One of the major features of e-Commerce sites is ‘Compare’. Gone are the days of asking a sales person to explain the differences between products. The Internet gives customers the ability to compare products with many sites providing side-by-side comparisons. In the past, this has often been via an awkward add-on which involved searching high and low for the ‘Compare’ button—something that simply didn’t meet shoppers’ expectations. Sites are now increasingly providing a better comparison experience.
Comparing is a natural part of the purchase journey, especially when buying something that can be configured, or that has complex specifications. So how do online retailers help consumers compare products as part of a smooth and natural interaction in the purchasing journey?
Using the scenario of looking for a 3D TV as an example, we looked at how sites accommodate the desire to compare. Electronics were chosen because the product features are complex and the terms used to describe them often need explanation. 3D TVs were chosen as they are relatively new to the market, and many shoppers are keen to investigate the product’s features before making a purchase.
We found three common approaches to comparing complex products.
Approach 1: Select and Compare
The traditional way is a two-part process:
Select two or more items to compare, and
Click the compare button
There are three problem areas with this option.
First, you need to remember to select the items to compare as you browse and, too often, you’re halfway through a list when you realize the offering is complex enough that you need to compare products in the first place.
Second, it needs to be easy to select the items you want, but there is often so much competing information about a product that you can’t determine how to select the item.
Third, it’s difficult to find the compare button. It’s often a painstaking search up and down the page—unless the button really stands out, it can seriously interrupt the flow.
The Implementation
Dick Smith uses the ‘select and compare’ approach. Having found the right page for a 3D TV, it takes a truly dedicated shopper to scan the product list and find the compare checkbox in the product listing. The checkbox appears to be the only item in the larger box not given a design treatment.
Further complicating matters, the availability options—‘Home delivery’ and ‘Click and collect’—are repeated in the product info and the right side column, taking up precious space. The ‘Compare’ button is relatively easy to find, at the top and bottom of the list, but its clickable even if you have not selected an item.