Pure-Play Selling on the Web

Less than 5 percent of the people who visit an online retail site actually buy something. Compare this with the performance of someone who drives up and parks at Wal-Mart or a supermarket. No one walks away from this trip empty-handed. Why don’t people buy on the Web? Many sites are still too difficult to navigate. Flashy graphics that take minutes to download turn people off. The rigidity of shopping online is frustrating. My experience is typical.

When Orbitz.com opened its travel site, I was one of the first to use it. I ordered a cheap Thanksgiving flight to Manchester, New Hampshire, for Helena and me. Then I called my son David, who said that the timing was wrong. Orbitz.com would not let me change my flight times, despite several emails. I ended up wasting $400. My travel agent has always been able to make changes in nonrefundable flights. The irony of the situation is that when Thanksgiving rolled around, I received a maddening email from Orbitz.com telling me to get ready for my wonderful trip to Manchester. I will never again use Orbitz.com for anything. Its inflexible method of operation turned me off permanently. Its customer service was totally unresponsive. This is not what the Web should be.