The best and the worst ecommerce websites of 2013

www.Hubspot.com | www.ecommerceouttakes.com share this ebook!Introduction Ecommerce can’t succeed without a well-designed site that attends to the needs and wants of consumers.. Some eco

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www.Hubspot.com | www.ecommerceouttakes.com share this ebook!

Introductory content is for marketers who are new to the subject This content

typically includes step-by-step instructions on how to get started with this

aspect of inbound marketing and learn its fundamentals After reading it, you will

be able to execute basic marketing tactics related to the topic

INTRODUCTORY

IS THIS BOOK RIGHT FOR ME?

Not quite sure if this ebook is right for you? See the below description to

determine if your level matches the content you are about to read

Intermediate content is for marketers who are familiar with the subject but have

only basic experience in executing strategies and tactics on the topic This

content typically covers the fundamentals and moves on to reveal more complex

functions and examples After reading it, you will feel comfortable leading projects with this aspect of inbound marketing

INTERMEDIATE

Advanced content is for marketers who are, or want to be, experts on the

subject In it, we walk you through advanced features of this aspect of inbound

marketing and help you develop complete mastery of the subject After reading

it, you will feel ready not only to execute strategies and tactics, but also to teach

others how to be successful

ADVANCED

THIS BOOK

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1 Introduction

2 5 Best Desktop Websites

3 5 Best Mobile Websites

4 5 Biggest Mistakes

5 Conclusion

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Ecommerce Outtakes is a blog that aims to improve usability and the ecommerce experience, one blog post at a time It is managed by the people of Ecommerce Partners, a full-service ecommerce and interactive agency based in New York City We’re here to shine a light on the good and the bad (and a lot of the ugly) that we come across in ecommerce every day through the website reviews in our Lion’s Den Readers are also encouraged to submit sites to be reviewed by the eCO team Our goal is to be a source for insight in the ecommerce industry by offering suggestions and recommendations, mixed with a healthy dose of wit and snark

FIND OUT MORE

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Gil Levy

Gil is the Founder and Managing Partner at ECommerce Partners, a full-service ecommerce agency, where he directs the company’s sales and business activities

A widely recognized software and ecommerce guru, Gil discovered his passion for

IT while growing up in Israel Since moving to New York in 1992, Gil held various leadership positions at premier technology outfits before founding ECommerce

Partners in 1998 He began the Ecommerce Outtakes blog in December of 2011 as a side project to improve ecommerce one post at a time, and to become an authority

in the ecommerce blogging scene Gil has been growing the blog and the team

behind it ever since

Sasha Butkovich

Sasha is the Senior Writer for the Ecommerce Outtakes blog One of the more

prolific bloggers in the ecommerce space, Sasha writes daily website reviews with a focus on usability and design She also manages the social media outreach for the blog and engages with its online community of readers After earning a degree in journalism and writing for various web publications, Sasha worked as a copywriter before moving to New York and landing in the blogosphere

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Introduction

Ecommerce can’t succeed without a well-designed site that attends to the needs

and wants of consumers Stellar design is so much more than pretty colors and bold images, too Your ecommerce site must be fully functional, with features that serve

no other purpose than to make a buyer’s experience on your page the easiest and

most fulfilling possible

Some of the most important components

of a successful ecommerce site include the

After these needs have been met, then

attractive design becomes important Some

ecommerce sites manage to balance the many

components well for a beautiful, functional, and helpful online shopping experience Others, however, miss the mark in one way or another

We’d like to recognize those sites making strides toward better ecommerce

experiences, both on desktop computers and mobile devices Take notes for

application on your own ecommerce site, because these are the companies giving

ecommerce a good name

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5 Best Desktop Websites

(in no particular order)

Fab features a wide array of products, selling everything from women’s and men’s

clothing to llama wall decals The sheer volume of choices on this site necessitates

an effective system of navigation, but the unique search function was frustrating for users accustomed to standardized searching Although the search box automatically suggested products when customers began to type, instead of providing a

comprehensive results list for each query, the site forced users to view products

with relevant descriptions one at a time This was time consuming and not intuitive, decreasing convenience to the consumer, and probably losing Fab.com some sales

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The company earned its Badge of Honor in May 2013 when it redesigned its

search function to produce comprehensive results lists and to offer extra search

refinements Appropriate filters and natural navigation improve the user experience

and ease of purchase Another design reboot in October brought even more

updates, including common searches and popular products (complete with prices!)

to the predictive search drop-down

BEFORE

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Fab made enhancements to its site by amping up personalization efforts The

recommendations engine offers highly personalized results based on many factors,

including product pages you view, items you purchase, and products you fave It

also bases recommendations on products you share in your social media networks, highlighting Fab’s already strong social component On top of that, the redesigned

AFTER

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Proper Cloth exceeds the expectations of what an e-commerce experience can

offer This menswear company specializes in custom dress shirts, but its dedication

to customer satisfaction elevates it to a league much mightier than other mill customization sites

run-of-the-Some of Proper Cloth’s most noteworthy features include:

Detailed filtering options

Fantastic visual appeal

Realistic swatches representing actual shirt cloths

Unique and varied styling options

Infallible guarantee of fit

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ProperCloth.com simplifies the potentially exhausting task of choosing one

fabric among 249 by offering detailed filtering options Consumers can use price,

color, pattern, construction, weave, and thickness to whittle down the choices to

their optimal selection Proper Cloth guides its customers through the process

with many helping hands to prevent users from getting lost in the abundance of

options

The crowning characteristic of the site is the company’s absolute dedication to

ensuring a proper fit

Input your own measurements (Proper Cloth will send you a free

measuring tape to do so.)

Pluck your favorite shirt from your closet and use Proper Cloth’s

drop-down menu of menswear brands and fits to select the exact same cut

Mail your favorite shirt to the company, and it will copy all the

measurements for you

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This discount warehouse chain was awarded the Badge of Honor for its supreme

site design The navigation tools - conveniently highlighted in line with the product

search box - allow consumers to browse according to All Items, Online Only, or

Specific Club Location Such a simple organizational effort eliminates the frustration

of finding a product in the online catalog only to learn it cannot be purchased from

one’s desired location

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Permitting shoppers to narrow down their selection by such broad denominators

right at the beginning of the browsing process is a minor alteration that can

drastically improve the user experience on innumerable ecommerce sites

Sam’s Club goes above and beyond intuitive site design to create a truly successful integrated marketing platform Not only is it easy for customers to find the products they’re looking for, but this site also invokes a strong brand image for shoppers to

include in their everyday lives Whether the inspiration comes in the form of recipes

or holiday entertaining tips, SamsClub.com proves itself to be a helpful resource to

consumers

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Warby Parker exhibited unique excellence from its inception by becoming one of the only eyeglass retailers exclusively involved in ecommerce, so it comes as no surprise that its site reflects such excellence Highlights of the well-designed site include:

Clean simplicity with ample use of white space

Intuitive navigation

Category filters, e.g material, color, frame shape, width

Multiple views without leaving product page

Virtual try-on option

Multiple customer service options

Traditionally, shoppers assumed the best fit and style could be ensured only if

they visited an eyewear store in person Warby Parker forged a niche by appealing

to consumers who want another option The goal of all ecommerce suppliers is

to provide a comparable shopping experience online as they would in a

brick-and-mortar facility Warby Parker exceeded this goal by crafting an archetype of

ecommerce experience, most notably with the virtual try-on option

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Customers may upload a photograph of themselves to the site and position various styles of glasses on their face This replicates visiting a store and trying the glasses

on

Shoppers feel confident that their real-life glasses will look the same as presented

on screen, because Warby Parker provides a slew of different pictures, angles,

and views from which to choose Getting more detail about each option is simple,

too, because the site allows shoppers to stay on the product page throughout the

process

In addition, shoppers can create a home try-on kit, selecting 5 frames to try on in

real life, just like they would at an actual store

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The Home Depot is in a constant power struggle for market share, brand loyalty,

and now, web site superiority over its competitors HomeDepot.com is our favorite

home improvement ecommerce site for an online shopping experience comparable

to shopping at one of its brick and mortar locations with the assistance of trained

support staff

Intuitive Search Function is Key

The search box is just as friendly

(if not more so) than an in-store

employee, by presenting a clear CTA,

“What can we help you find?” Then

the search function begins trying

to guide shoppers to what they are

looking for immediately upon typing

in the field

The search’s term estimates are

very accurate, offering the top three

products (with images) matching the

term, as well as suggesting categories and brands that fit the query This already

plants the seed for shoppers to explore accessories, cross-sells, and upsells within

their desired category

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The search results page is even more intuitive, by offering refinement options that

are personalized for each product Helpful filters for all items include:

Brand

Price

Review Ratings

How to Get It: This is a feature many ecommerce sites lack, but it is a

popularly requested filter from shoppers The Home Depot clearly goes out of its way

to be convenient for its customers

Free shipping to home or store

Free shipping with $45 order

Pick up in store today

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The Home Depot earns

bragging rights for fabulous

user experience by taking

its dedication to customer

convenience one step further

than most Not only does

the site provide painstaking

assistance in finding the ideal

product through customized

search, it also offers a slew

of related resources to help

the consumer along his/her

decision making process

The combination of customer

reviews, product Q&As,

how-to buying guides, and how-how-to

videos ensures that shoppers

are confident in their final

purchasing decision

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5 Best Mobile Websites

(in no particular order)

The Container Store successfully translates its efficiently organized brand image

into mobile ecommerce by structuring its site with responsive design and plenty of

usability A positive user experience stems from:

Effective adaptation to mobile devices

Easy navigation

Various refinement options

Excellent product images

The first and most obvious accomplishment of The Container Store’s mobile site

is its attractiveness The home page is simple, including just the basics There is a

search box, rotating promotional banner, and a menu of options organized in grey

boxes (three across) It is a prime example of offering function without clutter

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Unique animation offers a fun side

to The Container Store’s otherwise no-frills design The straightforward navigation through multiple

refinement steps makes a potentially overwhelming array of products highly manageable The clear and realistic product images and descriptions can be reviewed after narrowing down an item search by New Arrivals, Price, Top Rated, Best Sellers, Price Range, and/or Color

Even shopping on a mobile device, consumers are able to find exactly what they want without any hassle

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The Gap.com mobile site has a simple

layout that makes great use of white

space On the homepage, customer

service is at the forefront with Free

Shipping and Free Returns clearly

shown in the navigation bar When

clicked on, the details are shown

in a lightbox, eliminating the need

to navigate the user away from the

homepage Gap also makes good use

of geo-location in the Find A Store

feature, which allows users to search

product availability in retail stores with

a single click Its positive user experience stems from:

Effective adaptation to mobile devices

Easy navigation and easy access to companies under the same umbrella (ie,

Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, Athleta)

Integration of offline presence

Excellent product images

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The use of large images with a quick, easy way to select size and style makes for a

great user experience Reviews are also promptly displayed with a single click of a

button while remaining on the same page

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Etsy is like a virtual department store, serving as a link to over one million active

shops, (according to the company’s press page) With such an enormous volume of products comes the huge responsibility of directing consumers to the items they are actually interested in buying Etsy.com accomplishes this daunting task even on its

mobile site, providing a great user experience

Some of the outstanding features of Etsy.com mobile include:

Non-disruptive banner ad promoting the Etsy app

Large, obvious CTAs with little need for users to type

Clear product images with accompanying prices

Helpful categories and filtering options

The superb browsing options

truly sealed the Badge of

Honor for Etsy.com mobile

Broad categories help direct

customers to the shops they

are interest in, and they also

serve as sources of inspiration

for customers without a lot of

direction

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