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Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

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Re: Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

#31

Post by kentbrew »

DanBC wrote: post #16
kentbrew wrote: post #10

At Lexity we bounced everybody who wasn't using IE8 or better to a page that showed them how to upgrade, and specifically encouraged Chrome Frame for those who were stuck with IE6 or IE7. This was very simple to do; all it took was a few conditional comments: http://blog.lexity.com/blog/2011/12/27/browser-not-supported...

I can understand why you make the requirements for your app very clear. I cannot understand why you'd chose to bounce potential customers from your website based on their browser. Isn't this just you failing to provide information to people who have made an effort to contact you and ask for it? I ask this next question gently: Have you checked you're not bouncing people using assistive technology?

Speaking only on my own behalf and not as part of Lexity, for whom I no longer work, I'd have to say that I'm fine with the risk of losing business from people who are unwilling or unable to update from a seven-year-old browser, "assistive" or not.

Sorry to sound short about this, but it's the same sort of thing that happens when a road turns into a freeway. For everyone's safety, you don't get to ride your bicycle.

Re: Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

#32

Post by _wp3r »

ceol wrote: post #12

I doubt their userbase using IE7 is large enough for this to be a big deal. This tax's real goal is PR for Kogan.

Maybe not for Kogan, but most of the DOD is still on IE6, as an example that is something like 2 million daily users.

Uber large business and government is were the users are hiding. The reason the numbers are still off is because those same users are using chrome at there house in the evening.

There should be a business only metric for browser usage. That would be very interesting.

Re: Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

#33

Post by hammock »

planetguy wrote: post #9
litek wrote: post #3

This is terrific link bait. They've probably checked their stats and figured the exposure is well worth the few missed sales they might encounter.

Yeah, it's a way to flatter the rest of your customer base, who now get to feel superior for using a different browser. "Hey everybody, I use Chrome, aren't I wonderful?" Further suggestions to let us elite middle-class types feel superior to others: 1. Extra 25% surcharge for anyone who shows up at your cafe wearing Crocs 2. Anyone driving up to your hotel in a Pontiac Aztek has to pay a fifty-dollar uglification fe…

Another (and more realistic) analogy would be a retailer adding a surcharge to your total when paying by credit card.

Re: Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

#34

Post by aristus »

kentbrew wrote: post #31
DanBC wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can understand why you make the requirements for your app very clear. I cannot understand why you'd chose to bounce potential customers from your website based on their browser. Isn't this just you failing to provide information to people who have made an effort to contact you and ask for it? I ask this next question gently: Have you checked you're not bouncing people using assistive technology?

Speaking only on my own behalf and not as part of Lexity, for whom I no longer work, I'd have to say that I'm fine with the risk of losing business from people who are unwilling or unable to update from a seven-year-old browser, "assistive" or not. Sorry to sound short about this, but it's the same sort of thing that happens when a road turns into a freeway. For everyone's safety, you don't get to ride your bicycle.

The OP means "assistive" as in "tools used by people who are disabled". It's not a choice to be blind.

Re: Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

#35

Post by themenace »

I think Kogan has already stopped supporting IE7 because IE7 hangs if you do visit!

To be clear: I wanted to see this amusing "tax notice" first hand, but when I visit kogan.com using Internet Explorer 7.0 with all default settings using a Windows XP/SP3 system, it shows the front page but it then hangs.

Re: Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

#37

Post by coopdog »

cdeonier wrote: post #7

I can't help but feel there's a better way to "make the Internet a better place". While it's not ideal customers are using IE7, belittling them and taxing because they might not know better seems a little extreme. The message reads more like developers venting their frustration supporting IE7 rather than trying to make things better.

I think it's fair enough. Consumers who can't be bothered upgrading are costing Kogan money by frustrating their developers (assuming good dev/designers are now giving preference to jobs that don't require supporting ie7)

It may actually be costing Kogan money overall by driving away some consumers, but no doubt they've done the sums and think the goodwill from the tech crowd and marketing will outweigh that

Re: Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

#39

Post by dedward »

coopdog wrote: post #37
cdeonier wrote: post #7

I can't help but feel there's a better way to "make the Internet a better place". While it's not ideal customers are using IE7, belittling them and taxing because they might not know better seems a little extreme. The message reads more like developers venting their frustration supporting IE7 rather than trying to make things better.

I think it's fair enough. Consumers who can't be bothered upgrading are costing Kogan money by frustrating their developers (assuming good dev/designers are now giving preference to jobs that don't require supporting ie7) It may actually be costing Kogan money overall by driving away some consumers, but no doubt they've done the sums and think the goodwill from the tech crowd and marketing will outweigh that

Blame the customer? Yeah, that works.

This is badly worded - no question. I'm no lawyer, but I imagine there may be some law about actually calling it a "tax" - tax tends to imply something imposed by the government. They are of course free to charge whatever surcharges or discounts they want.....

A smarter move would simply to have notified the customers upon hitting the site that their browser is incompatible with the site and that they could switch to some others that are more compatable. Telling them you are going to charge them more is absurd - either you're going to support Ie7, or you aren't.

Really weird marketing move either way...

Re: Kogan imposes a tax on IE7 shoppers

#40

Post by Kaizyn »

_wp3r wrote: post #32
ceol wrote: post #12

I doubt their userbase using IE7 is large enough for this to be a big deal. This tax's real goal is PR for Kogan.

Maybe not for Kogan, but most of the DOD is still on IE6, as an example that is something like 2 million daily users. Uber large business and government is were the users are hiding. The reason the numbers are still off is because those same users are using chrome at there house in the evening. There should be a business only metric for browser usage. That would be very interesting.

No, DoD switched from IE6 several years ago.
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