Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [82]
This type of required registration is being used on Target.com at the time of this writing (Figure 7-16). By requiring registration or tying into the visitor’s Amazon.com account, Target leaves no other option available for the visitor. They have to create an account, or they are not able to move forward.
Figure 7-16: Target.com requires user registration in order to purchase.
The two biggest objections that users have to a required registration, according to Nielsen, are as follows:
Users are reluctant to join anything or complete a registration form.
User didn’t expect or don’t want to create a password.
I know that in my own experience, creating a new password is one of the most inconvenient aspects of using websites. It is an interruption in my day, because it forces me to create, record, and attempt to remember a password that I will only have to search for later.
Many retailers have read up on this obstacle to the process, and some make registration optional, but very few use this obstacle to their advantage. For instance, OfficeMax presents the options at the beginning of the secure checkout page (Figure 7-17). The objections of creating an account are not addressed; they are simply passed to the end of the purchase, and the visitor is let “off the hook” for registering on the website.
Figure 7-17: OfficeMax user registration
This seems unobtrusive to the process, but look a little deeper, and there a missed opportunity to get the registration. Most sites ask for registration but provide little or no visitor benefits for registering! Of course no one registers; there is no reason for it!
Newegg.com (Figure 7-18) presents compelling reasons for new customers to create an account. The benefits of the new account are listed, and the process is presented as a short and simple convenience.
Figure 7-18: Newegg.com provides compelling reasons to register.
Thursday: Ask for the Sale
Once the need is created and the objections are overcome, the next move is to simply ask for the sale. Too many sites present their information but don’t ask for the sale. I too often hear complaints from user groups and test subjects that they cannot find “what they are supposed to do” on a website. This, of course, makes them want to give up.
What is most frustrating to people is that they were persuaded and wanted to take action. After investing the time and effort, they really wanted to use that site; however, it was too difficult to find the point of action.
This is where many salespeople simply aren’t able to close a deal, because they forget one of the most important aspects—which is simply asking for the sale. In Internet marketing terminology, you can define asking for the sale as the call to action. This is the action you want visitors to take, regardless of whether it is a sale, registration subscription, or simply clicking through to another page. Visitors must be clearly shown the request or obviously invited to take the next step; otherwise, they may not find it. By inviting a customer to take action and specifically telling them which action to take, the sales process is streamlined into the specific steps necessary for the visitor to become a customer (or a member, subscriber, or other type of long-term goal you may have for your site).
Harvest, a project and time tracking tool, very clearly asks for the sale with two large green buttons that simply state Sign Up Now and Try It for Free (Figure 7-19).
Figure 7-19: GetHarvest.com—asking for the sale
When placing a product in front of a shopper, it is best to be very clear about the product when asking for the sale. In the case of Dynamism (www.dynamism.com), the product is USB sushi drives. If you like sushi