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• AGS Landscaping goes live!
  With over 10 years of landscaping experience, AGS Landscaping are using their new website to show why they are Central Scotland's favourite landscapers. AGS can turn the most overgrown and unwelcoming jungle into an attractive and easy to maintain outdoor space. From landscaped gardens and walling to monoblock driveways and play surfaces, AGS will transform the exterior of your house and add real value to your property. Visit http://www.ags-landscaping.co.uk for more information.
• Online persuasion - 7 ways to persuade people to buy
  How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? None, the light bulb has to want to change. So the joke goes. However, it's possible that the light bulb could be persuaded to change. Persuading people to buy online (from TVs to groceries, holidays to services) can be achieved with techniques that marketers and psychologists have known for years. Persuasion isn't rocket science; it involves understanding aspects of human nature that are often automatic and work at a subconscious level. Here are 7 ethical ways to persuade people. 1. Show what others are doing People look to others and will often do what they're doing, especially when uncertain about something. This psychological phenomenon is called social proof. People feel reassured and often make decisions based upon what other people are up to - the assumption being that they possess more knowledge or are better informed than they are. You can increase social proof online by showing: * Most popular items * ‘Customers who bought this also bought' * Top sellers * Testimonials Additionally, people will do what people that they like do. 2. Show user-generated reviews User-generated reviews can have a massive influence on peoples' buying decisions. Fuelled by the rapid growth of web 2.0 and social media they're becoming an essential part of website design. Allow your site users to write reviews and express overall ratings for products and services on your site - after all, it's free content for your site. Web users are more inclined to trust what people like themselves say, compared to marketers. Reviews are especially critical in sectors like travel and electrical goods, although they're rapidly being adopted across all areas. People generally want user generated reviews and if they can't find them on your site, they'll simply look elsewhere. There's no hiding online so you might as well keep them on your site. Sites like Figleaves and the UK Apple store website understand this and implement them really well. Also, don't be scared of bad reviews - people can smell sites that have been 'edited' a mile away, forcing them to simply not trust anything you say. Instead, be prepared to act quickly on your customers' feedback. 3. Show scarcity of products Scarcity generates demand and encourages people to buy sooner. People want what they think they can't have and social psychology would indicate that loss is a more powerful emotion than gain. So, a person who loses $100 is estimated to lose around twice as much satisfaction as another person will gain from a $100 windfall. You can show scarcity online by displaying: * 'For 1 week only' * '2 items in stock' * 'Sale ends today' * 'Out of stock - Add to wish list' * 'This offer ends in 2 days 4 hrs 3 mins 17 secs' (Count down timers) Webcredible shows the number of places remaining on training courses on its site. The numbers decrease daily until all places have gone, giving visitors a sense of urgency to book their place before it sells out. Research on decision-making also indicates that people value something more so if they felt they lost out on it, rather than if they never had it in the first place. 4. Persuade with pictures & videos Imagery is a very persuasive tool in increasing product sales especially for high value and luxury goods, so be sure to provide good quality images of products. They go a long way to reassure people about what they'll be getting. Images should: * Be of professional quality * Offer different views * Be enlargeable * Show scale and context of use Oli, which sells clothing online, has gone a step further. They have 15 second video clips of models wearing the clothing, walking down a catwalk enabling you to get a better feel for how a product looks and moves. With increased bandwidths, this may be the future for some types of sites. Watching videos requires less effort than reading and offers a richer experience - be sure to give users the choice and not to start videos automatically. 5. Cross- and up-sell The person that suggested “Hey, why don't we ask customers if they want fries with that?” was on to something big. Once people have committed to a purchase, persuading them to buy more becomes easier as one foot is already in the door. The same applies online too. Don't underestimate the potential profits to be had by up- and cross-selling. Display related items and extras near products like they do in real stores. This will make it quicker and easier for people to buy more items. If you browse for bagels on Ocado11, for example, they also show you cream cheese and when you checkout they display any offers you missed out on - a clever tactic to persuade you to buy more. 6. Show authority The principle of authority states that we're more easily persuaded by those with authority. If Tiger Woods gave you advice on your golf swing, you'd be more inclined to follow it compared to the same advice from your mate, Bob. Likewise, websites showing authority and expertise are trusted more. This is particularly important for B2B sites. You can show authority by: * Showing you're an expert * Backing up facts with links to 3rd party sites * Referencing governing & authoritative bodies * Displaying symbols and imagery of authority e.g. VERITAS, padlocks for security 7. Allay people's fears What if I need to return items? Are there any hidden costs involved? These are the sorts of fears web visitors may have and you need to reduce them if you want to persuade people to do business with you. Answering their concerns upfront and quickly will positively influence people and lower their fears. Conclusion Persuasion in its simplest form means giving users the information they need to make an informed choice, helping them to trust you and allaying any concerns they have. It's not about manipulation. Always remember, these persuasive tactics will only get you so far - your site still needs to provide a good service and be highly usable to guarantee success. This article was written by Lisa Halabi. Lisa's crazy about usability - so crazy that she's head of usability at Webcredible, an industry leading user experience consultancy(http://www.webcredible.co.uk), helping to make the Internet a better place for everyone. She can often be found conducting a website review(http://www.webcredible.co.uk/services/website-review.shtml) and is extremely talented at writing for the web(http://www.webcredible.co.uk/services/writing-web-training.shtml).
• 5 ways to improve online cross- & up-selling
  We've all been cross- or up-sold to before. We reach for the magazines or sweets at the supermarket checkout counter. We purchase games the sales person suggests for our new game console. We gleefully pour over the options list for our new car. Cross-selling is selling an additional product to existing customers, usually related to what they've already bought. Up-selling is selling a better (but usually more expensive) product to customers, after they've decided on a cheaper product. Cross- and up-selling isn't difficult as you're selling to people who want to buy - probably the easiest job in the world next to selling petrol! The key however is to do it well. Here are a few tips on how to cross- and up-sell online more effectively. 1. Suggest the correct product Customers are more open to cross-selling if the products that you're suggesting are products they actually need. Suggesting a DVD player after they've bought a digital camera isn't helpful. But, a memory card or a camera bag would be. Similarly, offering travel insurance or car rental after users have booked a flight is also helpful. We're also seeing more and more sites recommending matching products (e.g. a matching hat when a customer purchases a shirt or a matching camera case for a pink camera). Users generally appreciate this thoughtful gesture. 2. Pick the right time Customers tend to be very task-focused when they're trying to get something done, so recommending a product whilst they're doing this is usually ineffective. What you can do is recommend something to them once they've completed their shop, or after they've put something into their shopping basket. For example, don't try to sell your users a memory card when they're browsing your website for a digital camera. Do it after they've put the camera into their shopping basket. You can also recommend a tripod, camera bag or maybe even a camera bundle. They'll be far more likely to add some or all of these items then. Apple Store, for example, recommends a whole list of products after users add them to their basket. 3. Show that you care Customers tend to be very sale- or bargain-focused. Highlighting special offers will incre