On-line (retailer site) brand experiences are a turn-off

There is an excellent post [read at Retail Customer Experience] about how most on-line retail sites are uninspired, technically driven and over analysed.

 ...”a tempting brand experience they are not”

 This article provides a number of clear reasons why they disappoint. To me one comment really resonated:

 “The most important of the day’s experiences are human interactions.”

I could not agree more. It is virtually impossible to beat a human interaction (provided it is a positive one), but these days more and more interactions are becoming automated (telephone, on-line, vending, etc).

The problem is that when brand organisations reduce head-count and increase reliance on automated solution - to ‘increase efficiency’ - it inevitably means that they lose the opportunity to create powerful interactions that can truly delight consumers on an emotional level.

Brands that know what brand experiences will delight consumers and how to deliver them will gain competitive advantage, as they are likely to be brands that consumers are loyal to and will talk about. 

How do you delight on-line? - it isn't easy.

There are clearly times when an on-line solution is vital. If you are in this situation, as suggested in the above post, look closely at how iTunes works and think about how you can replicate the inspired interface they have created.