E-commerce: 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Next-gen Web Design

5. Decentralize Web content, providing the freedom to share, re-mix and re-use content (i.e., via really simple syndication and XML). Messing noted that Apple.com and epicurious.com use this technology.

Don’ts
1. Don’t assume customers want to spend a lot of time on your site. For example, try to avoid forced things like password hints, forced login to checkout (which both the Wal-Mart and Target sites do, they noted), forced e-mail address at checkout to collect e-mail addresses for the company e-mail list (i.e., Gap.com).