When the dryer strikes back

Living in rainy Portland I've gotten used to the wet weather. It doesn't bother me anymore as long as it's not a surprise.

But there are two things that do bother me when it's wet out.

1. Wet socks. (No further comment needed)

2. Those times when you wash and dry a sweater but the cuff gets bunched up and is still damp when you put it on.

Aka Dampcuffnomia.

Once you accidentally put it on, it doesn't matter how quickly you take it off, you're going to feel that dampness all day long.

Something so small and insignificant can cause an immense amount of friction and distraction.

Friction is also a conversion killer in your store.

Popups, location prompts, sliders... there are many highly-visible ways your store is causing friction that are easy to spot.

But there are smaller ones too. They are harder to spot but once you see them they'll irritate you constantly like a damp cuff.

Over-time your store has accumulated dozens of those small friction points. They aren't enough to crash your sales but they chip away at your potential customer's confidence until that customer decides it's easier to shop elsewhere.

Reversed images, automatic scrolling, copied and pasted text errors, poorly designed emails, too-difficult to read text...

That hardest part about these is noticing them. Since you've seen your store so many times, you've become blind to them.

That's why it's important to have other people reviewing your store regularly. You could hire a professional, record (and watch) customers using your store, or just watch friends and family use your store.

You'll be surprised at how many problems turn up and how easily some of them are to fix.

So don't force each customer to wear the damp sweater. Take the time to fix the sleeve so it's completely dry for them.

And if you want to look beyond the surface-level behavior of your customers and go deeper into how they are buying, Repeat Customer Insights can analyze their behavior for you.

Its analyses are automatic and result in actionable advice, so you don't have to have a masters in data science to understand what's going on.

It comes with a 14-day free trial so you can see how it works before paying.

Eric Davis