This morning I received an email from a list I belong to. Nothing unusual there. Except that today I’m not on my laptop. I’m accessing email using webmail which automatically displays the text version of the message. UGH!

The text email reminded me of a poorly written grade seven social sciences paper. The entire thing was presented as one huge, unwieldy paragraph. In other words - hard work to read. Now I had options:

1.I could have chosen to download and view the message on my laptop later on, since I know this mailing is usually quite attractive when viewed as HTML.
2.I could have attempted to download and view the HTML attachment right there in my webmail client.

But I didn’t. Nope. I chose to hit the delete key. After all, if the information really was of any value, the company would have taken the time to make sure the text version of the email was well crafted. I know that we NEVER send a broadcast that doesn’t have a well thought-out text version attached. And neither would you - would you?

Ever feel as though technology has eradicated customer service? I spent most of today struggling to get our contact management system to spit out a particular list of customers for a sales promotion. Basic contact management stuff, right? Wrong!

First I tried the obvious - but of course it wasn’t. Obvious that is.

Then I read the User Manual - a 150 page PDF because the software company finds printing too expensive. I found plenty of oblique references to apparently non-existant tables and menus but nothing about how to create the kind of filter I needed.

When that didn’t work, I tried the website. Every technology company offers users an online knowledge base these days. It’s there - but I can’t access it until I cough up more money for a subscription.

Finally, I gave in and phoned tech support.

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I’ve been asked to put my company’s quarterly print newsletter online. The printed piece is a single sheet 8.5″ x 11″ printed on both sides. I’ve been thinking that I could simply convert it to a PDF file, then email it out to online subscribers as an attachment. Will this work?

PDF,
Oshawa, ON

A: Dear PDF,

It all depends on what you mean by “Will this work?”.

Technically, if you convert your print newsletter to a PDF file and email it to a subscriber list as an attachment, your subscribers should be able to read your prolific prose. So, in the strictest, most minimalist possible sense, yes it will work.

Of course, you can also get rid of a hangnail by cutting off your finger. It works, but it’s not necessarily a good idea.

First, let me tell you why sending your newsletter as a PDF isn’t particularly wise:

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E-commerce in the US is losing ground - and retailers are to blame. At least according to the figures in recent reports by eMarketer and Doubleclick.

57% of shopping carts were abandoned in Q2 2004 and just over 1/4 of consumers subsequently purchased the items in the abandoned cart. This represents an 11% increase in abandonment over the same period last year with a 9% decline in subsequent purchases!

Consumers admit they abandon their carts primarily due to design issues which should be easily remedied with a few careful tweaks and site enhancements. Unexpected shipping, handling and other charges; information intensive checkout processes; lack of sufficient payment options and insufficient product information are all major causes of shopping cart abandonmnet.

Check out these URLs for more research on Shopping Cart Abandonment

DoubleClick eCommerce Site Trend Report 2004
Cybersource Corp. - Payment Rules Whitepapers and Webinars
eMarketer - B2c Ecommerce in the US

According to Paul Leinberger, senior vice president of global market research for NOP World, customers are placing less emphasis on advertising and relying more than ever on advice from people they know and trust when weighing a purchase decision.

Leinberger made the comments during the 2004 Roper Reports Annual Presentation in Denver earlier this year. The presentation is focused on consumer attitudes and summarizes the results of more than 20,000 interviews.

Find out more at NOPWorld.com.