July 2012 | In | Comments 0

What Makes Great Retail Sites

Retail websites have grown massively in popularity in the last few years, people are much more aware of buying online now, and with all the latest security measures people are buying more and more, and continually finding great quality for great value. It is almost an essential for retailers to build an online presence and competition between online retailers is high. It not only has to be successfully aimed at your target market but has to portray your entire brand image. With such a vast number of retail websites, some are more popular than others, and simply just work better, this is for a number of reasons.

Here are my Top 4 Retail Websites that work and why:
1.Net-a-Porter
2.ASOS
3.IKEA
4.Zara

Net-a-Porter:
The outstanding net-a-porter is without a doubt comes in at number 1. To begin with, it is simply its homepage which continuously drags me onto their website. It is full of top tips, easy ways to complete a look, whats in trend etc. I love the colors and creativity on this page, I think of it like a magazine. It is updated all of the time, and is constantly and in such a simple way, leading its customers on to view their merchandise and shop on their site.
I love that when you are browsing the site, that in each section they color coordinate the items, for example when you click into dresses, all the red dresses are together, blue together, black and so on. And through out the website they have great images, at the top of each section are editorial shots that are fun, colorful and attractive.

ASOS:
ASOS comes in at number two, purely because of its layout and usability. It is easy to navigate around the site, their layout and menu options are simple and clear, no fuss. For an online retailer with such a large merchandise range, and vast array of brands, ASOS manage to make it easy for their customers to define exactly what they are looking for and find products to suit them. They allow you define exactly what type of products your looking for, what color, size and brand. They display their products in a way I find great, they have a ‘catwalk’ option which shows a model walking up and down a catwalk in the particular item and for shoes and accessories they have a ‘360’ option which displays the product in motion, not just still pictures of it.
Other appealing bonuses to ASOS are their ‘new in’ section and their ‘free delivery worldwide’. Each week they update the ‘new in’ section with their latest clothes, shoes and accessories. For online shopping junkies, this is very attractive, I particularly like this part of the website as it allows me to see whats new on the site. For online shoppers, shipping costs are often what may stop them from online shopping as they can be more expensive on various sites. ASOS’s free worldwide delivery is a huge encouragement to shop on their site.

IKEA:
IKEA have a successful website because they have managed to bring everything their stores represent and have created an online catalogue style site. Their color theme throughout the site is the simple blue and yellow which everyone know’s represents the brand. The websites layout adds to its success, its menu at the top of the page allows for easy navigation. The website has a huge content and it allows you to easily browse, you can navigate from room to room for ideas or look through the products.
A massive attraction to the IKEA site is their ‘inspiration’ and ‘how to’ sections, this is what I find appealing. Within ‘inspiration’ they show you around 30 ‘stylish room ideas’, the same room but in 30 totally different styles and themes. And the ‘how to’ section shows you ‘how to get the most out out of a room’ and ‘how to revive a room‘ etc.

Zara:
Personally, Zara’s websites works because it portrays the brand perfectly. The website is simple, classic and clean cut. The simplicity of the black and white theme through out the website represents everything its brick and mortar stores do and portrays the brand online successfully. It is aimed at their target market ideally, the way they display the clothes, shoes and accessories is simple yet effective, on a plane white background. I particularly like the way they display the clothes, its easy to see the product and I don’t find it deceiving in anyway.
Zara is also unique, in that it has a ‘people’ section. This is where they put up pictures of real, normal, not models wearing their clothes. Zara customers email in pictures and their put up on the site. This is great to see what normal people look like in the clothes.
 

 

 

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Combined Media is a leading independent interactive agency that specialises in web design and development. We create websites, e-learning tools, interactive presentations, applications and all things digital. Founded in 1992, Combined Media has developed processes that combine the best aspects of user-centred design and technology. Our aim is to produce products that look great and are easy to use. Our work is created using excellent project management for our clients. Based in Dublin, clients include VHI healthcare, Roche Products, Novartis, ESBIE Independent Energy, Barnardos and World Vision.

 

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