Among the casualties when the dot-com era ended and reality set in was wireless. Once thought to be the ultimate in online shopping convenience, wireless e-commerce technology and connectivity never took hold, even though some high-profile retailers undertook wireless initiatives.
If the panel of retailers at Keynote Systems Inc.’s Global Internet Performance Conference in New York yesterday is an indication, it’ll be a while before wireless climbs up retailers’ charts again. “It’ll be 12 to 18 months before wireless devices will have full functionality,” predicted panel member Scott Haglund, vice president of operations for music and video club Columbia House.
Until that happens, he and other panelists said they are not willing to invest in making their sites wireless-accessible. The major problem is that wireless access requires different product presentation from computer access. “We would have to completely re-design our site for it have an acceptable design for wireless,” said Steve Ridley, director of technical operations for KBToys.com. “For that reason, we have stayed away from wireless.”
Retailers already have enough challenges with making sure their sites are delivering the optimal experience to computer-based buyers, the panel said. Other panelists were David Willen, CTO of BarnesandNoble.com, Greg Balch, interactive technology specialist at QVC Inc., and Carrie Johnson, senior analyst at Forrester Research Inc. It was moderated by Kurt Peters, editor of Internet Retailer. The number of metrics that retailers must monitor to make sure customers can complete purchases quickly and easily are many and increasing every day, panelists said. Willen noted that a problem in one area quickly affects other areas, so retailers need to respond quickly to isolate and repair failures. Balch added that performance doesn’t stop with the web experience. Panelsist agreed that performance should be measured all the way through to when the delivery person rings the front doorbell and delivers the order.
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