Not products, but stories

Arjen Bonsing of Shopexperience Consultancy, guest speaker at the Mix National DIY-Session, has taken a close look at some Dutch do-it-yourself web stores. His conclusions are nothing short of disconcerting: “Adapt, or die.” This is by no means just meant for the Dutch retail sectors.
Bonsing does not take the consumer as his starting point when looking at the web stores, but the international standard. For this study, Bonsing compared a number of web stores. “The variety of what is offered is big, but it all looks the same. In the first place, I would advise people to visit five or more different web stores every day, including foreign ones.”
Bonsing started his screening with two simple questions: How do I conveniently buy a cordless drill and what added value is there? A couple of things became apparent. “In the DIY-world it really is do-it-yourself when you want to purchase a product. You have to endlessly click through before finding the right product. That goes against all online shopping laws. You lose 20 per cent of your customers every time they have to add an extra click.” Bonsing further noticed that there is little relevant information to be found on many web stores. Product information is too hard to find, reviews are scarce, comparing products is difficult, or videos are nothing more than promotional material. “Moreover your web stores show a selection of what you think I want to have as a customer. Leave the pre-selection to me!”

His positive exception is the Dutch Online-Shop Coolblue. “This web store shows people what use a certain product has. Coolblue puts the customer on the right track and gives answers to basic questions. And if someone wants to find out for himself, he can just turn off all filters and simply get the list of every type of drill.”
Coolblue also provides the correct accessories, like drill bits. “At a single glance you can read all specifications, time of delivery, price, and reviews can also be consulted. That is the expected standard”, Bonsing says.
Where can the added value be found in Dutch web stores? “At a practical level (how do I carry out a job?), and at the level of inspiration. Practically speaking, you could think of an app or instruction video”, says Bonsing. Inspiration-wise web…