The bigger they are…

Posted by Matt Powell in User Experience, on 28 March 2007. One comment.

Everyone seems to hold up Amazon as the model of online commerce. But even a colossus like Amazon can have feet of clay.

Everyone seems to hold up Amazon as the model of online commerce. But even a colossus like Amazon can have feet of clay.

If you’ve ever visited Amazon, you’ll know that their personalisation cookies are quite tenacious, and you’re showered with recommendations and special offers as soon as you hit the site.

I went there earlier today to check out a book my friend recommended, David Allen’s Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. I knew I’d probably want to add the book to my wishlist, but because I hadn’t been to Amazon on this computer before, it didn’t know who I was, and instead greeted me with:

Hello. Sign in to get personalized recommendations. New customer? Start here.

If you’re wondering what the punchline is, try deleting your browser’s cookies and going back to Amazon. Can you figure out where to sign in? The friendly sign-in interface so ubiquitous on other sites is completely missing here. Nor are the words “sign in” linked to the sign-in page I know must be hidden somewhere. Even clicking on “Your Account” offers no clues. It’s clear where to go if I’m a new customer, but I’m not: I have a raft of products on my wishlist, waiting for that glorious day when my credit card can handle the strain, and I just want to know how to get them back.

By now, it’s been a good five minutes, and I’m starting to lose patience. The only thing stopping me leaving the site altogether is the fact that I already have a relationship with Amazon, albeit an infrequent one: and perhaps that’s the problem. Are Amazon taking me for granted?

Eventually I give up and just click on “Add to Wish List” to see what happens. At last, Amazon asks me for my password and lets me in to my wish list. (Thanks! My birthday’s in July…)

Now, I know this book is available on CD: how do I search for audiobooks? It’s not really music…

One comment

Barnes & Noble is almost as much fun (try it out at http://www.barnesandnoble.com). In this case, you have to click on Cart (top right). Once you figured this one out, they helpfully have a Login option for existing customers and a Create An Account option for new customers.

To their credit, they do not force you to create an account to place an order, which I thought was quite friendly.

Posted by Jaco Swart at 5:44pm, 6 April, 2007

Leave a comment

Comment Guidelines

  • Have no more than 2 links, otherwise your comment will be flagged as spam.
  • _text_ to make text italic.
  • **text** to make text bold.