Part on Online Marketing (and offline as well) is not only convincing your web site visitors that your product or service is exactly what they need, but also that it is in the same price range they are looking for. It is easy to overlook how customer expectations can influence the outcome of a sale.
During the last 2 years we have seen a dramatic increase in the price of gas, especially during the first half of 2008. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of various reports on how this has affected various industries. People are not buying.
They don’t buy trucks & SUV’s like they used to.
They don’t drive as much as they used to.
They don’t fly as much as they used to.
Gas chart by http://www.massachusettsgasprices.com/retail_price_chart.aspx
Now that prices are starting to drop, people are more eager to buy gas for those long, and even shorter, weekend trips. Those same trips that many people put on hold due to the high gas prices earlier this year.
As a result there are now these ridiculously long lines at the pump. All the people, that just a couple of months earlier were not so eager to guy/use gas unless they absolutely had to are now filling up. I filled up my tank a few days ago at around 1 PM, thinking that in the middle of the day the line would not be too bad. In the end I had to wait about 10 minutes in line just to fill up the tank of my little Focus.
What does the price of gas have to do with the sales on my website?
When customers come to your site and they see the price they were expecting, or better yet lower ones, they are more likely to open up their wallets & pocketbooks. If you sell a high end product or service, make sure that the online marketing effort that got them to your site and the user experience on your website reflects that high end value want to sell to them.
When you go to a fast food place for lunch you don’t expect the same price and feel of a 5-star restaurant. Imagine going to a McDonalds or Burger King, and paying $50 per person. You would likely take your business elsewhere. Is your website doing the same thing to your potential customers?
