How e-commerce brands stack up on user engagement & optimization

e-commerce is growing at a brisk pace. Most the companies are backed by multi-million investments. The growth in the traffic has been fueled by marketing spends undertaken by various companies. Spends are helping to grow the category and not just the brand.

Current strategy of attracting customers by giving discounts may not be a long term strategy. Acquiring customers (via paid channels) may be a simpler task, but retaining them requires a deep understanding of the user behavior & expectations.

The brands which are able to differentiate themselves with unique user and product experience would rule the market. They would, in the process, also create better customer loyalty leading to sound business models.

Mobile dominance is the current battle as mobile traffic has overtaken desktop for most ecommerce sites. Sites which take leadership on mobile would be able to rule the market. Proving the best user experience on mobile is challenging due to the following:

1. Multiple browser support: Unlike desktop, handheld devices have minimum 6-7 browsers where 95% of traffic is concentrated. All the browsers behave very differently to process a page
2. Bandwidth available: India is still a 2G market with 3G trying to make inroads. Bandwidth available is unreliable and fluctuates a lot. Hence, adapting the site to user bandwidth is very important. Optimizing the site for performance becomes key to success.
3. Tab based navigation is difficult: Unlike desktop, opening and browsing in multiple tabs within a browser is difficult. Also, the time it takes to open a new page (4-5 sec) is a dampener.
4. Typing is tedious: Users find it difficult to find the search box and type. Icons and visual navigation is preferred
5. Limited Real-Estate : Limited screen sizes forces UI designers to prioritize the features that can be enabled

Below is the ranking of the top players in the industry on various parameters:

Surrogate measures of website’s User engagement and experience are Avg. Time Spent, % conversion, Visits/visitor(% returning users) and optimization of site. Pageviews in the current Web 3.0 has become irrelevant as most of the sites now have dynamic loading of content. % conversion and % returning users trends/estimates are not available publicly.

Important observations:

• Flipkart has 33% higher traffic as compared to snapdeal and 50% higher traffic as compared to Amazon.in. Flipkart also has better user engagement with 30% higher time spent as compared to Snapdeal. Amazon is doing better in terms of user engagement and can catch-up fast if they implement some features that were highlighted in earlier article
• Jabong, Zovi and Myntra are in the same sub category of fashion, but Myntra wins this battle because of their superior user engagement. Could this leadership on user engagement from Myntra be because of the rub-off that they have from Flipkart?
• Paytm seems to be attracting a lot of traffic but for a product which is half baked.
• In terms of optimization Zovi leads this space followed by Snapdeal on both Desktop and mobile. There is a lot of scope for improvement specifically on mobile.

So, in conclusion Flipkart and Myntra are leading their own categories and seem to have the highest focus on user experience. In the comment section, please do share which website as per you provides the best user experience.

Points to consider for Amazing Mobile experience

The “first time internet users” are getting a wider exposure across the internet with the help of mobile. For many content sites over 30-40% of their users are accessing using mobile. Key factors that are driving this change are growth of high end smartphone users, penetration of mobile internet, availability of smartphones in under 10,000/- price point and availability of rich content in a mobile ready format.

In the coming years, mobile is expected to evolve as the primary channel for accessing websites. Considering this, online players are investing in people and technology to deliver a superior experience to mobile users. The first-time-internet users, need more intuitive and easy designs so that they are able to relate, understand and engage with the content. To deep dive into this emerging trend, Makaan.com recently conducted an experiment to determine solutions tailored made for the mobile users. Some of the interesting facts:

80% of Mobile Users have bandwidth >100kbps

In a study conducted among a sample size of 50,000 hits on Makaan.com revealed that the mobile users were using Wi-Fi networks both from home & office. Over 80% of them have 100kbps or higher bandwidth. Based on this analysis, Makaan.com implemented immersive property search experience with multiple rich elements like “photo view”- 1st time in the Indian real estate space, map views with all features, nearby facilities, instant callback with sellers etc. Typically mobile site have less features as compared to desktop version, but not incase of Makaan.

The “Photo view” helps to have a feel of the prospective property, along with all the important details highlighted on the property. This provides a quick and easy view of the property helping buyers to decide. The quick actions of short listing and instant callback with sellers are very helpful.

% Conversion on mobile is 93% of desktop:

Mobile traffic can have similar conversion rates when compared to desktop. Makaan.com in their study found that the user behavior is more focused on mobile and users take relevant actions. Working on tabs and inputting text is still a tedious on mobile devices so that has been avoided in the new mobile site. Using the new Makaan.com mobile site, users are able to do all the necessary actions on the search results page (SERP). Makaan.com improved their time spend by the mobile users by 12% along with 30% rise in conversion. So go ahead and experience a refreshing way to “live your dream” on www.makaan.com

Amazon.in- Opportunity to improve user engagement and experience, 52% faster load possible

India is “Mobile First" Internet market. Mobile is the next wave of growth and companies providing the best user experience and engagement on mobile would win.

13% of the Indian Mobile market is penetrated by smartphone, rapidly growing with launch of 4G, low cost smartphones from brands like Xiaomi and push by Google on Android One (this has not impacted much, but Google would not leave anything behind)

For any e-commerce player to succeed on mobile some of the most important parameters that need to understood are:

1. Multiple Browser support: Unlike desktop, Handheld devices have minimum 6-7 browsers where 95% of traffic is concentrated. All the browsers behave very differently to process a page 
2. Bandwidth Available: India is still a 2G market with 3G trying to make inroads. Also, bandwidth available is unreliable and fluctuates a lot. Hence, adapting the site to user bandwidth is very important. Optimizing the site for performance becomes key to success.
3. Tab based navigation is difficult: Unlike desktop, opening and browsing in multiple tabs within a browser is difficult. Also the time it takes to open a new page (4-5 sec) is a dampener.
4. Typing is tedious: Users find it difficult to find the search box and type. Icons and visual navigation is preferred
5. High pixel density: The pixel density on mobile makes the content sharper and better to understand. The touch gives added advantage in creating highly interactive and immersive content.

Amazon.in review for mobile friendly user experience:

Mobile site

Amazon is the largest online etailer and is the source of inspiration for other e-commerce and product companies. They have been known for innovation and strategically changing the business model to suit market requirements. 

In India, they entered late but in a few years they have been able to make a mark because of deep pockets. Indian ecommerce industry is growing at frantic pace, which is aiding overall growth.

Is Amazon.in optimized? No

Google Page speed score: Amazon.in score on Google page speed score is 39, which is very low. Amazon.in is the least optimized in the industry, Flipkart is at 73 and Snapdeal is at 60 score.

Google Page speed score for amazon.in 

Basic things that can done to improve performance are:

1. Content size is too large: As the page is not optimized, the size of the home page is 2.5 MB from 119 requests and it takes more than 15 secs to load on EDGE network (throttle of 250 kbps). This would put off any user (6-7 sec wait time is the maximum people expect on mobile)

2. Scale images: Images are usually double the size compared to what is required as per the resolution of a device. Improving this alone can make the rendering faster by ~52%

3. First fold load: If above-the-fold content is prioritized it can enable users to start their journey, while the rest of the content keeps on loading.

Snapdeal.com search bar sticks at the top 

Amazon.in User Engagement and experience? Failed

Optimized Navigation paths are very critical to ensure that users reach their destination faster and are able to transact with the site. Some of the important things which can improve the user flow are:

1. Navigation drawer: Google recommends navigation drawer for mobile browsing and helps the user to reach their destination in fewer clicks. All the major players have a navigation drawer but the same is missing from Amazon.in site.

2. Sticking search bar: Typically pages on mobile are long, but having top header with search box stick enables the user to easily search the site. Snapdeal.com does the same very well. This is missing on Amazon.in

3. Basic hygiene: On Amazon.in if you click the department button on top of the page, it opens a new page showcasing the departments and it take 8 secs to load. The same information is available at the bottom of home page and only thing which is required was an anchor tag to scroll the page to that section, this will save 8 secs of user's time.

4. Unacceptable Mistakes: When the user is on the detail page of the product, Amazon.in tries to fetch location to showcase the delivery timelines. I was surfing from Gurgaon, Amazon.com correctly identified the same. On the other hand, Amazon.in always displays a default pin code “400001” of Maharashtra. It shows that they neither care about the user nor they would like to personalize the content. 

Incorrect location fetched by Amazon.in failing to personalize the content  

Indian site is a replica of the Amazon.com site but some of the best practices have not been adopted, hence the above issues. The changes quoted above are simple to implement and would benefit amazon.in to improve their performance helping users to transact more. 

Makaan.com is the "on the Go destination" for properties

Makaan.com revamps its mobile site with host of interesting features facilitating easy discovery of properties      India is a “Mobile first” internet market, with majority of searches happening on mobile. Mobile searches are growing at a faster pace compared to desktop. Traditionally mobile version of all sites (including property sites) has been a poor adaptation of desktop sites, slow, with small images and with limited features. Most sites are not designed for mobile making discovery of properties extremely difficult.  This is set to change now with Makaan.com’s new and revamped mobile site making it an ideal “On the Go destination” for property buyers. The updated mobile site is extremely contemporary with host of features facilitating easy discovery of properties. Some enhancements that are likely to benefit the buyers are: Made for mobile: The site is not a strip down version of desktop, but designed considering the requirements of mobile users. Key interfaces like Home and Search screens are optimized for highest Google page speed score for usability among all the property sites. The site automatically responds to your screen size, OS, bandwidth and location. All this intelligence helps to have an amazing experience across various devices and browsers. Rich features: Being optimized does not impact the feature list and value that it delivers. Loaded list of features like immersive photo view, map view, nearby facilities, amenities, project details help you to narrow your property search.  You can easily find the nearby Schools, ATM, Hospitals, Malls, Train/Metro and Bus stations. Once you like a property it can be stored in your “favorite bucket” for easy access. “Photo view” on mobile is the 1st initiative of its kind in the Indian property market. Contemporary Look:  The site has an easy and natural user interface. All the important information is highlighted for easy understanding with quick buttons. It requires minimum typing and enables easy swipes. Latest technology and smart way to represent information helps to de-clutter interface. Easy navigation ensures that you do not move away from the property search anytime (this was a major limitation with other property sites). Instant Connect: Leave your concerns related to privacy and spam behind. You can view contact details of the sellers without filling any form. Additionally, use the “Connect seller” whereMakaan.com connects buyers and sellers together thru a system generated call. If the seller is busy, the system retries automatically after sometime. Artificial intelligence: Logic running in the background works like a virtual property assistant to help you find right properties based on your preference. Based on your journey of discovering properties, Makaan.com automatically personalizes the results for you. It also recommends properties instantly matching your property requirement.  Makaan.com also sends FREE property alerts to your email. “In-content refine” technique is used for the 1st time in the Indian property market. It enables you to refine results based on bedrooms, budget etc while you are browsing properties without you having to make multiple selections. To summarize, the new makaan.com mobile site is an easy, intuitive and smooth interface aimed to help you find your dream home in a faster, smoother and sharper manner. Go and discover the newwww.makaan.com mobile site.

Making Airline profitable- Understanding value of Passenger’s Time

All the major airlines are complaining of the high operational cost leading to mounting losses. It has also led to some airlines shutting shop. If the airlines start becoming nibbler, they can beat some of the issues that they are facing. One basic example of the same is “Understanding value of Passenger’s Time”.

To illustrate let me share my journey with you. I recently traveled via GoAir to Mumbai for official work. On the return journey I reach airport two hours early. I requested GoAir to shift me to an earlier flight. Luckily, there was a flight departing in next 45 min, they were about to close the check-in process. There were seats vacant on this aircraft and if they switch me it gives them extra 2 hrs to sell the ticket for the next flight. Mistake number 1, they refused.

I offered to pay reasonable extra charges if they were to shift.  They told me the changes would be 4k, when my original ticket price was 7k. I was ready to pay 1K (I would have anyways spend some money on airport during the 2 hrs that I had to spend) but they refused. Mistake number 2.

The above is a basic example, where the passengers would be ready to pay close to 10% higher if the airlines are able to understand the value of Passenger’s Time. The systems and process are available with the airlines, the thing that is missing is the intent. A simple solution that can help add to bottom line of the airlines.