Overview

There are many benefits in taking advantage of usability. Broadly speaking they can be split between either increasing revenue or to decreasing costs.

Increased Revenue

• Higher conversion rates = more sales - Sites that make finding and buying products easier will experience higher conversion rates, therefore more sales.
• Higher transaction values = higher value sales - When finding products is made easier, people are likely to buy more products - meaning each transaction has a higher average value.
• More repeat customers and site loyalty - Users who have had a positive experience on a site are more likely to return in the future. Conversely, those users who are frustrated with their experience will rarely return.
• Keeping up with the competition/A competitive differentiator - As more people are discovering the advantages offered by usability, the number of sites reaping the benefits of usability is increasing all of the time. In such a competitive market as E-Commerce, sites not keeping up will fall far behind. If your competitors are not taking advantage of usability, you have a great opportunity to differentiate yourself.
• Stronger brand equity - People associate online experiences very closely with the company behind the site. A positive experience reflects well whilst a negative experience can have a massive detrimental effect on the perception of a brand.
• Greater productivity - Ensuring your E-Commerce Administrative system works in an intuitive way allows staff to carry out their tasks more efficiently, leading to greater productivity.
• Higher employee morale - Related to the greater productivity is the fact that employees are likely to have higher morale and be more satisfied in their work if the Administrative system does not frustrate them when performing their roles.

Decreased Costs

• Decreased development costs - Understanding customers' needs removes the need for costly and time consuming re-designs, both during development and after release.
• Shorter development timelines - Fully understanding the needs of the users highlights unanticipated (and redundant) requirements and areas of design early. This removes the risk of wasted development work, and allows the development team to focus upon exactly what your customers need from your system.
• Reduced running costs - The internet is one of your cheapest communication channels to your customers. Ensuring as many as possible are able to (and choose to) use this channel over others reduces costs. An example might be a site which allows users to download forms direct rather than field calls and dispatching the forms by mail. A more usable site increases the likelihood that people choose the download over the more expensive method of phoning the call centre.
• Reduced support costs - A site lacking in usability often needs an expensive call centre in place for support. An increased focus in usability reduces the volume of support calls, and therefore decreases support costs.
• Objective decision making - Development teams can spend inordinate amounts of time debating the most appropriate design solution. Usability techniques can cut to the heart of the problem, highlighting the most appropriate solution according to your customer needs.

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