From Home Page to Check-Out: Secrets of a User-Friendly Online Shopping Experience
If buying tickets online is so much more convenient than traveling to a real box office downtown, why are some performing arts organizations’ online tickets sales so sluggish? If potential patrons are already on a company’s Web site—when the impulse to buy is strong—getting them to “check-out” should be a foolproof process. But patrons often abandon their “shopping carts” without completing their purchases. Why?
The solution may lie in having both an experienced Web designer and a usability expert involved in the creation of an organization’s Web site sales process.
Compared to a patron’s experience buying tickets at a “real” box office, a “virtual” box office presents challenges:
The patron is facing a computer screen, without a person on the other side of the glass to answer questions about performances, seating, or policies. Locating the online “box office” on a Web site may be difficult. Finding information about an event, as well as simply navigating Web site links, can be difficult if the information architecture is poorly designed. The patron has no investment in the process. Neither time nor gas was spent to get to the virtual box office. The online shopping cart can easily be abandoned.
To address these challenges Web site planning must include ease of use as a vital aspect of the online ticket sales process, allowing patrons to enjoy simple, seamless transactions.
When evaluating a Web site that sells tickets online, the following usability components should be considered:
- Starting the purchasing path
- Building trust
- Building energy to buy
- Eliminating obstacles to buying
- Making the steps few and easy
Starting the Purchasing Path
Patrons wishing to purchase online should find an efficient way to enter a Web site’s “purchase path,” usually called the “shopping cart.” It is within the purchase path that patrons locate information, select tickets, and, if enough momentum is generated, complete the transaction.
Most patrons wishing to buy or renew subscriptions or buy individual tickets online usually start the process on the home page. Others may start from an internal page that describes a particular performance. Web sites that hope to maximize ticket sales should accommodate both entry points.
Entering the purchase path through the home page is important for users who already know the tickets they want to buy. Clearly labeling the link (i.e., “Buy Tickets”) and placing it in the highly visible “power corner” at the upper right of the home page, separate from the main navigation bar, works well. The “Buy Tickets” link should also be available on the internal pages of the site.
Building Trust
Before being willing to divulge sensitive information (e.g., a phone number, email address, or credit card number) users must trust the Web site. To build that trust, the site must, at minimum, secure the transaction and clearly explain the company’s privacy policies.
Secure the Transaction
Most Web site users will not enter sensitive information into an online form if the page is not protected by a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection. A page served through SSL is encrypted, and information it carries is safe from exploitation, should it be intercepted. Look for a page URL starting with “https” instead of the usual “http.”
Clearly Explain Policies
An organization’s information privacy policy is of vital importance to online buyers. The policy should answer questions such as: Is patron information sold to third parties? How is the information stored and protected? How is the transaction secured? Even though buyers might not think twice about using their “Preferred Shopper” card at the grocery store, studies show that, when it comes to purchasing online, users respond negatively if policies related to privacy and information use are not clearly stated.
The terms and conditions established for the Web site and the online buying process should be explained. These policies typically outline how the site is intended to be used, as well the legal responsibilities of all parties involved. Policies related to tickets sales, performance availability, casting, cancellations, exchanges, refunds, and similar issues should also be discussed
While it is good practice to provide links to this information on all pages, especially the home page, it is helpful to the user to also include it in text form on relevant pages along the purchasing path. A brief text snippet of the policy is sufficient. A page where an email address is collected, for example, might indicate that the organization does not sell email addresses to third parties. A link to the full privacy policy page should be provided as a follow-up.
Building Energy to Buy
For patrons who may not be in a hurry to buy, it is critical to build the energy to buy via the Web site’s content. Strong visual elements—color, movement, and emotion communicating what to expect from the experience—will help patrons decide if they want to attend. An excellent way to “give a taste” of an upcoming performance is to provide audio and, in some cases, streaming video samples.
Online usability experts use the term “drilling down” to describe how users typically want to consume information online, starting at the highest level, and continuing into ever more detailed information. Once their curiosity is satisfied and questions are answered, users can decide whether or not to start the purchasing process. A persuasive presentation of information requires skills in content creation and expertise in information architecture and usability.
Eliminating Obstacles to Buying
The online sales process can, in and of itself, bleed away momentum and the energy to buy. If patrons have little invested in the online ticket sales process, they can easily abandon it at the first sign of a problem. Eliminating ambiguity and testing for errors ensure a smooth buying process.
Eliminating Ambiguity
Users respond negatively when they can’t get answers to their questions about the process, and if the question is serious enough, they may simply abandon it. Anticipating such questions and providing context-sensitive answers is the single best way to build a user’s confidence in online buying.
For example, it is not uncommon for performing arts organizations to contract with a third party to process single ticket sales. When patrons click on the “Buy Tickets” link, they are taken to the third party’s Web site to perform the transaction. To prevent the unexpected disorientation a user might feel during such a transition, an explanatory text should be placed near the third party link.
Another example of ambiguity for the user is thinking that an automated system has made an error without an immediate way to verify this. The situation becomes even more difficult when only a limited amount of time is available to complete a transaction and money is involved.
Testing for Errors
It may be stating the obvious, but users do not tolerate errors in the online ticket buying process. Errors add friction, sapping the momentum to buy and eroding trust.
Errors to test for include technical problems, such as broken links, spelling mistakes, pricing/date errors, and logical errors. For example, if a user progresses from a step labeled “Three” to one labeled “Five,” the user should understand immediately why step “Four” was skipped. If no immediate reason is presented, the user is likely to spend time trying to discover a possible mistake; and if none is found, the user’s confidence in the process may be shaken.
Making the Steps Few and Easy
The number of steps in the purchasing path is determined by the information needed from the user, branch points in the process based on options and/or user preference, and other factors. And while there is no set rule about the number of steps, users can sense when the process is not efficient. Therefore, the online ticket sales process should be evaluated and tested for task-oriented usability with questions such as the following:
- Does the process slow down? Where? Why?
- Are all the steps in the process necessary, and do they make sense?
- Can steps be combined in some areas?
- Does the process require users to register? When?
- Do users have enough information to make required decisions?
- How often do test users complete a transaction and how long does it take?
- How do test users feel about the process at the completion of the task?
Detailed records of findings should be shared with the marketing, ticket sales, and Web site design team. A follow-up evaluation should be performed after online sales have been in operation for a time (e.g., after the first six months) to validate the findings and/or point out areas for change.
Conclusion
When patrons believe that an organization’s online ticket sales process is secure and easy to use they become repeat customers. Understanding their expectations, along with having experienced Web designers and usability experts involved in the creation of a Web site’s sales process, ensures a user-friendly, productive experience. An online sales usability evaluation is well worth the investment and is guaranteed to pay off in terms of satisfied customers and increased online revenues.
To learn more about Web site analysis and how it can benefit your organization, contact Stacy Hoenig, Director of Interactive Services, Target Resource Group at 719.314.5832
