"Why-to Buy" Web Design

There are many features when deciding “why-to-buy” products, such as search engines when gathering information over the internet. The design of the website seems to be one important factor when deciding to click through to make a purchase. Becker (2008) promotes the six-second test where the participant are given six seconds on a webpage and then asked if the page gives them a good enough reason to buy from the site. If they struggle to find a reason then they will only be compared on prices and risk losing potential business. The two main reasons for missing the “why-to-buy” is a cluttered website (not relying on priority and salience) and ignoring normal conventions of the website design. This would include simple and quick maneuverability of the website. With this in mind, the designs of websites have been changing over time.

Now according to Johnson (2009) consumers are no longer interested in long elaborate websites but instead on how to find what you are looking for. He mentions to keep the website simple and “skinnier” so that people on the go can access the information from mobile devices and iPhones. This means getting rid of many pictures and other add-ons for easy web browsing. It is mentioned that six out of 50 retailers now have their websites accessible from an iPhone. This mobility has also caught onto the business world with podcasting. Islam (2008) suggests that since anyone has the ability to make a podcast that podcasting might be a new way to get information quickly onto the web. This has already been tested in training new employees in companies, allowing future employees to upload instructional podcasts onto their ipods and get instructions on the go. Podcasting has also been given to stakeholders, reporting information on their investments. It is suggests that podcasts will become a new easy, efficient, and mobile way to promote information from desired corporations.

Once the consumer has visited the website and have found what they want, there are other factors that affect why they will buy from your site and not another. One of the main determinates is electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). This is a form of feedback whether positive (supporting item being sold) or negative (oppose item being sold) created for a product by either the company or consumer. Findings by Doh’s and Hwang’s (2008) article suggest that participants with high involvement toward the item may be more suspicions of eWOM positive feedback and sensitive to the negative feedback. This in turn may, decreases the strength of the positive feedback. Other findings by Sher and Lee (2009) suggest that when persuading low involvement participants, quantity is more persuasive than quality in a message. This means that the longer the eWOM reviews are, the more persuasive they tend to be while peripheral processing.

Along with the web design, ability to access from any location, and reading reviews from customers, the final part that would give the customer a why-to-buy has to do with the perceived safety of your website. This includes privacy polices, how their personal information is handled, and product warranties. You may have the best prices, but that is not important if the costumer does not perceive your website as safe to order from. Knowles and Berge (2009) mention that many retailers try to add additional charges at the end of purchases to lure customers into buying or enrolling in programs that lead to “mystery charges.” Van Noort, Kerkhof, and Fennis (2008) looked at persuasiveness of online safety cues and their findings suggest that attitudes were more favorable when websites had safety-oriented content. These are just a few ways to make you website a why-to-buy website.