As previously explained, as site search function is a must for any e-commerce website as it allows users to find what they’re looking for. However it is not unusual to be flooded by a huge number of search results in such an instance, so an option to narrow the criteria of a search is a very useful tool. If you searched for ‘Lord of the Rings: Return of the king’, you’ll no doubt be given results from CD, DVD and Video Games which match the search keywords. Narrowing it to a search within ‘CD’ would ensure only the soundtrack would appear from the search.

I think Zavvi has it right. It’s not too complicated either. You don’t want a hug list of categories to navigate through, just the main ones which will really help in narrowing down your search.

There should always be a clear telephone number on the top half of your page, preferable at the top, in an area where it doesn’t interfere with other information. The reason is because some users still do not trust websites with their credit card details and so may wish to call up and place their order over the phone. Furthermore, it is a way of asking an assistant for help if the customer needs to ask for help. You can do this with a normal shop assistant, so it should be possible also in an e-commerce environment.

The screenshot above from fashion-sunglasses.co.uk, shows how to utilize a clear and distinguishable phone number on a web page. Putting it in teh top right corner is also a good idea as this is where users like to look first for such infomation.