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Last week at the very successful NRF Big Show (read recaps on the NRF blog), Shop.org produced an online retail track.
Below is a recap of one of the sessions in this track called “Remixed: The Customer Experience,” in which e-commerce visionary and Abode VP Doug Mack outlined key trends in e-commerce customer experience. Below are some of the trends Doug shared.
1. Departure from the original online shopping metaphor of a home page filled with thumb-nail product images with product navigation on either the top or left side. Instead, we’re seeing more “hero” pages with spectacular product image shots. An example he suggested is Coach.
2. Content becomes the interface. In this trend, with the use of new technology, the navigation is driven through the content. Check out Gucci for an example of this.
3. Customer empowerment & guidance. As an online shopper, this is one of my favorite trends. This includes letting customers decide what and how much information they see. A great example are sites that allow you to select the number of search results you see – 10, 25, all, etc. Any online retailer offering customization (Puma, Nike ID) are also part of this trend. Additionally, Doug mentioned customized faceted search in which the shopper can select search criteria (color, size, style) and add or delete it to find the products they are most interested in seeing. He cited Moosejaw as an example of this.
4. Social shopping. Watch out Anna Wintour, social shopping and the “wisdom of crowds” may empower customers to become the new tastemakers. A great example is Polyvore.com, in which customers can mix and match outfits from a variety of retailers. The most highly rated products and outfits make it to the top.
What trends are you seeing?
3 Comments
Full disclosure first – I work for adidas. I just wanted to be clear we offer product customization and have been among leaders within our space regarding this – said with full respect to our competitors and implying nothing whatsoever in regards to their efforts. My statement is personal and has neither been requested by anyone else at adidas Group nor has anyone at adidas Group previewed or specifically endorsed my statement. But I do want to represent! :)
I think these are all great examples of offering the consumer an experience not just a ‘thumbnail’ as Scott put it. I want to know how well is the cross-channel marketing for COACH for example. Do their catalogs give the same type of presence as the website does. Do their print ads give the same feeling?
This sounds like it was a great presentation. Wish I could have made the event.
Another great example of customer empowerment is Uniqlo’s product search. The grid is extremely dynamic, but simple at the same time. Very much like their actual product. They used to have a grid that was content as the interface, but it’s been pulled off their site. Overall a great source of new ideas for all online retailers!