Redesigning Your Retail Web Site Will Increase Your Profits

The design of a retail web site is as much a key to its financial success as the value of the products it sells, the brilliance of its marketing, quality of its customer service and accuracy and speed of its order fulfillment. You can get all the other ingredients right, but if the site's design doesn't work for the online shopper—you lose.

The secrets of good retail web site design have long remained just that—secrets. Until last year, when Internet Retailer held its first Web Design '08 Conference and published the first edition of its Retail Web Site Design & Usability Guide. Both were immediate hits, and on January 19-22, 2009, Internet Retailer will host its second annual Web Design '09 Conference at the spectacular new Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

The second show will build on the success of the first by greatly expanding features that WD08 attendees raved about. These include:

Doubling the show's capacity to provide attendees with two one-on-one design consultations, each lasting 30 minutes, with leading retail web design consultants selected by Internet Retailer's editorial staff (and not by sponsors of the show). Most attendees last year said these private consultations alone were well worth the conference registration fee. See a complete summary of attendee evaluations from Web Design '08.
Increasing the number of expert speakers and conference sessions by 32%—to 45 and 28 respectively. All sessions will focus on practical tools and methods for redesigning web sites to boost e-retailing profits.
The addition of two general sessions where attendees can volunteer their web sites to be critiqued by the experts based on their search optimization, navigation and usability.
The addition of a daylong workshop on Jan. 22 devoted exclusively to analyzing successful retail web redesigns and suggesting redesigns of web sites of attendees who volunteer their sites for such analysis.
An expansion of the Exhibit Hall from 23 to 45 exhibiting companies—all offering solutions to improve retail web site designs. Web Design '09 is the only conference that brings so many design solutions into a single exhibition.

In order to stimulate the creative juices, Web Design '09 is being held in a venue designed to inspire—the totally rebuilt Fontainebleau Miami Beach, which has just reopened following a $1 billion reconstruction project that restores the property to its status as the premier hotel and resort on the East Coast. Internet Retailer has obtained attractive discount rates for registered attendees of WD09 that are 37% below the normal season rates.

I've saved the best for last. The main conference registration fees—which include two free private 30 minute design consultations—remains the same as last year ($795 for early birds) and the day-long workshop costs only an additional $195 for main conference registrants. Furthermore, all conference attendees will receive a free copy of the 2009 Edition of the Internet Retailer Guide to Retail Web Site Design & Usability, a $59 value.

With all this going for it, we expect to double attendance at the world's only web design conference for retailers. Join us in Miami Beach, and I guarantee you'll walk away from the show ready to enhance your web site design to make more money.

Jack Love
Publisher