The website that I will focus on this case is the Etsy website (http://www.etsy.com/) which is mainly an e-commerce website that is provides a platform for business entrepreneurs to advertise and promote their services and products. This is a popular website for online shoppers and offers an online destination for craft artists who sell handmade or customized merchandise. The focus of this paper is on the cons of using this website and various features that prove disadvantageous while using the website.
First, one of the terms of use on this website for both the sellers and online shoppers is that it is mandatory for one to register before doing an in-depth operation on the website and even transacting. I believe that some online shoppers would rather purchase stuff from the website without having to go through all the registration process, since maybe it is only a one time operation for them. Therefore, they would not feel appropriate their personal information is somewhere in the websites’ database and accessible to advertisers.
The other problem I noticed on the website is when conducting a search for products using the websites’ search engine. I noted that the search engine on Etsy does not produce useful results. This is another disadvantage of shopping on the Etsy website. An example for a search conducted for just greeting cards brings a variety of content some of which are not even related to cards. This puts the websites search engine optimization into question. This makes the searches conducted by a customer or online shopper unpredictable which eventually turns out to be longer than necessary. The search engine should be accurate and reliable as per the expectations of the people who visit the website.
Online platforms should be featured with multiple tools, tabs and interface friendly feel and look that satisfy the customer or end-users expectations. The third problem I noticed is the limited opportunities on the customization allowed on the website for the sellers who sign up. These limitations can reduce the sales opportunities for the vendors. The promotional advertising and blogging done through forums are live streamed instantaneously which gives little time for posts to be read by customers who are offline and prospect to visit the site later. The use of recommendation links is advisable to promote additional sales.
The prudent solution to the above mentioned problems include the use of a lenient policy or regulation that give allowance for purchase without having to sign up on the website. Let’s say a customer wanted to make a one-time purchase on the site. They should be given at least a limit of maybe three purchases or transactions after which it will be mandatory for them to sign up or register on the webpage. This is a liberal way of dealing with clients via giving them an open source platform without making them feel constrained.
The issue search engine optimization is essential to help sellers promote their products. Search engines majorly operate using search trees and algorithms that search key words typed b customers. The search engine optimization is advantageous to enable the client obtain the actual product they want from the site. This should be accurate and fast to avoid impatience and frustration on the customer due to time wastage.
The improvements that I would recommend on the search engine on the website for the customers would be use of additional tools that help customers narrow down to their searches on the webpage. An instant of this would be to add search options and techniques, like using price levels where one can search for items within a particular price range of their choice. The items of search should also be arranged and categorized on the right hand side of the website since this orientation gives more space for listing of item categories.
The other tools that should be improved on are the customizable platforms for the seller. They should be given multiple and variety of recommended links and timed forums which are fairly priced. The links used by sellers are the key sections that help them advertise their products. The more links and support from the network the more likely clients are likely to view vendors’ products and decide to purchase them.
There should also be a support team platform on the go once any new visitor comes to the website, there should be an integrated chat window, or Skype tool. This will enable the support team be available to aid new clients on issues like signing up when they first visit the website or assist with any other technical issue.
Lastly, I would endorse or recommend for the website developers of the e-commerce webpage to optimize for viewing on palm devices, otherwise referred to as handheld devices like the smartphones Other low end devices/phones should be able to access the site successfully and the recipients be able to view and access the full functionality of the website. This is because; undeniably the webpage traffic is on the rise from multiple visitors around the world using different devices, not only computers.
References
Etsy Inc. (2013, October 30). The Etsy Website. Retrieved from Etsy: http://www.etsy.com
