There were a handful of “bad” and even “ugly” websites discussed at this afternoon’s Critics’ Corner session by Brett Hurt, CEO of Bazaarvoice and Matt Corey, vice president of marketing at Golfsmith. But I’ll leave the criticisms behind and focus on which new concepts got a “thumbs up.”

Here were some inventive examples from both attendees and the speakers on what creative retailers are doing on websites today:

JCPenney’s “Know Before You Go” concept, which helps customers determine if an item is in stock in a local store before they head out to shop. JCPenney’s Rich Last was in the audience and gave a bit more perspective, saying that the technology was able to update almost in real-time and that the concept gave store associates more power.

EA Sports: About a year ago, a YouTube post criticized a perceived glitch in an EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘08 video game that enabled golfers to walk on water. Instead of ignoring this request–or taking themselves so seriously that they did not respond–EA Sports turned this criticism into an opportunity, with a little help from Woods himself. Late last month, the company posted their own response on You Tube. The video, which demonstrates that the act was not an “error” at all, was a lighthearted way to respond to a critic–and create a PR opportunity in the process.

Patagonia: This new feature enables web browsers to locate an item at a Patagonia competitor if the company doesn’t have it in stock. While the panelists agreed that sending your most loyal shoppers to another website was a risky strategy, they also acknowledged that it creates a tremendous amount of customer goodwill and could bring people back to the site more regularly.

Lands’ End: Knowing that many customers find value in the store locator button, LandsEnd.com is now using Google Maps in its store locator section. In addition to giving customers a visual of nearby stores in relation to their home or office, the program also enables the store team (not the web team) to update store locations and hours within seconds. A Lands’ End employee in the audience called the new feature “ridiculously easy” to implement.

Cabela’s: In another testament to today’s multichannel push, Cabela’s has added vibrant new content to its store locator section. Browsers can get an overview of stores on a map, then select a store closest to them for photos of the store, including merchandise but also artwork and other store features. Since people travel far and wide to head to Cabela’s, this helps customers figure out if that day trip to, say, Hamburg, PA, would really be worth the drive.

It’s your turn. What new retail website features would you give a “thumbs’ up”?