Letting customers write reviews on your web 2.0 e-commerce site increases the likelihood others will purchase the product as well.  Provided that the reviews are moderated, quality reviews also increase a website’s search engine rankings because customers are providing content for the website.  The higher likelihood to purchase comes in where customers receive unbiased opinions on the product they’re thinking about getting and shows that other people are using the item, not to mention that your site is also busy and active.

No one wants bad reviews obviously, but if the site is run well, has good products, fast shipping, and good customer service then there generally shouldn’t be many.  Some customers saying they changed their mind about the product and got a quick return may even help others feel more comfortable to deal with the site.  Overall, in web 2.0 development, interaction with the website leads to customers having a better experience and coming back.

In interactive web 2.0 development websites one of the most important ways customers can interact with websites is through submitting their contact information through a contact form.  It’s one of the greatest tools for a company because it shows a potential customer browsed the site, is interested in what the company has to offer, and wants to talk.  As a result it’s important to keep the contact form simple.  Too many fields, especially with things like a mailing address (especially when it’s required) discourage visitors from submitting their information because 1. it takes too much time and 2. it’s too personal.

Simple White Paper Request Form:

Intechnic’s own Contact Form:

We’ve found that simple contact forms asking for max a name, e-mail, company name, phone and brief message work best because they’re quick to fill out and give a simple starting point for a conversation.  There have been lots of studies comparing short and long contact forms and why simple is better, bottom line is you don’t want barriers to your customers contacting you!