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What we have Learned about eCommerce Website Development from our 18+ Years of Experience
E-Commerce Website Development – The Fastest Growing Platform:
eCommerce is one of the fastest-growing platforms and has become a joint investment decision among most business owners, retailers, and entrepreneurs. Commercial enterprises choose this platform to transform the competitive benefits of online shopping into a compatible revenue source through a professional eCommerce online store. The invincible comfort over in-store shopping has paved the way to attract a wide range of consumers to eCommerce websites.
Due to this increased demand, the number of eCommerce development companies has increased. Starting from budding firms to experienced companies, the field currently has a high population rate. Despite this enormous number of eCommerce development companies, only a few companies got flourished. Successful companies have their tales of struggles and accomplishments that led them to reach their current status.
Things to Consider during eCommerce Website Development:
One major factor that needs to emphasis is customer trust. You can never flourish in this competitive market without gaining user trust. Some companies have become the best platform for eCommerce Website Development by choosing a trustworthy pattern of procedures. It is commonly believed that if the eCommerce website development company keeps the shady practices in the e-learning eCommerce development confidential, then customers are more likely to distrust them.
Appropriate communication is the key. Proper communication is the key to solving every issue with customers and will also help gain more reach. If you take our eCommerce store development company as an example, we have become the most promising and best affordable eCommerce Website development company from the past many years. Proper communication has boosted us a lot to reach this level of success.
Our communication is more likely to be in an open manner. Yes, we talk straightforwardly regarding everything that needs to be communicated. And it includes all the shady practices that many big eCommerce companies are doing currently. Because we believe that we have to respect our customers who are investing their money and trust in us. Our responsibility is to guide them appropriately regarding eCommerce website development or eCommerce mobile app development based on their requirements. It is always better to choose to be open and transparent in communication to lay our first step towards trust.
Each website you craft on the internet is a piece of hope for the customer. They are investing mainly in the hope that this website can be a compatible revenue source for them. And hence it is evident that customers will expect the website to stand unique or stand as a benchmark in the competitive field.
Other Important things to consider when building an eCommerce website:
• eCommerce plug-in to make adding features easier
• Choosing the best platform for eCommerce website development
• Appropriate design
• Safety
• Search engine attractions
• Site speed
• Guest check out
• Mobile optimization
• User reviews and testimonials
• FAQ section
• User-friendly approach
More than talking about our learning, we would like to draw your attention to some dark practices that eCommerce website users typically do to get more business. As a reputed, promising, and affordable eCommerce website development company having 18+ years of experience, we believe that it is our responsibility to bring the dark practices performed by website owners to public attention.
The Beginning of Dark Pattern:
A dark pattern is not a new terminology now. It was the brilliant Harry Brignull UI specialist who first brought up the term dark patterns in 2010.
Dark patterns are consciously made user interface (UI) design choices that falsify the user into performing a behaviour that users don't want to do, finding difficult to do and aren't aware they are doing.
The use of dark patterns is not encouraged. They demolish trust and take benefit of the people using that product.
Brignull has recognized a myriad of dark patterns, precisely 12 in numbers, and interestingly, each has unique names. It includes;-
- Bait and switch
- Confirm sharing
- Disguised ads
- Forced continuity
- Friend spasm
- Hidden costs
- Intentional misdirection
- Price comparison prevention
- Privacy suckering
- Roach motel
- Sneak into basket
- Tricky questions
Why are Dark Patterns bad?
Dark patterns are considered harmful because they create a deceptive design that nudges users to make forceful decisions on what they don't want to make.
The Current Situation of Dark Pattern
As per researches, dark pattern practice has increased. One of the essential studies held in 2019 by Princeton University researchers and the University of Chicago has found 1in 11,000 uses dark patterns.
Standard Practices on Dark Patterns:
Standard Dark Pattern practices that are practised by many big and small eCommerce websites
Here is a small glimpse of various dark patterns, especially those which we have experienced on many eCommerce websites from our 18+ years of experience
1- Sneaking Items or Charges into the Shopping Cart
Adding additional charges at the time of order placement is a prevalent thing that we all might experience at least once. An array of undisclosed charges or other charges will show up at the end, which is big trouble for many customers.
This is a common problem. Some websites will add additional products without user consent or add up some undisclosed extra charges just before the checkout.
Charges such as service fees, surcharges, etc., are a typical example of this. Many researchers have already spoken about this and are explained it as the method used for exploiting the user. It is tricky which users are confused about order placement because they feel so invested in the process and waste their long effort to select the appropriate one and add up in that cart.
2- Hidden Subscription
Most of the customers typically used to fall for a free subscription offer. But this is again another tricky method that is used to gain recurrent fees. Users will fall for such things believing that they have the option of unsubscribing after the trial period. But hidden subscription charges are another threat where users will only know about the hidden charges at last once their money got deducted.
3- Countdown Timers and Limited-Time Messages
Limited time messages generate a fear of missing out among the users. They make users think about losing that offer after some time and are indirectly forcing customers to buy the things if even they are not necessary. So recommendations can make customers fall easily. The product might not be an essential thing for the customer, but the unbelievable offer showing for a particular period pulls customers to buy those.
The irony is that timers of many such offers will reset after a
timeout, or the deals will remain the same after the timeout.
4- Activity Messages
Some eCommerce websites are very open and frank and show some real-time values of customers who are life or the number of customers who have added the item in their shopping bag. This is to create a tendency of buying among the users. (eCommerce Website Design Company)
Websites use fake number generators to fool the customers and make them buy the product. These are randomly created without any authenticity just for the sake of boosting the brand.
5- Low Stock or High Demand Messages
These are again some ill methodologies used to fool the customers. Website creators typically use some random number generator to show the decreasing stock or increasing demand. The purpose of these is to create a fake impression and thereby force the customer to buy the product.
We believe those who use such tricks generally exploit the users and never have loyalty to their customers.
6- Misdirection
Some websites used to pressure their users to choose expensive products. These are commonly achieved by asking unnecessary questions like "yes, I like the discount" or "no, I don't want any discount."
Or even "no, I will take it for the full price". Misdirected questions are very tricky to make customers expensively buy the product.
7- Obstruction
One of the popular dark practices is the frustrating procedure of cancelling subscriptions. This is again cheating the customers by initially showing up as simple as just a click away from unsubscribing. In reality, it will take a reasonable amount of time and many frustrating steps. The hardships in unsubscribing may force some users to continue their subscription at least for a few periods.
8- Forced Registration
This is a very hateful dark pattern. Website Owners know this fundamental trick of increasing account users. They make it compulsory to register to add items to the cart. Every time users try to put items on a cart. Maybe even just for price analysis, the website forces them to register first. This is hateful because the website can get helpful information such as email addresses and contact further, especially to send offer notifications.
9- Harmful Trials
These are deducting charges after trial without even asking the customer whether they want to continue or not. As soon as the trial expires, the website will remove further money and not refund after subscribing.
For an experienced professional, it will cost only some minimum eCommerce tools and basic e-learning eCommerce knowledge to perform that.
10- Extra Small Buttons
The use of extra small buttons is another cheap dark pattern to lead the customer to the website. A widespread trend is via ads. The website owners purposefully keep the extra small size to make the user click on the ad and lead to their website.
Big Brands using Dark Patterns:
If you thought small-scale owners use these dark patterns to boost their business, then you are wrong. Many big multinational brands still use these dark patterns to flourish their online business. Here are few examples of such brands.
Google's Dark Pattern Usage
In the case of Google Ads, these dark patterns are used to maximize the revenue from the platform. In Google ads, we can advertise on the display network as well as search network.
The most extensive dark pattern is less information on search and more unnecessary ads when we search for something. Nowadays, it's becoming tough to discern between ads and search results. That is how their design has become. They focus more on ads based on user's previous search results to distract their minds, increase their revenue, and make money for their stakeholders.
The Dark Patterns of Bing
The eCommerce development process is different for the Bing search engine. The opaque behaviour of Bing makes its dark patterns a way other than Google. And hence the eCommerce website development tools also vary. Bing uses a very different method that keeps the AD disclosure under the header section to get massive attention from the users. Through this method, only a faint outline is shown to develop curiosity, and they are by gaining the user's attention.
The Dark Pattern of Amazon
The eCommerce website development process of Amazon uses very tricky dark patterns. It has been found that Amazon users face difficulty leaving prime after the trial period. Joining prime is way more difficult during the free period. They offer a free trial period to attract customers as well. But if you like to leave from prime subscription after that trial period, it is hectic.
Confirm shaming of Amazon is very evident. Amazon has a sophisticated navigation menu, skewed wording, repeated nudging, etc., making their users stay long on prime subscriptions. They will never forget to warn you once you find out the cancel option. They will list all the super benefits and try to persuade you it is a tremendous loss.
Government Vs Dark Patterns:
It is unfortunate to know that even the government has started supporting shady practices nowadays. Still, in many countries, the government is interested in shady practices to fulfil their gains. But California government set an example for all these. In March 2021califormia government banned companies from using dark practices and involved it as a part of privacy as per law.
Conclusion
Everything is marketing nowadays. And every day, everyone wakes up with a thought on how to gain more money. The lifestyle is changing, and demand for money is increased as well. Hence everything can be reasoned. Finally, the question of many eCommerce websites regarding their dark pattern is, the established sites are doing it, and why can't we?
Choosing the best platforms can always bring miracles along with an appropriate application of eCommerce website development solutions. Affordable eCommerce website development is always popular among small-scale enterprises. Having a prominent e-learning eCommerce development knowledge can also significantly contributes to making the best eCommerce websites development company.
There is nothing correct or wrong. Just do your work and go with the flow. Yes! Dark practices are commonly done on every eCommerce site. In one way or another way, there is the reasoning for it. After our 18+ years of experience, our most extensive learning was that we all are a part of such reasoning.
This is eCommerce website development. There are vast business and dark marketing strategies that make them one of the most popular revenue investments among entrepreneurs.
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