Prominent Phone Numbers

[Keith]

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Many merchants are still taking the micky with phone numbers plastered all over, this is revenue theft (top marks to those who have addressed the problem)

Today I noticed the ultimate Bonthrone Bikes even have phone numbers in their Shop Window feed.

another I came across today was LX Direct, the phone number although not too in your face is present on almost every page and as the page loading slows down between ordering and checkout (enough time to make a 3 course lunch even on Broadband) loads of potential customers will either give up or phone up.

[Rich]

LX direct are also being targeted by cookie stuffing affiliates on TD and CJ.

[uksports]

Many merchants are still taking the micky with phone numbers plastered all over, this is revenue theft

Keith, I wouldn't be so sure - I can only talk for my own site here but I am certain that removing the phone number would lose affiliates revenue.

I've actually just done the figures on this for another purpose, and over the last 7 months (so this financial year) phone orders accounted for 2.96% of our sales. As we sell clothing, the vast majority of customer calls made are those relating to sizing and availability of goods - so in other words pre sales calls.

Now , I can understand in many sectors such as dvds/cds that having a phone number would be detrimental - I can't see too many reasons for people to ring other than to purchase, but in our case removing the phone number would reduce the amount the affiliates earn by more than the 2.96% - and, yes, I don't know if the demographics of those finding us via affiliate links are different from those from other sources, but even allowing an arbitary (and utterly unrealistic) 50% difference in these, it would still be a very tiny proportion of sales.

Interestingly, we have looked at ways of reducing the pre-sales calls by adding an "Ask a question" link for each product - I can't be exact, but I would say you're talking a 50-1 ratio in favour of pre-sales phone call against web enquiry.

So, whilst your concern is very real in some sectors, there are others where having a contact phone works in your favour - of course the problem is finding those sales figures, but I would say with a high degree of certainty that for merchants that are exclusively in the clothing sector (thinking of LX Direct in your original post who only have a clothing element ) you are on the winning side of the equation