Internet Shopping
I was surfing the Internet recently for some good deals on clothing, and doing price comparisons the way shrewd shoppers can, when I came across the www.next.co.uk website. My intention was more to have knowledge of the possible prices before trotting off to a brick and mortar shop to buy the goods, but a few minutes planned on the website turned to an hour and before I knew it I had bought goods worth 60 pounds off the Next website. I took satisfactory delivery of a pair of jeans and a t-shirt following day. How did this happen? How had the Next website turned a simple visitor into a satisfied shopper?
From my experience on the Next website when compared to similar online clothing stores I would say that there are a number of important reasons why it works well for Next and not as well for other websites.
Sales
Rather than limiting itself to seasonal sales which it does in its brick and mortar shops, Next has come up with the idea of conducting sales all year long on its website. At a 50% discounted rate, and showing the previous price and the discounted price, what this information does for any Next online visitor is that he is made aware that on any occasion that he visits the Next website he is sure to find a bargain clothing item. This becomes a form of encouragement for repeated visits to the website.
Website Loading Speed
Websites that load very slowly are very frustrating to customers. Sometimes this can be caused by unnecessary graphics and advertising banners. The web pages on the Next online stores load very quickly when clicked on.
Safety and Trust
Are there guarantees for the customer about the security of their transactions on your website? Independent rating organizations rate the Next online shop in their list of secure shopping websites. Also, the Next online shop apologizes that for your safety it will not complete your transaction unless your house
delivery address corresponds to your credit or debit card address. Other factors such as spelling errors and errors in grammar, and the posting of contact information play a key role in the customer’s perception of the trustworthiness of the online shop
Honesty in Pricing, Delivery and Returns
I like the fact that there is only one delivery charge no matter the number of purchases on the Next online shop. There is also a guaranty of next day delivery when the goods are in stock and that I can tell what the total price of all my goods are before filling out the shopping cart order form. Next allows customers to make returns to any of its shops any goods bought if the customer has any complaints. The purchasing costs will then be refunded to the customer.
Complete Photos and product information
The Next online shop does a good job of its product information and photos. They are professional arranged and contain just the right amount of information for the customer to make a purchase decision without being so detailed to be scary. The quality of the website copy plays a key role in this area.
