Australian Online Supermarket Usability
AUSTRALIAN ONLINE SUPERMARKET USABILITY Abstract
The prediction of a dramatic increase in online grocery shopping over the next 5 years is only likely to be fulfilled if online supermarkets present a more efficient and logical shopping experience. Therefore, usability testing is playing an increasingly important role in the development of e-commerce websites. To date, ecommerce usability research has only focused on the ordering of singular items and the issue of multiple item ordering has not been researched. This study aims to start to fill this gap in usability research. Based on the results gathered, a set of ten usability criteria were established, with a focus on the ordering systems for sites selling multiple items and quantities.
Keywords Usability, World Wide Web, Electronic Commerce, Web Site Design, Internet Retail Store Design, Shopping.
INTRODUCTION
The Problem Context The issue of usability plays a vital role in the success of an online store. However, to date there has been no published research into this issue as it relates to multiple item ordering. In the field of grocery shopping there is much competition between the two major physical supermarket chains in Australia, Woolworths and Coles, both in traditional stores and online. Online, the major competitor is ShopFast, which does not have a traditional supermarket storefront to complement its online operations. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis into the usability of ordering systems of online supermarkets that supply to Australian consumers in 2002, focusing specifically on the web sites belonging to Coles, Woolworths and ShopFast. This issue has been identified as a major problem by such companies, with one of these companies revealing in an interview that they had in excess of 200,000 clients registered, but only 100,000 had ever made a purchase and of these customers, 30,000 had only made one purchase. With figures as shown above it is understandable that
The prediction of a dramatic increase in online grocery shopping over the next 5 years is only likely to be fulfilled if online supermarkets present a more efficient and logical shopping experience. Therefore, usability testing is playing an increasingly important role in the development of e-commerce websites. To date, ecommerce usability research has only focused on the ordering of singular items and the issue of multiple item ordering has not been researched. This study aims to start to fill this gap in usability research. Based on the results gathered, a set of ten usability criteria were established, with a focus on the ordering systems for sites selling multiple items and quantities.
Keywords Usability, World Wide Web, Electronic Commerce, Web Site Design, Internet Retail Store Design, Shopping.
INTRODUCTION
The Problem Context The issue of usability plays a vital role in the success of an online store. However, to date there has been no published research into this issue as it relates to multiple item ordering. In the field of grocery shopping there is much competition between the two major physical supermarket chains in Australia, Woolworths and Coles, both in traditional stores and online. Online, the major competitor is ShopFast, which does not have a traditional supermarket storefront to complement its online operations. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis into the usability of ordering systems of online supermarkets that supply to Australian consumers in 2002, focusing specifically on the web sites belonging to Coles, Woolworths and ShopFast. This issue has been identified as a major problem by such companies, with one of these companies revealing in an interview that they had in excess of 200,000 clients registered, but only 100,000 had ever made a purchase and of these customers, 30,000 had only made one purchase. With figures as shown above it is understandable that
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