After completing online transactions I often find myself in a cul-de-sac.

There are some notable exceptions, but most sites I’ve used are missing a trick. Often the only options are to return to a previous page or close the window housing the application.

This has always struck me as an ideal moment to let me know what else is available.

Most importantly, tell me I’ve successfully completed the transaction. If it’s repeatable allow me to do it again from here.

Having taken care of that, why not take advantage of that “what next?” moment?

What else is there I might want to do here? I’m not talking cynical marketing ploys here but something that might be genuinely useful to me and enhance my overall experience.

This must be especially important as we move to using smaller handheld devices to access the internet where typing in search terms or web addresses is still very cumbersome.

Offer a couple of (ideally contextually related) interesting choices.

Keep it simple, snappy and easy to follow through.