Best And Worst Of B2C Site Design, 2009

Forrester applied its Web Site Review methodology to the site experiences at 16 firms — four each of the largest auto insurers, discount retailers, footwear manufacturers, and online travel agencies. While Expedia received the highest score, all 16 sites failed our usability test. As a group, online travel agencies outperformed other industries, while footwear manufacturers fell to the bottom of the list. But we did encounter some good practices along the way, like Allstate's auto insurance coverage recommendation tool, Nike's functionality that enables users to customize running shoes, and Expedia's easy-to-scan pages. To improve Web site experiences, customer experience professionals should evaluate their own sites' experiences and then make the case for site usability investments even in a tough economy.