Providing users with widgets and tools that can sort information and compare products is helpful and may enhance the overall user experience. However, this is only possible when the tool works and is easy to use. We find that many tools and widgets that are intended to help users end up confusing them.

A client of ours had provided his visitors with a tool that would compare the different products on his site. This widget was designed to help visitors decide which products best meet their needs. However, it was difficult to understand, and it did not use the categorization and comparison factors the visitors were looking for.

Search functionality is another example of a tool that can cause visitor confusion when the results are not precise and are unoptimized to match the search criteria. The point of search is to ease the purchase process for users by locating products faster, and this is only possible when the results are precise.

Users have objections and questions about a site and its products. If you do not address these questions immediately, you can create doubts and more holes in the sales funnel.

Anything that distracts visitors from the main objective of the page is a potential FUD. Discount codes raise doubt in users since they will question where and how they can get a better deal. Figure 6-9 shows how Carters.com displays a promo code box in the first step of the checkout process, and Figure 6-10 shows the second step of the checkout process. Notice how the promo code box is displayed yet again, before the billing information boxes. We found it striking that an asterisk appears above the promo code box, indicating that this is a “required” field. This can cause users to question whether they have missed something.

Many times discount codes are the culprit behind the high abandonment rates that plague websites. Upon seeing a box for a discount code, a web-savvy customer will likely be prompted to search for the code. This abandonment results in a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars and potential customers. However, discount codes can increase conversion tremendously, so, it’s important to consider their placement carefully. It’s also important to have the flexibility to remove the discount code box when you are not running any promotions for the site.

Carters.com promo code box appearing in the first step of the checkout process
Figure 6-9. Carters.com promo code box appearing in the first step of the checkout process
Carters.com’s second attempt to get visitors to enter a promo code
Figure 6-10. Carters.com’s second attempt to get visitors to enter a promo code

Some companies feel that discounts should be included automatically, whereas others believe asking customers to input promo codes will allow them to better track some of their marketing campaigns. Regardless of the approach you take, the promo code box should not distract from the conversion goal, nor should it raise questions among users.

Using FUDs to Increase Conversions

Scuba gear companies use FUDs well. They make it seem as though your life is at risk if you buy the $30 gear instead of the $130 gear. The reality is that expensive gear can be better, but are there any statistics proving that $30 gear (which meets safety regulations) results in a greater loss of life? When you walk into these shops, the salesperson almost pointedly asks, “How much is your life worth: $30 or $130?” You’re not going to be cheap when your life is on the line, right?

The use of FUDs is a tactic that has helped mount the most aggressive marketing campaigns to win customers over. IBM first used FUDs to show customers that “good things” would come to them from IBM, while bad things awaited them if they went with competitors. We see FUDs used all the time on commercials and in marketing campaigns. For example, many cleaning product companies, such as Clorox and S.C. Johnson, use FUDs to scare customers into believing that “other brands” will not remove germs, whereas their products will. In the early 1990s, Pampers launched a campaign titled “What was your baby’s worst diaper experience?” Every parent can relate to an awful diaper experience, and tying that experience to a specific competing brand helped raise FUDs in customers from ever considering Pampers’ competitors.

Like any marketing tactic, the psychological implications behind the use of FUDs must be strongly considered. Manipulating consumers’ feelings, justly or unjustly, can often be considered unethical, which is why companies must use this tactic with caution.