Even when the site works, the total user experience often remains miserable . The Dell site had some weaknesses, but it was reasonably easy to use and allowed me to order the desired high-end machine. Three days later I received a confirmation email stating that the machine was expected to ship 6 weeks later. When I called up Dell, I was told that the late delivery was because my requested tape drive was out of stock. Customers need to be told about delays and inventory problems while they are still researching their purchase online and can consider alternative options.
People only visit a bad site once but become loyal users of the good sites.
Most people don't know how much better the Web could be . But if you had to chose between a Model T and a Mercedes E430, you would pick the Mercedes. Sometimes the Web does work and is better than reality . For example, it is much easier to bookmark a list of stock quotes at a website than it is to look up the stock price in the newspaper. It is even easier to search for company-related news online than to scan the business pages.