, start thinking “outside the promo/email box” early in your interactions with your prospects.
Summing Up
All of us humans want to feel like we’re in control, and your website users are no different. So respect your visitors’ desire for control by presenting your email capture forms in a more creative way, and at a more appropriate time. Doing so will reduce the “annoyance factor” and give your visitors a more favorable impression of your site and your brand. If in doubt, ask: “What I do this if I was interacting with someone I don’t know well - or at all - in person?" If not, consider an alternate approach that shows you know how to balance your visitors' desire for autonomy against the goals of your marketing campaigns.How to Reach Mark
email: mark.hall99@gmail.comskype: markhall_skype
twitter: @HallmarkUX
linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hallmarkexperience
No comments:
Post a Comment