Something I've noticed lately...

When invited to pen a guest blog for our friends at SagePay recently I asked for a subject on which to write. 'Pick one - something you've noticed lately' came the reply.

Well, fine by me, I thought, as it just so happens something has really jumped out at me of late...

In 2008 there was a mass panic about the dreaded bird flu, or H5N1 to give it it's technical name, last year there was even more panic over swine flu. What you may not have heard about, however, was something called 'featuritis'.Granted, nobody has ever died from it but it seems to be be pretty contagious all the same, infecting 99.9% of all companies. This is my worrying conclusion of late anyway.

Companies (retailers, in our case) appear to be fixated by features and platforms, and service and expertise is something that we usually have to bring up at the end of the meeting after we've answered a gazillion questions about things they will never even use.

Engages Rant mode...

Let me introduce you to the most pointless question ever, one we get often:

'What are the unique features of your system?'

Completely pointless, please just tell me what you need. Does it even matter if we don't have any, as long as we can do what you need?

I very much doubt the same person would walk into B&Q and ask 'so, what have you got then?'

Ironically, when you really think about it, 'unique' might mean nobody else finds it useful.

I've also been asked to compile a 'feature comparison list' between our system and another...I mean, I'm a pretty easy-going chap until you ask me to compile a feature comparison list - don't ever ask me to do that cos I'll go green and shred my trousers.

By all means present me with a list of features that you need, and a really good, non-exhaustive list of more intelligent additional questions might include:

'How does your system help us process orders?' 'How will you guys help me make money?' or 'Can you help us find an innovative way in which to make our offering more persuasive?', or even 'Can I have a list of references please?'

The thing is, if someone's platform has a nice little feature then someone else will copy it, possibly improve it and add it to theirs. That's the reality, and yes, we've done that too.

Features for benefit only

I don't mean to make it sound like we've created a platform with loads of useless features - that's not the case at all. From a back end perspective we've actually taken a lead from our retail clients, running a forum on which they suggest what additions or amendments would make their lives easier or better. We've gone for good, solid basics, both front and back end, implemented in clever ways.

And I'm not for one minute suggesting that a platform and it's features don't matter either - e-commerce is old enough now that most people have had a system before and certain organisational functions need to be fulfilled. But features only matter to a point - there's too much emphasis on comparing platform against platform, feature against feature. There is a need, even a responsibility to ensure a platform or piece of software covers all the bases but this so often turns into a needless feature comparison exercise. And because of this, there seems to be a fear that to not have a certain feature will disadvantage you against your competitors. This goes for retailers and platform vendors alike.

To use a couple of little pure-play's as an example: do you think it's features or a platform that's helped ASOS or Amazon get where they are today? No, it isn't.

And do you think that Mary's wool shop on the high street would go global if its e-commerce shop was using Websphere? Nooooooo, of course not.

Don't overshoot the peak!

From a vendor perspective, Kathy Sierra professed the existence of a 'happy user peak' back in 2005. She asserted that software vendors could easily overshoot this point through the continued introduction of complicated features, fearing that not to do so would lose them business to competitors that had them. I'm also very much of the opinion that it's much more important to focus on making what's there easy to use, and to focus on providing great service (I will add, however, that the relative positions of ASOS and Mary's wool shop isn't all down to the service of their web company either).

Once aware of the cycle, however, it's tempting for a software vendor to become caught in it. The real or perceived loss of a contract or two to somebody who had this or that feature can set a business off on an unnecessary development cycle, tying up valuable resources in developing something of limited value to the end user.

But it does beg the question five years on from Kathy Sierra's blog: have the vendors won? Have they contaminated everybody with their featuritis?

Judging from the people we've spoken with this year the answer is yes. Only one company has had the decency not to focus solely on the platform itself, taking for granted that we had what it needed seeing as we deal with some leading multi-channel retailers!

To conclude...

The most advanced platform with every conceivable feature will not guarantee a good website and user experience. From a front-end perspective, what's really important is to create an e-commerce site that looks and feels great and that takes the user's needs into account right through the browsing or buying process, and it doesn't take masses of clever features to do that - just an understanding and good implementation of the basics in each context is enough to make shoppers very happy.

But that's the way it should evolve: with features added to support the user and make their task easier. Ask questions - be customer or client led.

So rather than selling a system based on what bells and whistles the platform has - stuff that people might find hard to operate or just never have a need for, it's much better to approach things from an 'ease of use' and great service angle.

The big irony in all this is that while retailers primarily buy features and platforms, if their providers service gets bad they begin to look around. Thing is, the looking around begins with featuritis again...

I'd advocate that companies in the e-commerce design and build space should concentrate on getting the architecture right first and foremost and don't allow themselves to be distracted by all the hype. Do the basics well and back this up with a great service to add value and you will prosper even in the most difficult of markets or environments. When it comes to developing or expanding a software platform, be client led - ask them what would make their lives easier and don't build solely because someone else has something.

Same goes if you're client side: just concentrate on getting the basics spot on. Feature good images, write good copy, engage in intelligent marketing, and above all - keep it simple. Take time to learn about your customers and understand why it is that they are your customers. Don't get hung up on a clever feature one of your competitors has - it may not even be worth having, and focus your efforts on providing your customers with an innovative and quality service.