Wow …. either get me some blood pressure meds or hand me a bottle of bourbon. 

Have you ever tried purchasing something online and the system they were using wouldn’t work … and you tried again … and again … and then a different way … and then yet another different way?  Either you’re nuts or you REALLY want to buy what you’re trying to buy.  (I probably qualified for both at the time.)   ARRGGGG.

This kind of frustration is a huge reason to avoid schlocky e-commerce options if you sell things online.  Jakob Nielsen, in his book Prioritizing Web Usability, says if someone is trying to buy something, 3/4 of the time they’ll just give up on the purchase or look elsewhere if the purchase becomes difficult or confusing.  (the fact that I tried five times is a testament to my temporary insanity.)

 Take the pressure off your customers, e-tailers!  Spend the extra $20 or $40 per month to buff up your ecommerce system.  I guarantee it will pay for itself many, many times over.

 PS.  Nielsen’s book is not cheap ($50 retail / $33 on Amazon), but it’s worth its weight in gold.  I’d gladly pay $800 for the information contained in that book.  Highly recommended.

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