Why Telecom Failed and How to Avoid Ferrit’s Demise

Ferrets (the kind with fur) were banned in NZ a few years ago, much to the disgust of lovers of these unique pets.

Now that Ferrit has followed in the footsteps of its furry namesake, instead of disgust, Ferrit users seem altogether unsurprised (in fact, many seem downright pleased to see Telecom fail).

Rather than just have Exceed tell you why Ferrit was doomed from the start (which, oddly enough, differs greatly to Telecom’s spin on the reason), what better way to learn from Telecom’s costly mistake than let the users of Ferrit tell us why it failed? …

“The look and feel of the site was terrible, navigation was disgusting. It’s almost as if the website was developed in the 90s, i.e. not intended for the end user.”

“I looked for items a few times, but the layout was so horrid; it was difficult to browse or search for anything, and the selection extremely limited - I never found what I wanted anyway!”

“Not enough research at the conceptual stage I believe. It was never going to fly. It was vainly trying to be all things to all people - which it could not do.”

“Ferrit was a dumb business initiative at concept stage and a really poorly designed website. It was totally corporate and not user friendly.”

“Ferrit sounds like someones ‘oh that sounds great, let’s do it!’ … I wonder if there was even a business plan created before it started?”

I’m sure you’re getting the idea by now.

Of course, the way Telecom spins Ferrit’s demise is that it was the combination of retailers failing to get on board, and the economic downturn. It sounds to us like even the retailers could seeFerrit’s flaws when Telecom could not.

Here are just 4 of the lessons you can learn from Ferrit (there are many more):

Lessons From a Failed Ferrit

1. Don’t try and be all things to all people – choose your area of speciality and don’t be afraid to focus only on meeting the specific needs of your target market.

2. “Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail” – a big budget does not guarantee success, nor does a small budget inhibit online success - but without proper planning, both are doomed to fail.

3. If it isn’t usable, people won’t come back – attracting new customers is a major drain on finances; but once you’ve got them on the site, persuading them to purchase (let alone come back), is an uphill battle unless you start with a user-friendly site.

4. Put your customer first – Consumers aren’t silly. They know when you’re putting your needs, or those of your suppliers, before your customer’s needs. Change your focus to the people that really matter.

Don’t follow in Telecom’s footsteps. Don’t be fooled that a big budget means you can skip the planning.

Whether you’re looking to venture online for the first time, or improve what you’ve already got, start by finding an online partner who knows the value of planning.

A service such as Exceed’s Online Blueprint helps define your most profitable online strategy and takes the guesswork out of online success.

If you’d like to find out more, give me a call anytime on 0800 Web Store (932 786) or +64 9 414 4375.