Shoppers today are looking for more than just text and images describing a product. They want web sites they visit to function like applications they run on their desktops. In 2007 Forrester Research reported that 52% of online consumers had already used highly interactive applications like Google Maps and Zillow.com, and it’s safe to say that this percentage has been rising ever since.

Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) have become a key ingredient in communicating the value of your products to your customers, and simply enable tasks that HTML can’t support. The most common RIAs allow businesses to visualize data, showcase product features, streamline multistep processes, enable quick edits to product selections, allow customers to configure products, and sort through large, multivariable data sets. However, these functions are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the possible applications you can provide your customers.

The web is filled with sites supporting a variety of applications geared towards the specific needs of their users. Designmyroom.com offers an RIA sandbox that allows users to design their own rooms with products from companies like Whirlpool and Kohler, and share their ideas with their friends. Sherwin-Williams created colorofinspiration.com which allows users to upload their own images and then color match to a specific point on the image. The site even finds appropriate coordinating colors go with it. Michele.com has an RIA that lets their customers customize their own timepiece and Volkswagen’s UK site has a used car finder that sorts available vehicles according to precise customer specifications.

In the end RIAs present nearly limitless potential for enhanced functionality, but what you adopt depends on what makes business sense for your company. When it comes down to it, the right RIA will make your site easier and more enjoyable for your customers to use, and ultimately increase your conversion rate and average order size.

SysIQ develops Rich Internet Applications designed with your business goals in mind. We work with you to determine which applications will produce the results you’re looking for. Whether you need to allow your customers the ability to browse through a flow of inventory, coordinate outfits, design their living space, or even customize your products to their own specific tastes, our RIA features will bring your customers exactly what they are looking for.