Woolworths buys web useability tool

Woolworths has signed up Keynote Systems to implement an on-demand research application on its retail website.

The application will be used to realign the website more closely with customer demands.

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Woolworths online marketing manager Mark Batty said: "Understanding our customers and what they want is key to our strategy online at Woolworths, so using the Keynote technology to survey our online customers was something we were keen to do in order to understand exactly where customers were having problems on our site and what additional features/services they would like to see included on our site."

The application, called WebEffective, allows the retailer to conduct large-scale surveys of the way customers use the site. This data should help it improve the site's useability and hopefully increase the flow of sales.

Batty said: "Through understanding our customers needs we hope to be able to improve our online proposition sufficiently to deliver what the customer wants from an online experience with Woolworths. Our feeling is that if we can do this then there should be a positive impact on our online sales as a result."

Approximately five per cent of total revenues comes through Woolworths multi-channel retail operations, although during busy Christmas periods this can be as high as 10 per cent, according to Batty.