Mint Digital

The Click #17

We recently completed a project for a telecoms/ISP client comparing their website against its competitors.

Their main motivation for commissioning the project was the fear that other websites might have clever functionalities that they were missing.

We found something else.

User after user just wanted to see prices. No one cared about Company X’s white paper: ‘A vision for the future of telecoms’. No one wanted Company Y’s site personalisation options.

If a user is scanning a page, a price catches the eye and shows that something is for sale.

But that’s not all.

Web usability ‘guru’ (’bore’, some say) Jakob Nielsen puts it well: Price is the most specific piece of info customers use to understand the nature of an offering, and not providing it makes people feel lost and reduces their understanding of a product line. We have miles of videotape of users asking “Where’s the price?” while tearing their hair out.’

The price hiding impulse
Most of our clients are nervous about displaying their prices.

I know the feeling.

With the initial draft of the Mint Digital site, I tried to be up front about our prices. I was advised by wiser heads that it would limit our flexibility.

But I wish I had stuck to my guns. The web has increased the pay-off from clarity.

Even if you can’t be totally clear, you can give some indication.

Our friends at Natural Training mainly do bespoke training for big firms. It is hard for them to state a price as every course is a one-off. However they also run open workshops – fixed price group training for individuals. They’ve recently added prices for the open workshops to their site (which gives all potential clients their bearings) and a prominent quote request form for bespoke training.

It has made a big difference to their response rates. Their conclusion: ‘prospective customers surfing our site want to find out as much as possible before making contact’.

I need to drink my own medicine
I’m keen to make the Mint site follow this advice. While writing this Click I’ve hatched a plan. If my partners agree we’ll launch it next Click. Read next fortnight to be the first to hear about ‘Mint: take it or leave it’.