In this article, Bryan Eisenberg makes an interesting comparison between Gap.com and Newport-News.com. According UIE, Gap.com outperforms Newport News when people are looking for particularly products. But in spite of its lower traffic and reach, Newport News rank higher in terms of revenue.
Why this difference? The answer might be that Newport News relies more on presenting goods within the context of fashion themes and trends, rather than merely classifying them by product categories. This approach might appeal to impulse buyers.
Whether Bryan Eisenberg's analysis is correct or not, the story is a reminder of an important aspect of usability testing: how you test will inevitable influence your results. If UIE had tested people who didn't know in advance what to buy, they may have seen different results.
Links:
- Does Usability Actually Sell Anything?

Henrik Olsen
- December 10, 2007 - via Usability In The News
See also: Persuasive design (21)