The interaction between consumers and online merchants has ostensibly been altered with the emergence of technological capabilities, allowing buyers to shop from the palm of their hands. With the advent of the iPad, online retailers have become increasingly interested in the unique capabilities and limitations of tablets. While merchants look ahead to a future in which 50.7 million adults in the U.S. will be tablet owners, Forrester Research estimates, Alexander Interactive chose to evaluate the sites of the ten largest retailers on the web, assessing the quality of their user experience.
In Alexander Interactive’s T-Commerce Report, a best practices guide for tablet-based UX design and review of major web retailers, findings are based on the examination of a multitude of factors related to how well each retailer site performed on a tablet. In addition, Ai examined the subjective judgments on various aspects of the t-commerce experience as a whole. The report took into consideration responsive design, adaptive layout, appropriate content sizing, minimal clutter, finger-swipe support, and optimized form functionality, among others.
Sources predict tablets will play a dominant role in mobile commerce in relation to smartphones, as larger screens and more robust capabilities provide a superior shopping and browsing experience. It’s important to note that, while most of the retailers evaluated in Ai’s study offered iPhone/iPad apps, none offered a dedicated, optimized tablet site. If elements of design and development are intended to achieve effectual business goals, retailers must provide optimized tablet site experiences for their customers, not solely dedicated mobile apps.
The study found that Amazon.com, the top revenue-producing internet retailer, is the most tablet-optimized of the ten evaluated, as it offers larger buttons and less aesthetic clutter. Staples.com provides a decent desktop experience that is iPad conducive, but the experience is hindered by a cluttered drop-down menu. Research results indicate that Walmart offers a ‘good’ tablet experience, though many pages remain Flash-reliant, which is unsupported by the leading iPad.
While all suffer from usability problems, and offer limited tablet shopping experiences, Nike’s tablet-optimized ecommerce site proves to be eye-opening for e-retailers. Browsing Nike.com reveals an engaging Web site build for the iPad, featuring hi-res photography and a tap-friendly user interface. Product listing pages adapt to the orientation of the tablet, making it simple for customers to locate coveted items.
Ultimately, with the explosive forecast being what it is for tablets, retailers will need to continue improving their t-commerce UX optimization. Online merchants must recognize the looming changes in consumer habits and prepare for a tablet based future or proceed with negligible modifications at their peril.
