The Online Shopping Experience

The Online Shopping Experience for Retail Consumers

Fashion specialty retailers such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Barney’s New York, and Saks Fifth Avenue have built their business on providing quality products and an exceptional customer shopping experience. For example, Nordstrom is famous for their liberal return policy – allowing even an old lady to return automobile tires to one of their stores. This customer experience is a key strategic experience and industry driver.

Yet the competitive landscape is changing. With the proliferation of online shopping the customer shopping experience is moving away from the brick-and-mortar stores to a web based experience. As a result, these specialty retailers are looking to find ways to provide the same high-level online shopping experience as they do in their stores.  So the question arises, what are they doing exactly?

First, to provide an positive online shopping experience retailers are providing lots of product online. In fact, the online platform allows some retailers to provide more product online than they can have in their actually stores. In addition, retailers are also trying to make it easier to see what the product looks like and how it fits. With several different camera angles retailers shoot their product on models so customers can see how the product fits. Also, some retailers are providing video of the product so customers can see how the garment moves on the model. In addition to a variety of camera angles and video, retailers are also providing the models measurements and size of the garments online so customers can get a reference to what size will fit them.

Finally, in order to increase the online shopping experience, researchers are experimenting with technology that scans a customer’s body and home and then places the garment digitally on their image in the computer. 

The future of the online customer shopping experience is very bright and many retailers have just scratched the surface. In additon, As retailers continue to find ways to increase this customer experience they will further differentiate themselves from their competitors

Additional articles by this blogger include :

• Harley Davidson Goes Dark Custom - to read click here