The article itself opens with the claim, "Overall, more than 60% of consumers are drawn to online retailers that employ interactive and dynamic Web 2.0 tools and techniques."

Some may see the statement above as being very broad, but as an avid online shopper, I find myself drawn to retail sites with "interactive" features, and tend to revisit them if the first experience was a positive one.  I consider the following short list essential in aiding myself as an online consumer (i.e. closing the sale) as well as having an influence as to whether or not I return to the site:

1.  Competitive Pricing
2.  Competitive Shipping Rates
3.  Easy to Navigate
4.  User Reviews and Ratings
5.  User Recommendations
6.  Item Popularity
7.  Pertinent Information Presentation (i.e. advertising)

If we say the list stops here, over half of my "requirements" reside in the "social features" space.  While many sites are now starting to embrace a few of these features, I firmly believe that Amazon.com is the ultimate example - and they do so without forcing functionality down your throat.  I believe Amazon to be a pioneer not in utilizing said feature-set, but for implementing them in ways that are seamless among product categories and customer segments.

I OFTEN do product research on Amazon.com.  I first look towards popularity rankings for a product if I don't have a specific model to look up.  After sorting by popularity (not bestselling, I want consumer feedback), I then open one new tabbed window for each model I'm interested in.  After reading the technical specifications (I DO need to insure my needs are met), I quickly scroll down and read the honest user reviews - sorted by date.  The user reviews give me an idea of the product quality after a certain period of use, as well as real-world experiences, good or bad. 

Sometimes, I do product research on more general items, such as new Anime DVDs.  Now, I know what I like in an Anime story, and Amazon just so happens to have an actual community of Anime fans.  Instead of looking blindly at Amazon's vast catalog of anime releases, I can simply browse the forums within the group and read about the hot anime DVDs not in my collection, new and old.

In a nutshell, Amazon's "social features" not only often turns my visit into a conversion, but a repeat visitor as well.  In fact, the article I brought up at the beginning of this post has another spectacular metric - "35% say they're most likely to return to an Ecommerce site if it offers customer product recommendations."  Bingo!  Got me!  In addition, "26% desire a unique experience each visit."  For many merchants, this can be a daunting implementation, and yet see exponential ROI if done correctly.

As an avid user of Amazon.com, I often click on items, but do not make a purchase (i.e. research mode).  There's a couple of angles to consider here.  First, as I return back to the Amazon.com homepage, I will generally see the items I clicked on, but did not purchase.  Secondarily, Amazon's personalization system not only shows me what I have demonstrated interest in, but also takes a stab at introducing me to products that fall within a category I've visited on previous visits.  At this point, I look at the products new to me, and then start my investigative process all over again.

I'm seeing more and more sites implement "social" features (such as CircuitCity.com, TireRack.com, ToysRUs.com), but not to the extent that Amazon has - yet.  As the technology matures, as user comfort with the new tools increases, and as the cost to implement said "social" systems in place are lowered, "social" features will become a "must do" rather than a "nice to have."

Matthew Brown
Ecommerce
MarketNet