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May 23, 2006
People choose the easiest solution
In general, web sites are poor substitutes for specialized software applications installed on your local machine.
For almost any web application there is a superior software package. It is true even for things we think of as “made for the web” applications: In 1996 United Connection, a Windows application that got data over the Internet, was a better airline reservation tool than most travel sites available now. Copernic offers a richer interface and more full featured search tool than Google by using Google, and other engines, through its own rich interface.
But in most cases the web application beats the pants off the desktop application in number of users and market share. Because, as Dennis Forbes puts it, Rate of Adoption = Ease of Setup, and typing a web address is a pretty easy setup.
It is a hassle to setup even the simplest of software applications, and then you have to keep it up to date, move it to your new machine, install it on your laptop, etc. Simple as these tasks may be, they are obstacles to adoption, especially when the alternative is visiting a web site.
This is not a software principle. It is a general business principle.
I have let numerous magazine subscriptions lapse because the renewal notice didn’t offer credit card renewal. I don’t write checks in the day of electronic bill pay, and I don’t want to get another bill later. I just want to provide my credit card info and be done. In fact, I want my subscription automatically renewed every year, at the best available price, until I say otherwise on an easy-to-use magazine web site.
Yes, I am that lazy. And so are lots of customers. Every little thing you can do to make it easier to do business with you and to use your product or service will improve your rate of adoption.
Posted by Bob Pritchett at May 23, 2006 09:22 AM
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Comments
This is best summarized by the principle:
Don't put hurdles in front of the cash register
Posted by: kim at May 26, 2006 11:52 AM
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