Don't emulate Amazon
Even though Amazon is still the world's best ecommerce site, it's design should not be emulated. The major reason their design works is not due to good design principles but rather due to the fact that they are so well established.
In a recent column, the web usability gury Jakob Nielsen outlines the major reasons why copying Amazon's design would be a mistake for any e-commerce site:
- Cluttered pages with too many links and irrelevant products.
- Internet-wide search feature which serves no practical purpose.
- Advertising and promoting other websites on it's product pages.
- Lousy user interface for specialised product categories.
- Lack of integration with its international sites.
- Confusing co-branding implementation.
Of course, Amazon wouldn't get to where they are if they weren't doing most things right: excellent range, customer product reviews and reliable order fulfillment are the major reasons people keep coming back.
Despite the user interface shortcomings.
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About the author
I'm Ivan Lutrov and I'm the owner of Lutrov Interactive. I have 25 years of experience producing interactive work and I create cost effective business websites that are simple, engaging and easy to use. I practice what I preach and I say what I really think, even if it's sometimes not what you want to hear. Subscribe to the Lutrov Interactive feed via RSS and follow me on Twitter.