The Lessons E-Commerce Owners Can Learn from Hertz-Accenture Debacle

Sydney is not Australia’s capital for nothing. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. The city is home to thousands of small businesses. Over 33% of them operate here. It is not surprising that many entrepreneurs want to capture the market through e-commerce sites. However, if this is your plan, then pay attention to this vital tip: choose your web design agency Sydney well.

To understand why, here is a story between Accenture and Hertz that is rich in lessons for would-be website owners.

“The Design from Hell”

In 2019, car rental company Hertz decided to sue Accenture for over $32 million for a “web design from hell.”

Accenture is not a website design agency per se, but it is a global management consultancy firm. It is supposed to have an in-depth knowledge of customers and what they want. This data helps design responsive or customer-centric websites.

According to the complaint, Accenture committed many violations in their agreement:

• The project took a long time to complete. For example, the site should have gone live in December 2017. It did not. Instead, it experienced further delays that by April 2018, it remained underway.
• Whatever they completed at that point did not pass the standards or met the requirements set by the agreement. The website was not responsive and designed for different mobile platforms.
• Hertz claimed that Accenture designed a site with buggy code. It meant that it left the app vulnerable to many security risks. It could also harm users, who are the car rental company’s customers.
• Accenture asked for more money—$10 million—to finish the project. By then, Hertz already paid $32 million for inferior and incomplete deliverables.

The Hard Lessons

The story did not happen in Australia, but the lessons can still apply to any e-commerce owner looking for the right web design agency Sydney:

1. Ask for a Portfolio That Matches Your Niche

There is no doubt that Accenture can design a website. Otherwise, it would not have been one of the biggest brands in the world.

But just because it is popular does not mean it can do the job. In the end, you need to work with a team that understands what you need. It includes how your niche works.

While it is sage advice to request for a portfolio, ask for proof that relates to your industry. It can help you gauge how much the company knows it.

2. Find Someone That Specialises in User Experience

Accenture knows about user experience (U/X). Perhaps the team that worked the project did not.

U/X plays a vital role in website design today and in the future, as businesses become more customer-oriented, and users demand more from these enterprises.

U/X also goes beyond having a responsive website. It showcases your understanding of customer behaviour. It is, therefore, not easy work, but an expert in U/X can guide you through the process.

3. Choose a Website Design Agency That Does Not Promise the Moon

The best web design team keeps it real. They create plans that can work on and help you design a functional website based on best practices, not only on your needs and desires.

You can find a good web design agency in Sydney. Several of them are great, but not all will give you the best value for money. This Accenture-Hertz story may help you create the criteria to find your perfect match.