Happy Links - Ecommerce Best Practices Edition
April 8, 2008 in Happy LinksI struck gold finding this blog packed with great information for those in online retail. (via)
A few examples:
- Welcome Email Usability Tips for Online Retailers
An excellent and thorough analysis of the subscription practices of 118 of the largest etailers. (42% used HTML layouts, 15% offered incentives like free shipping on next order). - Registration Usability - 87 Registration Forms Tested
This report discusses common fields requested during registration and how often they are used (e.g. Required First / Last Name - 54%, Required Birthday - 7%), discusses the ideal registration form length (as simple as possible, natch, but be creative if you need a lot of info), and ends with 13 registration form usability tips (e.g. Avoid hiding important information in graphics that look like ads or buttons that can be overlooked). - Losing Customers at the Register: 12 Checkout Blunders
Examples, dead-end receipt pages, and upselling at checkout. - Registration Usability - Permission Email Dos and Donts
In summary, don't send marketing emails to folks who sign up with you, unless they specifically request it. Otherwise you erode trust and lower open rates. She takes a few companies to task, then offers an 8 step checklist (Don’t pre-check the boxes for subscriptions).
Happy Links - Kevin Kelley Edition
March 18, 2008KK has been on some kind of wicked roll with a couple must-read essays.
- 1,000 True Fans
This mind-opening case for building a successful business by reaching the conceivable goal of having 1,000 true fans is at once exhilarating, motivating, and inspiring. I read it two weeks ago and I can't stop thinking about it. He confines his essay to artists, but I think it can easily be applied to what many of you are doing, "artistic" or not. It's the flip-side of The Long Tail and it's sure to get you thinking. - Better Than Free
Another gem making the case that the Internet is a giant copying machine dismantling previous models of selling copies of something. As such "When copies are super abundant, they become worthless. When copies are super abundant, stuff which can't be copied becomes scarce and valuable." He then goes on to outline eight things which can not be copied, and can therefore be sold. They are Immediacy, Personalization, Interpretation, Authenticity, Accessibility, Embodiment, Patronage, and Findability. He conspicuously leaves out advertising, which he addresses at the end of the essay.
Happy Quote
March 17, 2008"Persistence isn't using the same tactics over and over....
Persistence is having the same goal over and over."
Happy Links - Best of Jakob Nielson
February 26, 2008 in Happy Links
Taking Jakob Nielson seriously is difficult when he has his glamour shots done by Deb. But, this perennial curmudgeon manages to stay relevant and important when it comes to researched findings on web usability. Here are a few of his recent gems.
- Amazon: No Longer the Role Model for E-Commerce Design
Many design elements work for Amazon.com mainly because of its status as the world's largest and most established e-commerce site. Normal sites should not copy Amazon's design. - Web 2.0 Can Be Dangerous...
AJAX, rich Internet UIs, mashups, communities, and user-generated content often add more complexity than they're worth. They also divert design resources and prove (once again) that what's hyped is rarely what's most profitable. - Top-10 Application-Design Mistakes
Application usability is enhanced when users know how to operate the UI and it guides them through the workflow. Violating common guidelines prevents both. - Usability ROI Declining, But Still Strong
The average business metrics improvement after a usability redesign is now 83%. This is substantially less than 6 years ago, but ROI remains high because usability is still cheap relative to gains.
Interview with Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint.com
February 19, 2008 in An interviewI first started paying attention to Mint when my brother, a dirt-poor college student sent me an arm-flapping, breathless, urgent email telling me how he'd signed up at Mint.com and that it found a $9 per month charge from an obscure company. Mint had flagged it to his attention. It turned out to be a scam. After a struggle with the scammers my brother got a $328 refund, and a stop to the bleeding. He had spent five minutes with Mint.com. Not a bad ROI.
Aaron Patzer started Mint when he was just 25. One of those freakishly-smart guys, he started playing around with computers when he was six years old, ran a BBS when he was 10, and started his first web development business when he was 16. Which was in 1996.
He attended Duke University earning undergrad degrees in computer science, and electrical engineering, and computer engineering. He then started a Ph.D. thinking that was a requirement of any good inventor. He found that to be "thoroughly impractical" and instead earned his MSEE from Princeton University.
What followed was work for IBM working on the Cell microprocessor (used in the Playstation 3, and it has three of his patents on it) then for a startup, Nascentric where he learned how to build a company from scratch.
During this time Aaron was working 70-80 hours a week, and neglecting his finances. After a disappointing experience with Microsoft Money, and Intuit's Quicken he figured there had to be an easier, quicker, and more automated way to organize his finances.
The company that would become Mint was born.
In mid 2007 he emerged from stealth mode and launched Mint.com at the Techcrunch40 conference on September 18, 2007. Among 700 startups, narrowed to 40, Mint went on to win the event.
In its first month, Mint signed up 50,000 users.
By the end of the year, it had passed the 100,000 user mark.
My interview with Aaron:
Continue reading "Interview with Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint.com"
Interview with Founder of Mint.com - A Preview
February 14, 2008 in An interviewNext week I'll be posting an interview I did with Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint.com. To whet your appetite, here's a (very killer) preview:
The first few months were tough. I was 25 at the time, and basically oscillated day to day between thinking "This is the greatest idea ever!" and "This will never work. Who am I to take on Intuit and Microsoft? If this was a good idea, someone would have done it before." It’s very emotional, and I don’t think people ever tell you about that. You see your net worth quickly draining, you have no idea what’s going to happen next, and you’re sitting alone in a room with no help, no resources, just your brain and sheer will-power. When ever I got down, I would listen to "That’s Life" by Frank Sinatra, or think about a Shakespeare quote I liked as a kid: "Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we might oft win, by fearing to attempt."
Happy Quote
February 7, 2008"Be mindful of the link between present action and desired future outcome. Ask yourself: if I repeat today’s actions 365 times, will I be where I want to be in a year?"
—Roz Savage (Rower, writer, speaker. Working to become the first solo woman to row across the Pacific Ocean from California to Australia)
Happy Quote
January 9, 2008 in Happy Quotes
"I view my life in a way … I'll explain it to you, OK? The greatest thing about tomorrow is, I will be better than I am today. And that's how I look at my life. I will be better as a golfer, I will be better as a person, I will be better as a father, I will be a better husband, I will be better as a friend. That's the beauty of tomorrow. There is no such thing as a setback. The lessons I learn today I will apply tomorrow, and I will be better."
50% off Authentic Jobs posts till Jan 15th '08
December 31, 2007 in WorkHappy.net Advertiser
Looking back at 2007 I'd like to thank our primary sponsor and partner Authentic Jobs. I've used them a half-dozen times myself to find qualified candidates and they've always found me a great match.
If you're looking for some top talent to start off the new year, you can post your job between now and January 15th for 50% off the normal listing price by using the promo code HAPPY08 (and of course they still, and always have a money back guarantee).
And with that, here's wishing you a Happy New Year - thanks for reading and loving me in spite of my spotty posting (this being an entrepreneur stuff takes a lot of darn time).
Happy Links - best of Seth Godin edition
December 4, 2007 in Happy Links
The Scarcity Shortage
Thought provoking piece pointing out that we're running out of scarcity, which traditionally has been the cornerstone of our economy. He offers some ideas on what to do about it... and what not to do about it "the worst strategy is whining--about copyright laws and fair trade and how hard you've worked to get to where you are. Whining is rarely a successful response to anything. Instead, start by acknowledging that most of the profit from your business is going to disappear soon."- How to make a PowerPoint chart
As a master presenter himself, Seth took on Power Point years go with Really Bad Powerpoint and now offers this updated installment. "Sooner or later, you're going to be tempted to use actual data in a presentation. Powerpoint makes it easy, and it also tempts you to do it completely wrong. Here are some ideas to help." - How to create a great website
Yes, surprisingly, most of us still don't get it. And it's still a good reminder for the rest of you.
"1. Fire the committee. No great website in history has been conceived of by more than three people. Not one. This is a dealbreaker." Ten principles in all. - The caricature of your brand
No really, it can be a good thing. Killer marketing advice. - The opposite
Do you know who your opposite is?