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When in Rome.com
By Robyn Greenspan
June 15, 2001

It has been said that to truly experience any particular place, one must live like a native. There is no substitute for immersion in local culture and customs in order to learn what everyday life is like for inhabitants.

Such is true for life online - to fully understand and develop relationships with customers, you must be conversant in the language and practices of the Web.

As an e-business owner, the chances are high that you are already Internet proficient. However you should incorporate as much online commerce, both personally and professionally, into your life. These experiences will be helpful in the further development and operation of your own site.

During your online travels to your banking site, bill payment site, health and beauty products site, music download site and anything else you can think to do during the course of the day, keep your eyes open for interesting Internet innovation. See a particular shopping cart function that will be helpful to your customers? Find a simplistically creative page? Receive a piece of e-mail marketing from a vendor that seems effective? Were you impressed by how smoothly a site made a cross-selling suggestion?

The intent is not to become a copycat but to research and gather good ideas and apply them to your own e-comm site. The best way to understand your customers' online shopping experiences is to have some of your own.

Related article: Secret Shopper

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