"Great" Ideas That Don't Sell.
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Enticing Indifferent Consumers [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Exemplary E-Commerce Sites
Perhaps the most common mistake we see that sounds good to the company - but just isn't - is putting too many products on the home page just because they are "all great products" or "highly profitable." Yet overwhelming the visitor is not going to sell products, no matter how cool - or profitable - they are. A good site architecture will help visitors find what they want, not what the site want to shove down their throats (not an effective way to convert customers anyway!).
Also, a lot of companies sit down and say "Okay, we're going to be different, let's figure out how we're going to be different." And being different from your competition is indeed what your brand is all about. But some companies go down the wrong path and try to mess with established best practices instead of focusing on differentiating their products or identities. Doing things like having your navigation appear on a picture of a cheeseburger on your home page isn't different, it's just silly, and it gets in the way of a pleasant and effortless experience for your users.
Another thing we see a lot is companies trying to be everything to everyone. While you could argue that some companies have managed it - Amazon.com comes to mind - most companies are not going to be able to stand out in the crowd with no clear brand identity. Picking a market, and then working to dominate that, is the best way to increase revenues and conversions.
