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By Tema Frank
Be brave about pricing. Let’s face it: people need to know your prices before they decide whether or not to buy. Price isn’t the only influence on the buying decision, but it is information they will be looking for. One of the biggest complaints we hear is companies who make consumers jump through hoops to find the pricing information on a website, or, worse still, hiding it until they fill out order forms. If your products or services vary a lot in price you can always put in a range, and explain what sorts of factors influence the range.
Include taxes. This can be tricky if you sell in many different states, provinces and/or countries. If you cannot provide the exact tax amount in advance, at least say clearly that the pricing does not include tax. And don’t make them enter credit card information until they know what tax and shipping will cost.
Careful on the currency. There are at least 22 different world currencies that are called “dollar." But the amount they represent varies widely. As of May 4, 2006, for example, one US$ = 1.11 Canadian $ = 1.3 Australian $ = 1.56 New Zealand $ = 1.59 Singapore $. Your users need to know which currency the prices are being shown in.
Avoid premature registration. This is one of the biggest mistakes we see. Imagine standing outside a restaurant trying to decide whether to walk in or go to one of the other restaurants nearby. How would you react if maitre d’ came out, covered up the menu, and said you couldn’t see it until you came in and sat down? Chances are, you’d go somewhere else, and be mightily annoyed! Asking for premature registration on a website is the same thing. Even once they’ve decided to buy from you, don’t ask them to register until after they’ve placed the order. Then you can explain how it will save them time and hassle later if they let you store the personal data they just entered. To keep them protected, of course, they’ll need to chose a name and password.
Check your spelling. Sounds obvious, but this is a detail some folks forget, and spelling errors kill your credibility. Have someone who has not read the material before go over it with a fine tooth comb to make sure no spelling mistakes slipped in.
Test. You, your friends, family, employees and customers all know your business too well to be able to give an objective opinion on whether your site communicates clearly to prospects. Website designers know computers too well: things that are obvious to them will not be obvious to many of your users. Have your website tested by independent outsiders, preferably who match your target market. Have as many of them test it as you can afford, so you’ll know which improvements will likely have the biggest impact.
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