A recent survey by Forrester which asked 5,000 online consumers what they primarily looked for when visiting a Web site, found that the top thing was user ratings and reviews, with 64 percent saying that was their No. 1 preference.
Right behind that was special offers and coupons, with 61 percent saying it was important to them, followed by 59 percent saying product or price comparison tools were valuable.
The most important aspect of the study in my opinion is the differences among various age groups as to what the value.
For example, Gen Yers (18-27) perferred quizzes, questionnaires, ability to share content and fun games.
Gen Xers (28-41) like discussion boards and being empowered to personalize a site, while also liking being able to develop a personal profile.
Younger Baby Boomers gravitate toward user ratings and the price of a product or service. They especially like price-comparison tools.
Seniors had pretty much no interest in more content and additional functions on a site. The only thing they were equal in to all other generations was the ability to upload and/or view their own content. The rest they weren't interested in for the most part.
When asked by Forrester what the overall quality they valued the most on their favorite sites, they said ease of use, fun and entertainment, or valuable information.
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