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How do you like to shop? Do you take all day and browse around until something catches your eye? Or do you march right up to the clerk and say, "I need a cheap widget with a whoziwhatzit. Got one?"
It probably depends on what you're looking for, right? I rarely find myself wandering through an auto supply store, trying out different spark plugs and seeing which ones strike my fancy. And only once or twice have I gone to the checkout stand at Safeway and said, "I'm looking for a brownish butter-like substance made out of peanuts — perhaps something I could spread on bread with jelly. You got any of that?"
See, the product that you're seeking often defines how you shop for it. This is an important concept to remember when creating your online presence. What exactly is your product? Who is your target audience? How will they want to interact with your company, and how can your site enhance this interaction?
Many Web-based stores allow you to search through their stock by category or by keyword. These methods are, for the most part, derivatives of the technologies that make the software work; databases and file systems are quite effective at categorizing things. But are the customers at your site going to find shopping by category intuitive? Is that the best approach for you?
Let's take a look at the different kinds of products that are out there and how actual companies are custom-fitting their websites for maximum effectiveness.
by Kevin Hakman
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