Yesterday, Thursday, December 17, 2009, was the second annual Free Shipping Day online. 742 online retailers offered free shipping all day yesterday for all purchases made online. Plus, as mentioned in a story about the event on CBS' The Early Show, UPS guaranteed a Christmas Eve delivery for all packages that were shipped yesterday.
Events like Free Shipping Day are a win for everyone. Customers save money and still get to purchase those last-minute Christmas presents just in time for a Christmas Eve delivery. Merchants see a boost in their online sales, which, according to FreeShippingDay.com, drop significantly after December 12 each year. And UPS gets a huge influx of shipments, and the opportunity to provide a delightful experience for hundreds of thousands of potential new customers.
Free Shipping Day is just one more example of how a little goes a long way. By covering their customers' shipping expenses, the online merchants relieve customers of that small extra financial burden, and attract those customers to shop at their establishments. And of course, when 742 retailers (not just one) participate in the same offer, the word spreads faster, leading to awareness among more consumers, and thus more customers for each merchant.
What can your organization do to give a little to your customers? And how can you partner with other organizations to spread the reach and give a bit more Christmas cheer to all?
Showing posts with label retail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retail. Show all posts
Friday, December 18, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Virtual Dressing Room, Starring You, Live!
The downside to the convenience of online shopping (or catalog shopping, for that matter) has always been that the shopper cannot really see how the clothes will look until the purchase has been made and the clothes have arrived.
As of four days ago, that has changed.
RichRelevance, a company that develops e-commerce tools, and Zugara, an interactive marketing and advertising agency, have now unveiled Fashionista, a "webcam social shopping tool" that enables shoppers to "try on" the clothes they browse online.
Using augmented reality and motion capture, Fashionista enables shoppers to test how an article of clothing will look by standing in front of their computer's webcam. Shoppers can rate articles of clothing (thumbs up or thumbs down), which enables Fashionista to provide recommendations for other clothes they might like. Shoppers can take a photo of themselves "wearing" their prospective clothing purchase, and send the photo to Facebook to get feedback from friends.
Watch the video below to see Fashionista for yourself:
Fashionista is currently used at www.tobi.com.
Other online retailers have used "virtual dressing rooms" of sorts already. H&M allows shoppers to select one of eight "models" on whom to view the clothing. Other stores enable shoppers to "build" a virtual model that matches their body type, or to upload a photo of themselves for "trying on" clothes.
Fashionista lets shoppers have a more interactive virtual dressing room experience, using their own bodies, in realtime. Shoppers can see how clothing of a certain color will look against their skin, and can envision what the clothes will look like.
Unfortunately, though, it doesn't seem that Fashionista can yet recognize the contours of the shopper's body in order to simulate how an article of clothing will fit him or her. For shopper's with model-like bodies, this might not be important; however, for me personally, seeing how clothes actually "hang" on me is the determining factor in whether or not I complete a purchase.
Hopefully the next generation of virtual dressing rooms will enable the clothing image to stretch, shrink, and gather based on the shopper's body shape.
And after that? 3D virtual dressing rooms?
And after that? Hologrammatic dressing rooms?
Oh, what will the future hold for us online shoppers?
As of four days ago, that has changed.
RichRelevance, a company that develops e-commerce tools, and Zugara, an interactive marketing and advertising agency, have now unveiled Fashionista, a "webcam social shopping tool" that enables shoppers to "try on" the clothes they browse online.
Using augmented reality and motion capture, Fashionista enables shoppers to test how an article of clothing will look by standing in front of their computer's webcam. Shoppers can rate articles of clothing (thumbs up or thumbs down), which enables Fashionista to provide recommendations for other clothes they might like. Shoppers can take a photo of themselves "wearing" their prospective clothing purchase, and send the photo to Facebook to get feedback from friends.
Watch the video below to see Fashionista for yourself:
Fashionista is currently used at www.tobi.com.
Other online retailers have used "virtual dressing rooms" of sorts already. H&M allows shoppers to select one of eight "models" on whom to view the clothing. Other stores enable shoppers to "build" a virtual model that matches their body type, or to upload a photo of themselves for "trying on" clothes.
Fashionista lets shoppers have a more interactive virtual dressing room experience, using their own bodies, in realtime. Shoppers can see how clothing of a certain color will look against their skin, and can envision what the clothes will look like.
Unfortunately, though, it doesn't seem that Fashionista can yet recognize the contours of the shopper's body in order to simulate how an article of clothing will fit him or her. For shopper's with model-like bodies, this might not be important; however, for me personally, seeing how clothes actually "hang" on me is the determining factor in whether or not I complete a purchase.
Hopefully the next generation of virtual dressing rooms will enable the clothing image to stretch, shrink, and gather based on the shopper's body shape.
And after that? 3D virtual dressing rooms?
And after that? Hologrammatic dressing rooms?
Oh, what will the future hold for us online shoppers?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Exceeding Expectations
Yesterday a friend and I visited the Watters Creek mall in Allen, Texas, for the first time. While we were there, we stopped in a store called Francesca's Collections.
Francesca's is a nice little boutique, well-decorated (as Anthropologie stores are well-decorated, but not in the same style), selling bags and jewelry and female fashion. And I liked the clothing. Trendy but classy. But given the tendency of such boutiques to be well outside my price range (I do not typically like to pay $150-$300 for a blouse that will be out of style in six months), I was fully content to simply browse without purchasing anything.
And then, Francesca's delighted me and exceeded my expectations. Out of curiosity, I checked the price tag on one of the sweaters I was flipping through. It was $38, not $138 as I had expected. I checked the price tag on a blouse - $28. Jeans? $98.
The prices were reasonable! Through the decor and product selection, Francesca's had created a beautiful customer experience of quality and luxury that bespoke an exclusive, expensive boutique. And yet their prices were in a "normal" range, not expensive designer shop range.
Delightful.
Beautiful customer experience + Prices within my budget = Store that I will eagerly patronize
Francesca's is a nice little boutique, well-decorated (as Anthropologie stores are well-decorated, but not in the same style), selling bags and jewelry and female fashion. And I liked the clothing. Trendy but classy. But given the tendency of such boutiques to be well outside my price range (I do not typically like to pay $150-$300 for a blouse that will be out of style in six months), I was fully content to simply browse without purchasing anything.
And then, Francesca's delighted me and exceeded my expectations. Out of curiosity, I checked the price tag on one of the sweaters I was flipping through. It was $38, not $138 as I had expected. I checked the price tag on a blouse - $28. Jeans? $98.
The prices were reasonable! Through the decor and product selection, Francesca's had created a beautiful customer experience of quality and luxury that bespoke an exclusive, expensive boutique. And yet their prices were in a "normal" range, not expensive designer shop range.
Delightful.
Beautiful customer experience + Prices within my budget = Store that I will eagerly patronize
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