I like nothing more that sitting down, late afternoon on a lazy day, drinking a beer and eating my way through some pistachio nuts. And I was doing just that on Saturday when my wife made an interesting point… Most of the enjoyment was in shelling them as she ate, rather than the actual eating. Would we still eat them if they didn;t need shelling?

There are lots of things like that in life, where the lead-up, rather than the end goal, is the bit that’s enjoyable, or at least adds to the experience. It reminds of the title of a great book called “The Journey Is The Destination“.

If you think the same, and I know I do, you can start to understand how people are looking for that experience in any marketing or sales process. Think top-class boutiques that offer clients glasses of wine as they try on clothes and think about how those people not only come back, but tell their friends. That kind of experience runs through all echelons of business and industries.

When I speak to people looking for e-commerce solutions, they are always looking to build the “Amazon” experience, albeit on a much smaller budget.

Creating experience on a website is not hard,  but could add so much more reason for someone to stay, and take that next step in the buying process. White papers, articles and added value are always a great place to start, and then… what’s the next step on the journey. I’ll leave you to answer that one.