On-line retailers should consider how to add some magic to the consumer buying experience

I bought a new laptop from ebuyer.com this week. The experience was okay but it could have been so much better.

I went through a typical computer buying process. (I asked a friend, searched on-line, went into a couple of stores, and then eventfully bought on-line.)

So, how did I feel about the final on-line buying experience?

To be honest I felt pretty ambivalent.

The on-line transaction process was easy (which it often isn’t). The laptop arrived when promised. It works. I have a free support number I can call for one week.

Is ‘feeling ambivalent’ a good result for ebuyer.com?

I don’t think so.

They really missed a trick. They could easily have telephoned me to ask whether the laptop had arrived and whether I was happy with it. It would not have been hard to organise given they have my mobile number and they would have known that I’d received it (through the parcel tracking system).

I would have been delighted.

It would have delivered the kind of brand experience that would have made me a fan and possibly even an advocate.

A good delivery service is clearly important. However, my suggestion for all organisations is to think about the brand experience from a consumer point of view and work-out how to incorporate ways to delight after the delivery. Use the PDD framework to help. It often does not require much time & effort and the ROI pay-back - as a result of having more fans and advocates - can be huge.