I enjoy understanding social influence - the effect we all have on each other.
Online pursuasion. It's the basis of conversion. In fact, you could say it's a way of thinking. Once you start seeing your website as a pursuasion tool and not as a shop window you're getting somewhere.
You see - an ecommerce site is both the shop and the shop assistant. It's also the sign posting to get there (SEO).
To get you in the right frame of mind, here is my recommended reading list for budding internet retailers. Individually they may not all directly seem relevant. Put them all together and you'll get a viewpoint that will help you move forward with conviction.
If you want to get into my head, these are some of my favourite books...
Influence - Robert B. Cialdini
The tricks of the trade. What techniques are used by folks to influence each other, why do they work, and how can you "protect yourself" from these techniques? Equally as useful if you are selling or if you are being sold to. Fascinating.
Why we buy - Paco Underhill
This guy has spent decades observing consumer behaviour in retail outlets. He helps you understand just how smart some shops are, at the same time you start to understand how so many could be so much better. I look at shop space now with a whole different view.
Freakonomics - Steven D Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
Using economic methodology to try and understand social trends, this is a fascinating collection of studies. Two of my favourite were; the trends found in baby-naming, and the reason for the drop in NYC crime: abortion. Read it to find out more.
The Pyramid Principle - Barbara Minto
I read so many poorly written emails, presentations and documentation. This book helps you avoid doing so too by taking a very structured approach to your communications. Written by an ex-McKinsey consultant, the basic message is very simple (of course), but it's quite tricky to get right in the real world. If you've ever used MindManager software to map out your ideas, this book helps you craft communication from your mind-maps.
Now, Discover Your Strengths - Marcus Buckingham
We're all different. We all have different strengths. I guess you know that. Do you know what your strengths are? I thought I did, and then I read this book. With the book comes access to an online questionnaire that you complete to create your profile. The results made a lot of sense. The important message here is that you should focus on what you're good at and excel. Leave what you're not so good at to others, or at least do some training for damage limitation. In the end you are who you are - make sure you spend time on being the best you.
The Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Barry gets you thinking about just how you make choices in life. Choosing requires mental energy and can become a burden. The paradox is that we continously hail consumer choice as a good thing when in fact on many occasions, less is often more. A what cost do we pursue perfection?
The Search - John Battelle
The story of Google. More specifically, how a new business model emerged where advertisers only pay for results. You know about Google of course, but what I didn't know before reading this was the human story of how they grew, what deals were made and what the future might hold. Anyone who works in the online industry needs to read it.
Call to Action - Bryan Eisenberg
If Paco Underhill (see above) studies the real world of retailing, Bryan Eisenburg studies how to influence customers online. The book is not particularly well structured, but he presents case studies that make you realise just how tricky it is to get it right online and when you do, just how powerful it can be. At the crux of this book is how you persuade people in an interactive medium where the website is just one part of the experience.
The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
In this book you are treated to real life examples where a "tipping point" was needed in order create an overwhelming self-perpetuating phenomenon. From shoe trends to diseases, what is needed to create the momentum?
Don't Make Me Think! - Steve Krug
If you have any responsibility whatsoever for a website - as a manager, designer, developer - any role in fact - you need to read this book. It's a really simple introduction to the ways in which you can screw up a customer's experience without much effort. What takes effort is to keep it simple. Steve shows you how.
The Concise 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene
There is a longer version of this book, but this concise version serves the same purpose. This book demonstrates 48 different ways in which powerful people gain and hold on to power. I must admit, much of the methodology goes right against how I prefer to treat people. In any company, society or family, some of the methods described here surface, so if anything, it's useful to be aware of what's going on and what you can do to avoid being screwed over.
Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
Another one from Malcolm Gladwell. This book has a really simple central idea and goes through many chapters to illustrate it over and over again. The simple idea is that your gut reaction (the one that you have before you've got time to think something through) is most likely to be the right reaction - IF you have enough experience in that area to fall back on. Firefighters, pilots, drivers, art experts - they are all highly experienced in their area, and their intuition makes for some pretty good reactive decision making. It made me confident in my own decision making and not needing to analyse every option before comitting to course of action.
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