Why Do Sites Make You Register?
Okay so this post will be a rant and hopefully quite a short rant.
I’ve been doing a spot of link building tonight for our own business – it always happens late at night well after it’s even feasible to work on client websites!
I was focussing on our website hosting services and came across a problem, which I have seen in so many other arenas – sites make you register. Most want at least the following from you for a most basic interaction:-
- E-mail Address
- Your Name
Some even go so far as to require an actual address and maybe a phone number. Why? Why do they want this volume of data. I can tell you they won’t get more money out of me because I’m annoyed we have have had to give over some information.
So Why Do Sites Make You Register?
I don’t have huge amounts of evidence, but experience indicates the following potential reasons:
- The ability to send you e-mail by a clause in their ‘Terms and Conditions’ which you almost certainly won’t read
- Control: sites that think they have something worth giving your personal details for will convince you that’s the case so they can control (and monitor) access to their content
- Data is valuable: the more data a site can get on you the more it can analyse user behaviour, sales patterns, geographical regions and more which is powerful for marketing and sales
No doubt there are more and I am going to open this post for feedback on your experiences and opinions on the matter. So what can we begin to conclude?
A Lesson from Cart Abandonment
Cart Abandonment has been linked to forced registration, which is why when I reworked Harris Tweed Gifts seller, Hillcraft of Harris we removed the necessity for registration and guess what – we got sales!
I feel a lesson can be learned here – unless registration is absolutely necessary, don’t make people register! People who have freedom are likely to be happier with your offering, may be more likely to buy, interact and share your content.
And those verbs are much more useful and give a greater return than ‘register’, so let’s not enforce it anymore, eh?
Open to the Floor
I have purposefully left some things unsaid to get some feedback, which can be included in the post itself if useful – so why do you think sites force you to register and how can we change the ‘registration culture’ we have?
Comments Received
- @RootsWebSol – making people register is terrible for accessibility. most sites that u register for are just building a list to sell to.
- @AudreysCat – interesting – good points – but as I’d have to leave my email to comment….I’m commenting here instead…
- Very valid point. As a result I have removed the necessity to provide e-mail address on this blog. I hadn’t spotted that in the settings and ensures I’m ‘practicing what I preach’ – so thank you.
Marcos
At sites where there is a specific need I totally agree with you, no need and counterproductive.
In ecomerce websites depends on the volume of sales and distribution area of such products or services, in shops with global scale or national distribution is difficult to predict the behavior of buyers (scam, jokes, …).
One way to avoid delays in processing buy applications and reduce costs, is the user registration, but applying the smallest possible amount of personal data.
In some countries even apply certain laws that force the website to record sales transactions to avoid credit card fraud. Records of users should be avoided, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil.
By the way, I am very impressed with your work, keep going in that way.
AuddreysCat
As an online seller any barrier to sales can be irksome! and yet I have myself not completed a transaction where I feel too much personal information was required. There was an Ebay transaction where the seller required my home phone number and mobile – I did in fact sunsequently have a useful dialogue with that seller who then said “just put in dummy info” …
Martin Oxby
@Marcos – thanks for your comment, we will be looking at your feedback for future e-commerce or database websites and look at what the bare minimum is required for the necessary functionality without putting users off!
@AudreysCat – I think with selling you need one form of communication method – i.e. an email OR a phone number in case of issues with the order or payment etc. But there are limits as to what should be classed as ‘acceptable’. That Ebay seller show that your home and mobile numbers were NOT a requirement.