The unbearable difficulty of buying a lawnmower
Web Profits’ Jason May tried to buy a lawnmower. It didn’t go well. Here, he shares his tale of confusion, regret and long grass.
Business has come a long way online, but a lot of brands are still missing the customer-centric mark with their digital experience.
Customers are giving up the fight to purchase online, battling a mix of jargon, too many options, and low contrast states which combine to frustrate users into ‘giving up’ on the online purchase.
This forces users into a physical retail environment to ensure they make a smart purchase decision with more confidence being able to speak with people in a conversation that is right for them, and that they understand.
It’s a lawnmower. Any smart individual would just get their backside down to Bunnings and problem solved in less time than it took to write this article.
Next Time… https://www.choice.com.au/search?q=lawn+mower&page=1
I came here to find out which mower to buy. Any recommendations Jason?
🙂 That’s a question best left to the retailer experts it seems, based on your application!
Meanwhile in the real world, people go to Bunnings and talk to a human.
Or you could pay a local lawn contractor.
No fuel, no storage, no breakdowns and services. No worries.
yeah… nah.
Here’s how online commerce works.
Sell things people want to buy.
Give them lots of choice
Price competitively
To clarify, add detail (ie include a succinct accurate description and *all* the tech specs)
Provide ‘contrast’ through effective, useful *filters*
Provide trust with UG reviews (the primary purpose of reviews is independent validation that the product is fit for purpose)
The rest is window dressing. Consumers educate themselves elsewhere on the web, usually within communities. You are doing the Internet wrong if you thought the commerce sites could and should educate you on what to look for when buying in mower.
Mature experienced online commerce sites will add content that primarily inspires and aids discovery – not educate. eg. booking.com – and even then such activity is usually the commerce site just entertaining themselves and the consumer with almost zero movement of the needle.
I like the notion of how contrast is an important element of UX, the example however is typical Agency cool-aid born of never having to actually keep turning the wheel for the next five years on what they initially build for the client.
As a newbie to lawnmowers I more so wanted to be better directed as opposed to educated. I don’t really care to learn too much about cutting widths and or engine types. As a consumer I personally don’t like a huge range of options. I want choice, but I feel ‘tired’ after most decent sized purchase decisions, as opposed to feeling ‘refreshed’. Although that’s probably more an insight into how my analytical mind needs dimming. But I can’t be alone on wanting to be better directed, at times, and or in wanting to feel great about a purchase decision, or in being baffled at times by jargon. Sometimes it feels like a battle to make a good choice especially in low contrast environments where there is a huge range of options.
Jason,
The idea of ‘contrast’ in UX is a good one. Sometimes the contrast only needs to be subtle to have a large effect, any student of Tufte will be familiar with ‘smallest effective difference’ and the leverage it can have in moving the needle. No argument there from me.
Your illustration however, is overly long and tortured – and the hole (that everyone is joyfully jumping in) is that getting guidance and/or schooled in mowers was only a google click away during your 3 day Homeresque odyssey.
You are not alone in wanting to be better directed, nor would anyone disagree that choice is often overwhelming – but it is very difficult for a commerce site to ‘direct’ without overt bias, this is why independent review media works best when they have no direct sales barrow to push. AKA, there is a reason so few commerce sites craft direction, it’s basically not their job nor does it have meaningful roi when other sectors of the media are more than adequately fulfilling the role. Again, your solution to lack of direction was but a click away.
Therefore it appears that the premise of the illustration – mowers are hard to buy online (not least of which is the delivery cost) – is a fabricated setup to illustrate contrast and everyone sees it for that.
Than you for your very informative article Jason.
I didn’t know that Briggs & Stratton had launched the QPT Series engine for the 163cc
I was after a 180cc – do you know whether they have the QPT Series with that engine capacity (OHV of course)?
Ye Gods and little fishes…. good job you weren’t looking for something REALLY difficult, such as, oh I dunno, a whipper snipper perhaps.
This article hints that take away someone’s computer (or smartphone), and they become useless dribbling morons incapable of rational thought or decision making.
If this is the way of the millenial, then we certainly are all doomed….
Jargon doesn’t help us, but for sure, take the internet away and I’m sure many would crumble until necessity demanded the application of common sense decision making returned.
Am I mistaken or do you run a website where your audience looks to you for information on film and video equipment? That’s the service you provide and get paid for? And the audience that you monetise gets access to your service through computers and smartphones?
Well spotted. Yes, yes I do (although the “paid” may be seen at times as a very long bow). But the difference is my information is not that of a catalogue.
It is presented by professional people in the industry who give their opinions and advice, not spout simply facts and figures.
Nor do we sell these items; we leave that to Real Live Salespeople, who we hope have the ability to actually *sell* – ethically of course.
I would never expect anyone in this biz to look online for a camcorder, microphone, dSLR or whatever, and then buy from a web page. Not unless they are particularly dim that is.
The last person I know who did this – who was a bit dim – asked online for advice as to what camera “made him look professional”, went against ALL advice – not catalogue content –
bought online (for $7K+) found it wouldn’t work in Australia and had to cop it.
Sadly, people seem to have forgotten how to actually *sell*, instead relying on *marketing*.
Have you tried video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2VmiDLPc9M
You messed up. The golden rule of mower buying is to buy a Honda.
Everything else is irrelevant (because it won’t start).