Customer-centered rules for design of e-commerce Web sites

Information regarding the problems faced by customers in each stage of e-commerce web site operation are presented based on interviews conducted with 50 customers using e-commerce applications in Chicago on March 20-April 10, 2001. Various customers experiences while using e-commerce were compiled based on buying computer products, cloth, gifts and flowers, electronics, books, grocery, and tickets. The list of 19 most important design rules addressing customer concerns in various components of an e-commerce site were listed. The components include homepage, categorization, product information, shopping chart, checkout and registration, and customer service. The study results found that most participants were willing to give out their credit card information on the Web due to the protection provided by the credit card insurance.