Problem: Checkout error messages
Some customers will inevitably make mistakes entering information no matter how easy checkout is. In these cases, it's important to have clear, simple and polite error messages to help customers proceed.
In our tests, we observed how customers reacted to several different error messages in checkout. The quality of the error message often meant the difference between a successful purchase and a failed attempt.
Barnes&Noble customers see this error message if they fail to complete the "name this address" field. The error message, which reads "Please name this address for future reference," appears on the top of the page, far away from the field it refers to. The "name this address" field is halfway down the page with no indication to the customer that it needs to be filled in. Unsurprisingly, customers did not find this error message very helpful.
Problems with email address entry
Many shoppers, especially AOL users, had difficulty entering their email address when creating an account during checkout. Some entered a username (e.g.JohnDoe) but no domain name. Others entered only part of the domain name (JohnDoe@aol) and were unable to buy because they did not understand to enter their full email address (JohnDoe@aol.com).
On the sites we tested, error messages did not always help customers with email problems. For example, Buy.com shows this page if a shopper's email address is invalid.
Buy.com's error message reads, "Please provide a valid email address." It tells customers they've made a mistake but does not show them how to fix it. Customers may try again, only to be baffled when their address is repeatedly rejected. Buy.com should include an example of a complete, valid email address to help customers through checkout. Throughout all our tests, over 10 percennt of customers were never able to correctly enter their email address on the site they were on, despite repeated tries.
Note what happens if a new BestBuy customer chooses the return customer checkout path. BestBuy's error message reads, "The email address and password you entered do not match" -- suggesting that the shopper entered the email or password incorrectly. The real problem, however, is that as a new customer, the customer has no password at all on the system and should have taken the new customer checkout path instead.
