-- See our updated Second-Look evaluation --

How to get there:
1. Go to www.quixtar.com

Summary: Quixtar's home page lacks vital information about the site's purpose.

Details:
An effective home page tells customers what site they're on and what they can do there. Quixtar's, however, creates a bad customer experience by failing to give visitors this basic information.

People who don't like waiting long for nothing -- and that's just about everyone -- will resent Quixtar's home page. Customers must first wait as the Flash-enhanced page slowly loads. When the page finally does load, it doesn't help customers figure out what Quixtar is. Just saying "Welcome" doesn't explain why customers should spend time on the site. Instead, Quixtar provides links to information on becoming a "Quixtar Client," a "Quixtar Member" and a "Quixtar-Affiliated Independent Business Owner." But what's the difference between a client and a member? Quixtar touts its "Store for More" and "Exclusive Stores," but what kind of stores are these? What can customers buy there? Clothing? Furniture? Hamsters? The page doesn't say. And what is Quixtar, by the way?

Quixtar is clear about the one thing that is perhaps the most irrelevant to customers: how hard the Web development team has been working. A full paragraph of text at the center top of the page trumpets the fact that "over one hundred developers" have "accomplished some amazing things" with the site while working at "breakneck pace." Customers, however, don't care about how great the design team is -- they care about using the site to shop or sell.

Quixtar should improve its home page by clearly stating what the site is, who its affiliated merchants are and what customers gain by signing up. Quixtar should also remove the irrelevant and excessive praise of its design team. Perhaps then customers will actually want to join, and Quixtar can be a success.