Shoppers online and off, tend to fit into three categories - hunters , gatherers and procrastinators . Hunters are there for a purpose and have a small set of criteria for their buying decision. They know what they want and will buy if the price is right, the product is available and the retailer makes it easy. In the offline world they'd walk into your store, go to the section they want or ask a salesperson for the product. Online they'll do the same - the best option to cater for these guys is to offer a search facility to your inventory so they can get where they're going quickly.
Gatherers tend to shop for the pleasure rather than the chase.
Just like the real world their reason for being in your store may have more to do with whether it's a good hair day than a specific need. Make the shopping experience entertaining for them - provide good graphics and make sure the navigation through the site is easy. Procrastinators tend to shop around. They may visit your site many times before they make a decision and they'll be looking for as much information as they can. While the initial introduction to your products should remain concise and easy to find give these shoppers the option to dig deeper and find out more.