X-Cart forums

[davidsaldana]

I have seen a lot of requests in the forum for edits to delete the "users online" statistics from the customer side, because it doesnt add too much value for the customers to see it. I have to disagree with that concept, and have come to the conclusion that it needs to be modified a bit for the customer side, to really add value. Instead of showing the standard x-cart module:

Users Online: 21 unregistered customer(s), 2 registered customer(s), 3 anonymous customer(s)

What would be better (for the customer side only), would be something like:

You have joined 26 other customers shopping for your products and accessories

Although small, I think this change could have some good effects on conversion, even if its only a small percentage, every bit counts. Just dont know how the heck to do it.

If anyone could help, it would be greatly appreciated:

-ds

[kube]

For some reason, to me, the module is inaccurate. Also, for the smaller shops and if it were to be accurate, the customer may only one see 1 user - which hardly conveys store confidence.

The store owner might as well fake it using a limited range of random numbers. That's how useful it is to me as a customer. X-cart isn't a web 2.0 piece of kit (bleugh I hate that cheesey term) there is hardly any interaction apart from a few modules and they're hardly regarded as interactive either.

my 2 pennies worth (probably useless)

Interesting to be able to add them up though. In case someone does find a niche for it (like an auction house or something, or an attached forum).

[davidsaldana]

Originally Posted by kube

For some reason, to me, the module is inaccurate. Also for the smaller shops the customer may only one see 1 user - which hardly conveys store confidence.

The store owner might as well fake it using a limited range of random numbers. That's how useful it is to me as a customer. X-cart isn't a web 2.0 piece of kit (bleugh I hate that cheesey term) there is hardly any interaction apart from a few modules and they're hardly regarded as interactive either.

my 2 pennies worth (probably useless)

Interesting to be able to add them up though. In case someone does find a niche for it (like an auction house or something, or an attached forum).

Kube, I do see your point with regards to the smaller shops. Showing 1 or 2 customers online, would not give very much confidence at all. For those owners, this mod probably wouldnt fit into their needs, or would have to be manipulated. For our particular situation, we are not a small shop, and generally have a solid amount of users online.

As I stated in the original post, I dont think this will make a huge difference, but any positive influence on conversion, is a plus for any shop owner.

I do suggest you take a look at the marketing book "the tipping point - how little changes can make a big difference". It really is a good read, on buyer persuasion.

Thanks for your 2 cents.

-ds

[kube]

One way I look at it is to use the current working models, ie. Amazon, Play, etc. They do not have such a facility nor did they have it years ago.

The only way that the module would be useful, would be for instance, like here in the forum where there is some interactivity (such as knowing who's online) and being able to communicate to that user.

The underhanded way of looking at it is, as I mentioned earlier, is that I could cook the figures. There would be no difference if it were accurate or not.

[davidsaldana]

Originally Posted by kube

One way I look at it is to use the current working models, ie. Amazon, Play, etc. They do not have such a facility nor did they have it years ago.

The only way that the module would be useful, would be for instance, like here in the forum where there is some interactivity (such as knowing who's online) and being able to communicate to that user.

The underhanded way of looking at it is, as I mentioned earlier, is that I could cook the figures. There would be no difference if it were accurate or not.

I disagree with you 100%. I think a good analogy to use, would be as follows:

You are walking down a street that is completely empty, no one around, its called anonymous street. Then you turn the corner, and there is 50 or 60 people gathered around a store front. You instinctively, want to find out what is going on there, and what people are up to.

With regards to cooking the figures, you can do that with any of the mods, bestsellers, customer also bought. X-cart even has a built in "cooking the books" by selecting customers also bought randomly from the selection of products. My point, is that many modifications can be altered to give false information.

I think this mod would be useful, even if only by a little bit. Obviously you dont, that is fine. We will agree to disagree.

[kube]

I understand where you're coming, truely I do. I am not disagreeing with the effect that it can have. As I have stated you can cook the figures which would have the same effect. But there are better tactics on how to establish how popular the store is... such as blogs, product reviews, product ratings, etc - these tactics are far more interactive than just printing a number (whether it is in the footer or in a column).

If the model worked for a busy store then why aren't the bigger ones currently employing it?

I am looking into adding the numbers up.

[davidsaldana]

Originally Posted by kube

I understand where you're coming, truely I do. I am not disagreeing with the effect that it can have. As I have stated you can cook the figures which would have the same effect. But there are better tactics on how to establish how popular the store is... such as blogs, product reviews, product ratings, etc - these tactics are far more interactive than just printing a number (whether it is in the footer or in a column).

If the model worked for a busy store then why aren't the bigger ones currently employing it?

I am looking into adding the numbers up.

I think for larger stores it wouldnt make any sense. People have heard about Amazon, and ebay, and these huge sites. Chances are other customers would not have heard of www.xyz-cart.com. Plus on something like amazon, it would be ridiculious to see 235,045 users online now.

One thing that Amazon does do, is during Christmas time, they count the number of orders, and display it right at the top of their home page (something like xxx orders since thanksgiving). You can watch it count thousands of orders every minute. Although a bit different, they are trying to achieve the same thing. (look how many people are ordering from us).

-ds

[balinor]

Sorry David, I completely disagree, and feel that it has the exact opposite effect. It screams 'amateur hour' as you won't find any professional stores out there showing how many customers are on-line. It is like showing a hit counter on your site....if you have to make a point of showing that you are busy, it throws up a red flag to avoid you. In addition, it is a complete waste of space and a distraction to the customer. And one last nail in the coffin, the module is completely inaccurate, so you are actually lying to your customers. When a spider hits your site, the number skyrockets into the hundreds. Same happens if you just sit there and refresh the screen. If you want to improve conversion, buy the 1 page checkout here in the forums, have your site professionally designed, invest in some 'trust' logos or add customer testimonials to your site, etc. Those are proven to increase conversion, in my opinion this will not.

[davidsaldana]

Balinor, thanks for your advice. I am going to send you a private pm with some additional information. Would love your advice on the issue.

I am sorry to hear that no one thinks this is a good idea. I will play around with it a bit, and see what I come up with.

BTW, balinor, we have done all of the things you mentioned to increase conversion.

-ds

[balinor]

Sorry David, I cannot help privately...please keep all discussion to the forums.