Determining the best place to buy goods and services online in Australia can be a very tricky business. In the global scheme of things, we're a relative newcomer to the world of consumer e-commerce.

As a result it's difficult to know which sites to trust since many of them have not been around all that long, especially when compared with US e-commerce powerhouse sites such as Amazon.

What does it take to be a truly great e-commerce site and are any of the local offerings up to this level of achievement?

That's what we determine in this comprehensive look at the top 15 Australian e-commerce sites. We've looked at what things consumers should be on the lookout for, and analysed how easy (or difficult) it is to order goods online and to do so in a secure manner.

Story Navigation Doing E-commerce: Making it easy for customers to do business with you Many of the reports into e-commerce failures discuss the importance of the fundamentals of running a business. Instead of covering old ground of marketing, finance, people, and operations management, we took a look at how the e-commerce sites are doing with managing their customer experience. Editor's Choice and Top 15 Rankings The best e-commerce sites were those that made life easy for the customer, and allowed them to fully exploit the benefits of e-commerce (i.e. the convenience, speed, and information required by customers). Take a look at which sites made it into the Top 15 and why.

For further information, please call The Performance Technologies Group on (02) 8920 2288, fax (02) 8920 0488, email info@performancetechnologies.com, or visit their Web site at www.performancetechnologies.com.

Doing E-commerce: Making it easy for customers to do business with you

It's certainly a tough climate. Online companies have to deal with the taxation changes, an economic slowdown, and in many cases, a very low share price (compared to the halcyon days of free flowing venture capital). Many of the reports into e-commerce failures discuss the importance of the fundamentals of running a business. Instead of covering old ground of marketing, finance, people, and operations management, we took a look at how the e-commerce sites are doing with managing their customer experience.

The one thing we will say, is that running an Internet business should be no different to a traditional bricks and mortar business. Effectively managing your customers is critical to success, and especially repeat business.

Generally, we found that Web interface design is maturing in the same way as the underlying companies are: by going back to the basics. It used to be that people hurriedly and without much forethought put up a site, thinking that "if it doesn't work we can change it". But this doesn't work. You've got to get it right the first time, or your customers will go somewhere else.

So what have the dot-coms learned over the last couple of years? Many of them have certainly learned a lot and are providing a strong and compelling offering. Others haven't increased enough in their sophistication, yet there are plenty of models around them.

Based on our review, we came up with these key recommendations from the review focus on usability and the interface design. Any organisation currently in the e-commerce space, or considering to do so should consider these as part of their fundamental design:

Key recommendations Plan your purchasing process using formal business process analysis. Many of the sites make things more complicated than they need to be. Get your information architecture right to support quick travel within and across product categories. There's nothing worse than going up and down the categories, almost randomly, to find a product. Integrate sales and promotion areas of the site with purchase process methods so your customers don't have to enter in information you can do for them. If you provide discounted products, make it easy for people to get them. There's nothing worse than seeing a print or radio advertisement and not being able to find it on the site immediately. Shopping baskets should be clearly visible on all pages, providing information on products, and total value. Access to the checkout procedure should be very obvious. Make registration a natural part of the order processing, rather than a hurdle. Customers can be given the option to become members after you make the first sale. Make sure the search engine accounts for spelling mistakes, and if products can't be found, extend the search to other categories, or loosen the criteria. Focus on managing repeat visitors by providing shopping list storage, and other features to make purchasing for the second time very quick. Features such as wishlists and saved lists make it easy for your customers. If you provide email contact, make sure you reply to customers with an automated email immediately, and then make a response within 24 hours, or better.

With all the research into the dot-coms collapse pointing to good business practices, we were still surprised that some companies thought they didn't need a business plan. Quite a few companies also didn't know their conversion rates. This is a critical performance measure in any traditional sales model. After all, if you make changes to the way you do business, you need to make sure you can measure the effects you're having.

The old adage still applies "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail". This applies to the business itself, and the approach you're going to take to make sure it's easy for your customers to do business with you--and then want to do it again.

Top 15: Editor's Choice

The best sites had a clear purpose, and made it very obvious what they were selling. The site was then explicitly designed around this purpose--usually browsing and searching for products, and then the purchase process as a natural and easy conclusion.

These sites were also consistent with their design and navigation from page to page, and the site contained up-to-date pricing and information. They looked professional and clean, but not to the point of being too busy or eye straining. The best sites also offered features that would encourage return customers--be it providing interesting information, personalisation or offering member discounts. These sites also created trust by addressing concerns of security, varied payment methods, the design, and clear policies regarding protecting the customer, such as refunds and exchanges. Those sites that were up front and reassuring about these issues are likely to receive the greatest customer confidence--and this translates into increased sales

Although no site scored a perfect ten--three sites stood out as able to meet most of the criteria above, all tying at 9/10. These were Adultshop, eBay and Wishlist. These three sites achieved many of these goals, and are in industries well placed to take full advantage of e-commerce.

Rank	E-commerce site
1	Adultshop: Who says sex doesn't sell This site has just about got everything right--this is one place where the batteries really are included.
2	eBay Australia: Bidding on success Overall, an excellent implementation of e-commerce.
3	Wishlist: Delivering e-commerce wishes The site was found to be simple to use, and contained some unique features to make the shopping experience even more enjoyable and hassle free.
4	ePharmacy: Good medicine for e-business ePharmacy was voted most usable site in a recent Global Reviews survey. We were impressed by the overall look and feel of the site, but the overall green colour to the site limits easy differentiation between major sections, until you're in the section.
5	dstore: Department of the future dstore is quick and easy to get around. The site's homepage, and the category homepages, clearly have the current items on it that are currently getting press elsewhere. There's a wide range of products and they are well categorised.
6	Tandy.com.au: Handy site to have around It is hard to fault the Tandy site, as it incorporates many of the better features of the other sites, and manages to avoid many of the pitfalls.
7	Myer Direct: Directing buyers to the Net Myerdirect.com.au is well branded, and relatively straightforward to use. The homepage features a range of products in use, as well as the current competition.
8	Qantas: Flying high on the Net The Qantas site has a professional look and feel to it. It's clearly branded, and the primary purpose of the site--to book flights--is evident as the first steps in this process are presented on the home page.
9	ShopFast: Speeding up e-commerce ShopFast.com.au has a simple home page that makes it easy for the customer to decide where they should enter the site.
10	Davidjones.com.au: Quality at a keystroke The design is very professional in appearance, and gives a similar impression to the actual store.
11	Angus & Robertson: By-the-book design The purchase process is straightforward, and the help facility provides useful information about the company and the technology.
12	Sponge Store: Soaking up the customers The opening flash sequence conveys the intended image of the siteâ€"funky.
13	GreenGrocer.com.au: Freshening up the Web The GreenGrocer.com.au site looks good, is competitively priced, and allows purchases to be made online.
14	Harvey Norman Online: Communicating with customers The site is quite well designed, especially for first time buyers
15	ChaosMusic: The calm in the Net storm Unlike any of the other sites reviewed, ChaosMusic uses a black background for the site design. This gives the site a very different feel to other e-commerce sites.

1. AdultShop: Who says sex doesn't sell?

Overall impression and usability
This site has just about got everything right--this is one place where the batteries really are included. The site is easy to use, and the customer can either take their time browsing through the site, or quickly find a specific product and get out. The site also allays the fears customers may have with respect to security, privacy, and discrete packaging and billing desired by most customers when buying in this field.

The staff at AdultShop certainly don't take things too seriously, with some fantastic product descriptions--double entendres and quips abound.

Hits

• The site is clearly professional and boasts positive imagery, and does not contain derogatory comments on people's preferences.
• It is easy for the customer to find what they are after, with a list of categories presented on the home page to allow quick and easy access to a range of specific products. More specific subcategories are then presented to the customer for a more specific search.
• Customers have the option to sign up to a mailing list to receive updates from Adult Shop.
• A range of free services are provided on the site which are likely to be of interest to customers, but also promote the products for sale on the site. These include fun e-postcards customers can send to friends, a question and answer section on sexual issues, competitions, hints and tips, Q&A, guides, and help on choosing the right product.
• The site also promotes itself to Web site affiliates. It offers 25 percent commission to owners of Web sites who sell any of their products on their site. This is a clever way of getting their product across on Web sites other than their own, even to customers who would not otherwise visit an adult Web site.
• The site contains corporate information for investors.
• Information on how to use the site is available to new customers, and people broadening their horizons for the first time.
• Adult Shop has not forgotten about the browsers unwilling to purchase online. The alternative provided is purchasing over the phone, using either credit card or cheque. For those customers willing to purchase online, the details required are kept to a minimum, unlike some other sites that demand huge amounts of information from the customer in order for them to make a purchase.
• The site shows it is aware of the need for discretion when selling erotic goods. It promises that goods are delivered in plain packaging, and that the credit card statement will only show ashop.com. The customer does not have to be home to receive their goods, as it will be taken to the customer's nearest post office held there until collected.
• Batteries are included with all products.
• A safe trade warranty is offered for all customers, so that if a customer's card is used fraudulently the customer is protected for up to AU$2000.

Misses

• Customers can only return a product if it is defective. Refunds and exchanges are not offered under any other circumstances, which may deter some customers from making a purchase.

Purchasing procedure

• If purchasing online, the process is simple. The customer is kept informed as to how far through the purchase process they are.

Security

• The privacy and security of the customer is guaranteed, as the site uses encryption technology.

2. eBay.com.au: Bidding on success

Overall impression and usability
eBay has improved its usability since we reviewed it last year. The homepage is simpler and has clear directions for people new to the site or online auctions.

The homepage has a clear link to the BigBrother auctions, so you don't have to look far. Overall, an excellent implementation of e-commerce.

Hits

• Funds can be held in escrow, until the product has arrived at the buyer.
• Product category listings have the number of items against them, so you know the activity levels within any group.
• Items in other currencies are listed with the current Australian exchange rate.
• Sellers can state their preferred price, and potential customers can elect to "buy it now".
• Buyers can provide sellers with feedback on items bought through the site.
• A bulk uploading tool helps sellers with a lot of stock.
• Free insurance for buyers (up to AU$300).
• You are notified by email when you have been outbid or have won the item.
• Photos of items are clear and relatively large.

Misses

• The list of items on auction is not sorted in any discernible order. There should be clickable column headers to toggle the sort order.

Purchasing procedure

• Placing a bid, or a "buy it now" is simple after registration. It's up to the bidder and the seller to negotiate how items will be delivered and paid for.
• Funds can be held in escrow, until the product has arrived at the buyer.

Security

• Registration can occur over SSL. Placing a bid is not in a secure environment, however, there is strictly no need.

3. Wishlist.com.au: Delivering e-commerce wishes

Overall impression and usability
The Wishlist site offers a very broad range of gifts for different occasions and individuals. It is virtually a department store online, with the only difference being that the site's focus is selling their products as gifts, even if they are gifts for oneself. The membership discount price is clearly shown, encouraging people to become members and take advantage of the savings.

Notably, Wishlist has an arrangement with BP service stations for delivery (with a saving) and returns. This is a clearly strong service for their customers' peace of mind.

The site was found to be simple to use, and contained some unique features to make the shopping experience even more enjoyable and hassle free.

Hits

• The site offers a number of imaginative ways to search for that perfect gift. The customer can use the gift finder search facility to search by occasion (e.g. birthday, wedding etc), relationship (e.g. father, wife etc), price range, and interest. It also allows the customer to search by personality (e.g. gadget freak or nature lover), although sometimes the gifts recommended for a personality did not seem to be appropriate to the field entered.
• You can create your own wishlist and send it to friends and family. Make it easy for others to buy what you actually want--and not the usual stuff you get.
• The site also categorises its gifts into three broader and more conventional categories--home gifts, wedding gifts, and corporate gifts. This facility is useful for shoppers who would prefer to have a more general browse of the merchandise on offer.
• For those customers with a specific gift idea in mind, a keyword search is also made available.
• Membership is free and offers discounts, gift registry (for when recommending gifts for yourself), newsletter updates, and gift reminders for when our friends and families' special occasions are coming up. Gifts can also be delivered and returned (if necessary) to BP outlets around Australia.
• Gift wrapping is offered for an additional fee. Uniquely, we could view and select from a range of different gift wrapping colours.
• A delivery calculator determines the time and cost of delivery. We could select from express, standard, or predated delivery. It is useful for the customer to know what additional costs they face in terms of delivery and how long it will take before having to commit to a purchase.
• Help is offered to first time online shoppers--explaining step by step the processes involved.
• We could make the purchase online using a credit card, but could also make an off-line purchase via phone or fax. This is important for customers who are willing to use the Internet for browsing and research, but for whatever reason are unwilling to make a purchase online.

Misses

• Some of the popular items, such as The Matrix, and Fifth Element, were not available in the DVD section.
• Cards can be selected from the card department of the site, or are offered for purchase during the buying process. However, the range of cards seems somewhat limited, and when searching for birthday cards, some of the suggested cards did not appear to be relevant to a birthday.
• Express delivery takes three days to metro areas interstate. Standard delivery takes one week. So there is little opportunity for sending last minute gifts.

Purchasing procedure

• The Purchasing procedure involves four steps: delivery, wrapping, payment, and receipt. This is amongst the simplest around.

Security

• Security, privacy, returns, and refunds policies are made clear, and the site uses SSL during credit card transactions.

4. ePharmacy: Good medicine for e-business

Overall impression and usability
ePharmacy was voted most usable site in a recent Global Reviews survey. We were impressed by the overall look and feel of the site, but the overall green colour to the site limits easy differentiation between major sections, until you're in the section.

Overall, the site has a large range of products, and supports the purchase of prescriptions, after receiving the prescription by mail.

Hits

• Great range of products, and a good search capability. Product lists were easy to get around and the details pages were comprehensive.
• The design was easy to navigate, and the use of trail navigation made it easy to go up and down the product categories.

Misses

• Although the site fared well in the general usability, a number of smaller extras would make it even more usable. These include roll-over feedback, returning to the correct point after adding an item to the basket, adding more than one item at a time from the product page.
• The purchase process for pharmacy medicine is unclear. You can't add it from the product page, but if you view the details you could. We weren't sure of how it works, and later found out that you need to send in the prescription by mail. The main problem was the lack of clarity, not the mail-based aspect.
• Searching through the prescription area worked well, however, if you search for a non-prescription item, we expected the search to expand to other items, so you don't get a zero result.
• You need to be registered before you can make a purchase.

Purchasing procedure

• The procedure is very straight forward and we found no problems. Scripts need to be included for prescription-based medicine.
• For customers requiring alternative methods, they can download a word document and fill in what they want and fax it through.
• When ordering prescription medicines, it wasn't clear whether all products would be shipped together or the non-prescription goods would be shipped first.

Security

• ePharmacy uses SSL to protect customers details in transit.

5. dstore: Department of the future

Overall impression and usability
dstore is quick and easy to get around. The site's homepage, and the category homepages, clearly have the current items on it that are currently getting press elsewhere. There's a wide range of products and they are well categorised.

There were only a few areas that could be improved, including making the shopping cart visible in the display, providing quicker access to buy items, rather than having to view product details, and more predictable navigation when at lower levels of product categories.

dstore offers flexible payments methods, including cheques, phone or fax.

Hits

• Product categories have top sellers and new releases, all of which are quick to access.
• Provides a range of delivery options, from basic post to express overnight couriers.
• Insurance is available.
• dstore offers a 30 day, money back refund. No questions asked.
• Gift-wrapping is provided in a range of different colours. Individual personalised cards can be added to each item.
• When choosing the delivery method, there is a clear statement about the delivery date

Misses

• Shopping cart is not visible in the display.
• You have to view product details before you can add it to your shopping cart. There's no quick way to add an item from the top sellers or other lists.
• The left hand navigation changed without clear reason, making it difficult to navigate at the third level of product categorisation.

Purchasing procedure

• The site uses a six step process that is very easy to follow.
• Purchases can be made by credit card online, gift certificate fax, phone or cheque by post.

Security

• The site uses SSL for transactions.

6. Tandy.com.au: Handy site to have around

Overall impression and usability
It is hard to fault the Tandy site, as it incorporates many of the better features of the other sites, and manages to avoid many of the pitfalls. The site is personal, chatty, and at times humorous, which can only add to the customer experience. The site offers departments within the store, or the customer can use the quite sophisticated search system. The site also offers a gift centre, online auctions, and detailed information for customers using the site for the first time.

Hits

• The site offers a fairly advanced search feature. Using the drop down menus, you can elect to specify a search to a specific department of the Tandy store, to search by keyword, brand, catalogue number or manufacturer number.
• A gift centre is available, which offers customers gift ideas for a range of occasions and age groups, gift vouchers and gift wrapping.
• A what's hot section listing the current top selling items and new stock is useful.
• For those customers just browsing, they are able to use the site to search for their nearest offline Tandy store.
• A unique feature of this site is their online auction facility. You can bid for a range of electronic items on offer--the reserve price must be met before an item will be sold--but it adds some fun to the site and also may result in some customers picking up a bargain.
• The site offers the alternative of placing a phone or fax order if uncomfortable with making an online purchase.
• Detailed information is provided to the customer about how to shop online, and how to most effectively use the site.
• The navigation on each page of the site is consistent, making it easy for the customer to learn how to move their way around the site.
• Another unique and very useful feature of this site is the freight calculator. By simply entering their postcode, the customer is able to determine exactly how much the delivery costs will be for the items they have selected.

Misses

• The home page is far too long. The customer is required to scroll down a long way in order to get an overview of all the information contained in the site. It is far better to limit the home page to a single page that does not require too much scrolling.
• Whilst images of the products are available, the images cannot be enlarged for closer inspection.

Purchasing procedure

• The purchase process is obvious and straightforward. Unfortunately the shopping trolley visible on each page does not give any indication of the purchases made unless it is clicked on.

Security

• Security information is provided and explained thoroughly to the customer. In doing so however, the customer is left feeling unsure about the security of making an online purchase--even though SSL encryption technology is used. This is because Tandy suggest they will not take any responsibility for the customer's credit card details being used fraudulently. The security information in fact almost seems to encourage phone or fax purchases.

7. Myer Direct: Directing buyers to the Net

Overall impression and usability
Myerdirect.com.au is well branded, and relatively straightforward to use. The homepage features a range of products in use, as well as the current competition. The selection of items for purchase is simple, but sometimes it was hard to match a colour with the actual product. In other areas, it's not obvious enough how to actually make the purchase.

Some common brands were not available in the "shop by brand" selector, such as Country Road and Calvin Klein. We were also surprised by the absence of Levi. As an example of online merchandising, the site needs some significant enhancements to improve the customer experience--especially when it comes to purchasing fashion items.

The site also offers benefits to members and Internet only specials.

Hits

• You can become a member, which includes monthly offers and discounts.
• The site includes some appealing features including gift-wrapping, an easy pay plan, and an interest free credit plan.
• The departments listed across the top of the screen allow you to enter the section of the site you desire quickly and easily. The drop down menus get you quickly into the right area.
• Pictures of the items to be purchased can be enlarged to gain a better view. This is important, as customers are only likely to buy clothes online if they feel sure they know what they will be getting, and how it will look.
• A general search facility is available, and you can also search by your favourite brand. This feature is useful for those of us who only wear a particular brand, or know which brand we want.
• Size charts are available so you can determine your size. This is also a crucial aspect of any fashion site, as you need to be convinced the item will fit before you make a purchase.
• You can make a quick order from the catalogue on the site. This feature is handy for when you have seen a product you want in a catalogue, but would like make the purchase online.
• A site map is provided to locate a particular feature of the site.

Misses

• There was no indication of the brands of some clothes viewed in the summary pages. For example, a pair of jeans was found, but no mention was made of the brand. Were they Levis, or a no name brand? This type of information is clearly relevant to the customer and is a critical aspect of choosing a product.
• Many of the prices were dated in 2000, which made us wonder whether the prices were current, and if the product was still available.
• When browsing a specific product it was difficult to determine the difference between the ranges of jeans being presented. For example, two pairs of jeans were presented, with different prices, however, the photos were identical.
• Delivery costs are not made all that clear. We expected to be told upfront about the additional costs associated with delivery, before being required to enter personal details in the Purchasing procedure.
• Although the toll-free number is provided, there is no mention of the Coles Myer Stores (e.g. Myer and Grace Bros). This can enhance the experience for customers who want to use the site for browsing, but not to make a purchase.

Purchasing procedure

• It was a straightforward process selecting items to go in the shopping basket. When clicking buy you're taken to a product details page where the product is outlined with other information. It was unclear that the item had already been added and we added the item a second time by accident.
• The site features a permanent shopping basket icon, which gives the total number of items, and the value.
• When clicking "checkout", we were presented with a long form to fill out. Granted this was all required information (who we were, where to deliver the product), we expected to be asked for a Grace or Myer Card number to retrieve existing details. This process does not seem to easily support existing customers make the transition to Myer Direct.
• No mention is made of how long the customer should expect delivery of the goods to take.
• The returns policy is clear and customer friendly.

Security

• The checkout area is delivered through SSL.

8. Qantas: Flying high on the Net

Overall impression and usability
The Qantas site has a professional look and feel to it. It's clearly branded, and the primary purpose of the site--to book flights--is evident as the first steps in this process are presented on the home page. Qantas is clearly placing an emphasis on its online activity, by offering "internet only specials".

Hits

• The site allows the customer to research their travel plans without an obligation to make a purchase. So customers who want to know the flights available at particular times, and the costs associated, can find this information easily by simply completing some easy to use drop down menus.
• You can quickly book a flight with the primary payment method being credit card. If you're a frequent flyer, you can enter your details. If you're not comfortable with entering your credit card online, you can make a phone booking or visit a local travel shop.
• A help desk is provided which allows feedback and enquiries to be made. In addition, you can view a detailed site map to get an overview of the information, which helps customers navigate within the site.
• At a national level, there is a large range of flights available on any given day for the customer to select from.

Misses

• The site strongly promotes the heavily discounted "e-deals". This was initially "temporarily unable to process the request". Later in the day, we searched for some of the common routes. We didn't get any results, with the site reporting that no flights could be found. The only way you could find a flight at these great prices is to systematically go through all of the permutations until a flight appeared. After the sixth go, we finally found some flights.
• The package booking worked fairly well, however some combinations seemingly unavailable or resulting in an error message. Adding to the frustration was the fact you couldn't navigate back from the error message, and so must restart your booking from the beginning.
• A complete travel package could not be booked online, rather, the site suggests you should ring Qantas to book sightseeing tours, transfers, and car hire. When you're online to save time, being directed to the "old school" methods are frustrating.
• Customers can join the Frequent Flyer Program online, and the benefits of doing so are outlined on the site. However, it is not until the customer has entered their details to join that they realise a fee of AU$82.50 is attached. Clearly informing customer of what they are up for cost wise, is the better approach.

Purchasing procedure

• The process involved in purchasing an airline ticket, is straightforward, requiring the completion of a range of drop down menus.
• The process for a package has too many steps and you can't incorporate transfers or hire car packages.
• Purchasing an e-deal is difficult and requires considerable persistence to find a flight.

Security

• The security of the customer's personal information is guaranteed by Qantas, by using SSL encryption technology.

9. ShopFast: Speeding up e-commerce

Overall impression and usability
ShopFast.com.au has a simple home page that makes it easy for the customer to decide where they should enter the site. It is also competitively priced, and its delivery fee is quite reasonable. The site is clearly branded and relatively simple to use. The initial page after going in through the "browsing" option was unclear and there were many areas on the site.

Payment can be made online, or to the driver on delivery.

Hits

• The homepage is geared towards regular customers, allowing direct login, and options to retrieve shopping lists, or the last order in progress. There is still an option for people who are just browsing, so they don't have to login, just to try them out.
• The site is very flexible in allowing specific customer choice. A customer can request for example, if they would prefer slightly green or yellow bananas, or if they prefer hard or riper tomatoes. This unique feature empowers the customer, giving them a great deal of control over the shopping process, whilst still enjoying the benefits of shopping online.
• The shopping trolley is clearly visible on the homepage, and provides clear feedback on what is in there.
• Delivery costs seem quite reasonable, ranging from AU$5.95 to AU$9.95, depending on the time of day of the delivery.
• Recipes are available on the site, and the we were able to purchase the ingredients of a particular recipe directly. This is a clever idea to assist the customer in deciding what they need, and then knowing what they can cook with it.
• Recommended shopping list are available for customers to use as a starting point for compiling their first order. For example, a recommended list for 2 adults and 2 children is available.
• Off-line contact details are available on the site.
• The customer can specify a 2 hour time period during which they would like to receive their delivery.
• The option of repeating an order or creating a basic template list to reuse is available for people making repeat purchases--this certainly makes it easy for the repeat customer.
• A keyword search facility is available.
• Organic foods are available for purchase.

Misses

• The first page inside the site was fairly cluttered and we had to search around for the "start shopping button".
• Registration is compulsory in order to submit an order.
• Images are not available for all the products.
• The site sells all of its products by units rather than by weight for fruit, vegetables and meat.

Purchasing procedure

• The checkout procedure was straightforward, and purchases can be made online, or you can pay the driver on delivery.
• A clear receipt is provided, with a list of items and an order number.

Security

• A statement ensuring the privacy and security of the customer is made, but does not make any mention of secure pages.

10. Davidjones.com.au: Quality at a keystroke

Overall impression and usability
The David Jones Web site is set up in a very similar way to that of the Myer Direct site. The home page is clearly branded at the top of the screen, with a range of products displayed on the home page to tempt the customer. The design is very professional in appearance, and gives a similar impression to the actual store. This site is also relatively straightforward to use, but like the Myer site the purchasing process could be made a little more obvious. The prices at DJs were generally more expensive than Myer.

Hits

• Delivery costs and time frames are made clear to the customer on this site. This information is obviously relevant and important to the customer.
• Rewards for online purchases are offered, demonstrating the company's commitment to their online business.
• The site provides a stores locater for those willing to browse, but not make an actual purchase online. It is wise to offer an offline alternative, particularly for fashion, where many people may wish to see the product and try it on for fit before purchasing
• Another unique feature of the site is information provided for investors: this section provides shareholder information, company reports, and press releases. It is debatable whether this is appropriate to be included on what is primarily a shopping site.
• A gift wrapping service is provided, and the costs involved in this are clearly indicated.
• The stores return policy is stipulated to the customer before purchase.

Misses

• The colour chart provided to demonstrate the colours available for a particular item come with the warning "colours may look different on your screen".
• The bottom of the home page screen is cut off, but this is not necessary. The result is that many customers would not notice this navigation bar, and therefore be unaware of the information it offers
• Some of the categories are somewhat ambiguous as to whether they would contain the desired information. The categories are listed in light grey on a dark grey background, which is not particularly easy to read.
• You can't buy a product off the main page. You need to click into the details area, and then add it. When adding a product, the error messages were wrong if you didn't select the size, and certainly did not help clarify what to do to fix it.
• A Country Road search revealed a jumper on special, however, no price was given. This should have shown the original price, with the discount price, as is seen on the product details.

Purchasing procedure

• Searching for products was not as successful as expected. We searched for "Calvin Klein Jeans" and "Levi Jeans". The search for Calvin Klein brought up shorts and T shirts, while the Levi search brought up no results at all.
• The selection of a product for purchase is not a clear process. The "Add" button is presented in light grey, making it very hard to see. Given that the only point of the site is to sell product, making it hard to see the buy button is not good design.
• The purchase process after the selection of goods is straightforward. Seven steps are involved to checking out. The process is simplified by breaking it down into small steps. However, a number of the screens could easily be compressed to make the process quicker.
• The returns process is clearly covered in the help areas of the site.

Security

• When entering the checkout process, the site switches to SSL. There was clear information about the privacy policy and how it protects customers' details.

11. Angus & Robertson: By-the-book design

Overall impression and usability
The site is well branded and looks professional. The home page does not overwhelm the customer with too many options, like some sites do. The purchase process is straightforward, and the help facility provides useful information about the company and the technology. Where the site is not as strong is in the description of books. It doesn't deliver enough information about the books for many customers to be sure about making a purchase. As such, the site will sell to customers who know specifically what they want, but will fail to capture the browsing customers looking for something that sparks their interest.

Hits

• You can search for books by title, author, description, or ISBN. The site also allows the you to browse through a range of categories.
• A listing of the offline stores and their contact details is made available for customers only wishing to browse online. Information on offline store events is also available. The dates of upcoming book signings is one example.
• The site offers some nice features to encourage return visits and to encourage sales. These include book review, radio interviews about particular books, and offering books in downloadable electronic format.
• The site offers the story of how Angus & Robertson formed. This may be of interest to some customers, and helps build a sense of trust and understanding between the customer and the organisation.
• A list of the 15 best selling books in a range of genres is available for viewing. The customer can also look up books seen on Oprah Winfrey.
• The help desk facility provides a great deal of information--from how to shop to security information, to contact details. This information appears in a new pop up window, which may make it difficult for novice users (to which much of the information here is directed) to know how to return to the main site.

Misses

• The customer is only provided with a two-line description of the book (except for the items on the homepage) and a small image of the front cover. The blurb of the book is not made available for viewing. This may be okay for a customer who knows exactly what they want, but for the customer wanting to select a book online this may not be enough.
• The site gives an "online price", but there is no indication of the size of the discount from the in-store price.
• The shopping cart does not reflect the selections made by customers unless clicked on.
• To purchase a gift voucher, the customer is taken to a new pop up window, which has new links and the look of a whole new site. This may be very confusing for customers, and frustrating for others who now must work out the functionality of a "new site".

Purchasing procedure

• The information required for purchase is appropriate, however, no option is provided for alternative phone or fax purchases though.

Security

• The security information is reassuring to the customer, as it sates "If fraudulent charges are ever made on your credit card arising from use on this site, you will not have to pay for them".

12. Sponge Store: Soaking up the customers

Overall impression and usability
When we got to the Sponge Store site for the first time we were confronted by a somewhat disjointed flash sequence. Coming back to the site, we still get the same flash sequence, which is essentially unnecessary for repeat customers. This sequence does convey the intended image of their clothes through their site--funky.

The music plays constantly during use of the site, and we longed for an option to turn it off.

Hits

• The site is aesthetically pleasing, with plenty of colour and visual effects used. The entire page fills the available screen size.
• The customer can either shop by product (e.g. belts, bags etc) or by style (e.g. glamorous). The second way of shopping is useful for customers who do not have a specific product in mind, but wish to browse the site to see what it offers.
• Customers are able to subscribe to Sponge Store. Benefits for members include newsletters, free gift-wrapping, and a membership card, and free delivery.
• One of the site's strong features is its promotions section. This part of the site offers competitions to customers, which is likely to attract customers back to the site.
• If you're buying for another person, there's a quick link off the homepage to send a gift voucher.
• Delivery costs quoted appear to be quite reasonable. The site also offers delivery overseas for international customers.
• The site includes media releases relating to Sponge Store. These may be useful for customers wanting some objective information about the site.

Misses

• The shopping homepage features images of items, but these are not clickable--no gratification for the impulse buyer. If you don't know where a product is likely to be, you've got to go through each category in turn.
• Although the site provides pictures of different colours, some of the collectable colours were not shown.
• In other parts, colours are shown, but not available. Also, the sizes were limited to 10 and 14 in a number of products. The stock range seemed to be quite limited in many areas.
• The links that lead to the shopping categories do not stand out well and are poorly positioned on the shopping page. When customers select the shopping option, they clearly want to be able to access the products available for sale--but selecting what products to view is not as obvious as it should be.
• After you add an item to the shopping basket, and click "keep shopping", you are taken to the shopping homepage and lose the shopping basket. You need to go back into the shopping categories to see the tiny link in the top right corner.

Purchasing procedures

• Browsing for products was straightforward, however, availability was considered poor.
• The process is fairly simple and does not require too many fields to be completed by the customer. Payment can be arranged online using credit card or over the phone.
• The shopping basket is not shown on the screen and there is no link to it on the shopping homepage.

Security

• Secure socket layer encryption is used, and the customer is reassured of this.

13. GreenGrocer.com.au: Freshening up the Web

Overall impression and usability
The GreenGrocer.com.au site looks good, is competitively priced, and allows purchases to be made online. The customer is not required to be at home when delivery is made. This does lead to additional packaging costs for the customer, however, in order to keep food requiring refrigeration cold.

Hits

• Purchases can be made online, with same day delivery available. The customer does not have to be home to receive the delivery.
• A selection of specials is on the homepage.
• GreenGrocer.com.au offers to refund any items the customer is not fully satisfied with. The site also provides offline contact details, adding a human interface to what is predominantly an online company.
• The bottom part of the homepage covers all company policies including privacy, security, refunds, customer support, and competitive pricing--unlike others, you don't need to go digging for them.
• Customers of the site can subscribe to a newsletter, which includes specials and recipes.
• The site offers an organic department dedicated to selling only organic fruit and vegetables.
• A search facility is available. You can search by keyword for products and recipes. Tips on how to best use the search facility are also made available.
• The products of the store have been categorised in a logical and easy to follow way. As a result, a customer should be able to locate a desired product within one of the store's departments without too much hassle.

  Images of all items is available for the customer to view.

  Delivery charges appear to be quite inexpensive. Prices range from AU$4.95 to AU$9.90, depending on the day of delivery and the time of day of delivery. The tool to select the delivery option was great, and clearly showed the varying costs depending on preferences.

Misses

• Fresh produce is given a rating as to its quality (5 = excellent to 1 = unacceptable). The question is, how objective is this rating? All products are given a rating of either 5 or 4, and we certainly can't imagine a product receiving a rating of 1.
• The customer must register to buy online, and must be logged in to start shopping.
• Because the customer does not have to be home to receive the delivery, and also because the delivery trucks used are not refrigerated, the customer does have the additional expense of purchasing polystyrene containers and ice (AU$5.50) for cold items. It's unclear if these containers can be reused for subsequent purchases.

Purchasing procedure

• The method of choosing categories and seeing the results took a moment to get used to. We weren't expecting such as long list on the one page.
• The goods are selected and then checked out using credit card payment. The site offers an alternative payment method to paying by credit card online.
• Customers can create an account balance with the store by posting a cheque, and then draw on this account when making purchases. This is a clever way of still capturing those customers unwilling to provide their credit card details online or those customers who don't own a credit card.
• The checkout process was clear and well structured. We only had a small problem with the address selection, due to some bugs with the site.

Security

• The security of the payment procedure is guaranteed using SSL.
• GreenGrocer.com.au indicates that it has captured your IP address. However, this site presents its reasoning for doing this so you don't feel like you're being monitored.

14. Harvey Norman Online: Communicating with customers

Overall impression and usability
HarveyNorman.com.au offers a comprehensive range of products. Rapidly rotating ads featured on the navigation frame is the quickest way to kick many customers out of a site--it can be a little disconcerting. Apart from this, the site is quite well designed, especially for first time buyers.

The site features the current AU$200 discount on the homepage, making it very clear the discount exists and how to get it.

Hits

• The customer gets a clean presentation of products with pictures and a brief description. This is likely to entice many browsers to make a purchase.
• Great expandable left-hand navigation bar. More sites should use this.
• The site allows easy access to several features using quick navigation drop down menus, such as databases on previously purchased products and the location of registered repairers.
• Promotional emails are sent to registered members to inform them on any current sales that may be of interest.
• The expandable left-hand navigation bar allows quick transition between content categories
• A useful feature to compare products is available.

Misses

• The updating of several links is required. For example, the "Specials and bargains" feature contained only one item, "Tweenies CD" on the day of review.
• Poor use of frame space, as features such as "Search" and "Help" were not given enough presence.
• Insufficient feedback relating to search results and product links.
• It is not obvious that the search function is on the homepage. It is unclear how this works and it therefore requires developing. When "no-results" were available the recommendation was to contact your local store.
• Product description is displayed by spawning a new window. This is undesirable as novice customers may become disorientated and start clicking on the wrong browser system.
• The colours used affect the readability of the top and LHS menu bars (e.g., white on blue, yellow on blue).
• More feedback is required for the customer using the site

Purchasing procedure

• The shopping cart is located in the navigation frame, yet more detailed information on items contained could be provided.
• After adding an item, customers are presented with "Need help? or contact us by phone" in bold large text. This does not help customers build confidence while shopping online.
• When checking out, customers are asked to choose between three different shipping methods without any assisting information to help them choose.
• Orders are placed with a local regional store.

Security

• The site uses SSL encryption.

15. ChaosMusic: The calm in the Net storm

Overall impression and usability
ChaosMusic.com has a wide offering, ranging from CDs, DVDs, accessories, gifts vouchers, as well as other ChaosVision (for video clips and interviews), and ChaosRadio. Although the homepage only features navigation and no products, once you are within a category (CD, DVD) then the top 5 are as well as "Chaos Recommends" selections are available.

The integration between ChaosMusic and its subsites is not well managed.

Unlike any of the other sites reviewed, ChaosMusic uses a black background for the site design. This gives the site a very different feel to other e-commerce sites.

Hits

• ChaosMusic has a rich range of media available for the music buff. From ChaosVision to ChaosRadio, or the Top40, you're bound to find something of interest.
• The classical music section has excellent brief histories and details of the genres (e.g. early music), so if you're new to it, you'll certainly be able to keep the dinner party conversation going and fill those awkward pauses when things go quiet--"Say, how about that Abbess Hildegard..."
• There is a clear sale section for all items on sale at Chaos--no more searching through each category.
• There are regular competitions for members to win CDs and other prizes.
• All musical tastes seem to be catered for. Whether you like indie, world, jazz, or electronic--there's heaps for you.
• Browsing trough the site is quite easy
• Track listings and song excerpts are available in RealPlayer and Liquid Audio.
• Product specials and general promotions are clearly visible.
• Shows discounts off RRP, for on sale items.
• You can download full versions of a range of tracks for free, or purchase others.

Misses

• Classical is the only area to have such a rich introduction to its genre.
• Not all albums have track excerpts (e.g. Moulin Rouge).
• The only way to access all the music is by searching.
• The "33 percent off recent releases" was empty--not a good start to getting the best value. Also, quite a few CDs were marked as on sale but the sale prices were the same as the RRPs.
• The track downloads were incompatible with a download manager (DAP), and had to be disabled for the download to work.
• Integration between all the subsites, especially wired records for purchasing MP3s as a download was not well handled. It took us a moment to get back to the ChaosMusic site.
• After adding an MP3 to our basket, we returned to the main site and the item had disappeared.

Purchasing procedure

• The purchase process is very easy. If you log in, all your details are pre-populated for acceptance, or editing if required.
• Payment can be made by credit card (online), BPay, cheque, money order, or fax, as well as gift vouchers.

Security

• The site uses SSL encryption.

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