GreenBusinessConsulting.com

I use the Internet to find everything. Even if I think there’s a Kragen Auto Parts a mile away, I’ll verify the location and hours online before getting into my car. I do this because I have zero time to waste purchasing products on the weekends when I should be hiking through the hills.

And when it comes to shopping for green products like a show filter or biodegradable doggy bags, I research them online to be sure that the product is really going to be what I need, that it’s certified green and that I compared the price at a couple sites before buying it.

That’s why it’s so frustrating when most sites don’t even have an email address listed, let alone display it on every page. I want an, “Ask me more about this product” link next to every item so I can email a salesperson and get a response back about the product. If that’s possible offline, why can’t I get as good customer service online or even better since I will have to create an account and provide my name and email just to buy something?

There’s a shop a couple miles from me that sells green building materials, and I was looking for non-toxic epoxy for a project. I visited their website and there was no information about the products they sold – only photos from the stores grand opening. I found an email address and sent an email requesting a list of epoxies they offered, but got no response.

I’m not expecting live chat but I would like to be able to email a question about a product and get a response during the next business day. I don’t even mind if business sends me one of their newsletters once they have my email address as long as there is a SafeUnsubscribe link at the bottom (these are standard when using companies like Constant Contact for newsletters).

Especially if you’re a small business, but even if you’re a larger business hoping to build a mailing list and loyal customers, you’ve got to make it easy for online shoppers to purchase your products without coming into your store or calling between 9AM – 5PM weekdays.

Tags: email, online commerce, online newsletter

This entry was posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 1:23 am and is filed under online best practices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.