Phil Woodward, chief executive at HipSnip, shares his view of good and bad sites.
Good site: Maplin.co.uk
This is a striking example of how a well-thought-out design can enhance the user experience. Fixed headers make categories easy to find, while clear tabs steer customers around the site.
Shoppers’ needs have been anticipated - prices are large and customers can easily check what’s in stock for collection and delivery. They can ask Maplin questions online - crucial for a retailer that receives a lot of product specialisation queries.
The site would benefit from allowing other shoppers to answer questions, as this would provide an impartial view and give it more of a community feel.
Bad site: Currys.co.uk
In contrast, Currys’ site is not as user-friendly. Product information is less clear and pricing is small, making these details harder for customers to take in.
While the site offers a Q&A facility it is only available across some product pages, and questions are answered by fellow shoppers and not the retailer itself. While this is beneficial, customers would gain expert knowledge if the retailer provided feedback as well.
Reviews are offered on some products, but customers are prompted to provide both positive and negative feedback, which encourages them to say something bad about the product.
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