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“Gartner research finds that many e-commerce customers are not repeat visitors. E-commerce sites have one shot to win over buyers – first impressions count. If the site doesn't win the first time, then it usually won't draw customers back, unless the company offers promotions or discounts, or customers are compelled to return.”

“Most companies hastily launched their original e-commerce sites in response to the explosive popularity of early online shopping,” Mr. Alvarez said. “This approach was sufficient at the time because customers were willing to tolerate the many shortcomings of Web 1.0 such as poor visualization, the constant need to refresh screens, multipage and multistep checkouts, the need to re-enter personal data, ‘start-overs’ and a generally slow buying experience.”

Web 2.0 technologies improve customer experiences, boost sales productivity, and help CRM efforts. Ajax, or asynchronous JavaScript and XML, has been used by many so-called “Web 2.0” technologies that run rich Internet applications. Ajax refers to a browser-based repertoire of techniques for implementing Web applications in which page elements and content are retrieved asynchronously in the background, and in which the page display is updated incrementally without redisplaying the whole page. Although Ajax has been around for many years, what’s new for e-commerce sites are evolutions in browser implementations and in hardware processing capacity that enable JavaScript code to run correctly and consistently in browsers, considerably enhancing the customer experience.

Gartner has identified nine common Ajax tools, each using a specific capability that enables customers to have a pleasant and efficient shopping experience (see Table 1).

Table 1
Nine Web 2.0 Tools That Help Boost Sales

Common Ajax Use	Internet Sales Tools
Precaching Data	Buyers can shop at their own pace
Single-Page Applications	Single-page check-outs
Improved Interface Controls and Effects	Sliders showing different products or options when moved, without a new page
Auto Completion of Data	Entering zip code to complete state and city information
Partial Data Submission	User does not have to complete entry to do something else
Keep Data Fresh	Updates totals or prices when items in basket change, without page refresh
Real-Time Data Validation	Prevents configuration mismatches
Load Content On-Demand Based on an Event	Mouse over to show detail text, pictures, menus and other information
Mashups (Web Application Hybrids)	Store locator with maps or sales calls with maps

“These are not the only uses of Ajax for sales tools but represent leading applications of Ajax that demonstrate real-world value for online consumers,” said Mr. Alvarez. “When properly designed and implemented, they can greatly assist customers during pre-conversion processes, such as product location, evaluation and visualization, leading to a better shopping experience and higher levels of sales.”