Inspired by the TIME’s 50 Best Websites of 2011 post, I dove a little deeper into the fashion world last weekend. And lo and behold, found 10 more ideas you can steal from websites.
POLYVORE.COM
Polyvore.com was one of TIME’s top 50 picks. Built to engage, it’s a fashion website that takes customers into a realm of imagination and communal ideas. It also, not accidentally, makes Polyvore a hugely popular online place to be.
1. USER-CREATED FASHION SETS
One of Polyvore’s biggest attractions is the creative element. Users can search the site to create their own fantasy wardrobes. Other users then vote on and discuss the choices. No longer limited to blogs or product pages, feedback sections are an integral part of almost every webpage.
eCommerce Tips:
- Let your users be creative. Find ways to help them play with products and stories.
- Think how you can encourage more feedback on your site – create pages where people will want to discuss the latest news, trends or debates.
2. USER-LED ADVICE SECTION
Polyvore makes their site a virtual fashion cafe where people drop into chat about fashion and lend a helping eye. You can find “expert” or “peer” opinions with the click of a button.
eCommerce Tips:
- Real-time FAQ sections are a great option (if you have the manpower to answer all the questions).
- But you can also let your customers advise each other about problems.
3. MULTIPLE SHOPPING OPTIONS
Shopping by brand and category is always part of eCommerce sites, but Polyvore goes a couple of steps further. You can shop by trend, for instance, or in stores that the Polyvore staff love.
eCommerce Tip:
- Reassess your search options – find creative ways to help buyers explore your site and products.
SHOPSTYLE.COM
Shopstyle.com didn’t make TIME’s list, but in some ways it’s better than Polyvore. It’s cleaner, for one, and has some nifty features that speed up shopping time.
4. USER-CREATED LOOKS – MACH 2
Which came user-created look came first – Polyvore or Shopstyle? It doesn’t matter. What matters is which one is easier and more fun to use, which one fits in best with the rest of the site and, most importantly, which one generates the most sales.
eCommerce Tips:
- Do your research – discover what your competition is up to.
- Now go further – brainstorm with your team to create improvements.
5. PERSONALIZED USER PAGES
A later generation model of Amazon’s wishlist, MyStylebook helps you store all of your fashion ideas on a customizable page. You can save favorites, create sets, join groups, add brands and show others your wishlist. Polyvore has something similar, but I like Shopstyle’s crisper look, easier buttons and much more detailed instructions.
eCommerce Tip:
- Allow users to customize their website experience and access the information from any device.
- Help them organize and store information that might relate to their shopping in the future.
6. SCROLLING BROWSER
I hadn’t seen this scrolling browser bar on a website before, but it makes a huge difference to searching. No more trying to navigate back to page 3 to find something – you just hold the bar down and scroll. With the advance of tablets, this kind of feature is increasingly important.
eCommerce Tips:
- Re-evaluate your browsing options. Can you make it easier for people to search?
- Test your site on tablets and mobile – are your buttons and scrolling options easy to use with the tap of a finger?
7. ITEM ROLLOVER
Along with the scrolling bar, Shopstyle adds a rollover function so you never have to leave the page. All you have to do is read, click and buy. Now that’s efficient shopping.
eCommerce Tips:
- Reduce the efforts customers have to make to see information at a glance.
CHICSTAR.COM
Chicstar.com wins the prize for the most potential. It’s not as pretty as Polyvore or Shopstyle, but it’s actually ahead of their game. The reason? It allows customers to create their own clothing lines – lines that users can then vote on and purchase. Now that’s taking Project Runway to the people.
8. USER-DESIGNED CLOTHING
Anyone who fancies themselves a designer has a chance to prove their worth on Chicstar. If your design garners enough votes from users, it’s sent into production. The payback isn’t huge – it’s only $1000 credit, not hard cash, but it seems to be popular enough. What’s more, there are plenty of plus size options created by plus size women – a feature not often seen on fashion sites.
eCommerce Tips:
- Allow your users to suggest improvements and designs for your products.
- Reward users for their suggestions.
9. USER VOTING
Once a design has been posted, the Chicstar community can decide whether they’d like to be wearing it. It’s intriguing to see what makes the cut – at the moment, Retro is a big winner.
eCommerce Tips:
- Create a voting situation – competition is always an attractive lure for browsers.
- You can ask for votes on user suggestions or your own work.
10. USER PHOTOS AND COMMENTS
Chicstar encourages users to submit their photos by offering store credit and cash prize incentives. Along with the added bonus of generating excitement on social media channels (look at me in my new dress!), shoppers get to see ordinary people, not stick-think models, wearing the clothing.
eCommerce Tips:
- Encourage users to submit their experiences and pictures by providing credit and incentives.
- Make it real – feature stories, visuals and videos of customers using your products.
WANT TO TALK WEBSITES?
Thinking about how you can improve your eCommerce and boost your sales? Contact me at any time for a free consultation.
Stylish Me team
September 11, 2011
Hi there,
You have an amazing blog. I love fashion but its not always easy to afford the beautiful things I want to buy. One of the downsides of being a poor student. So I’ve started this new idea of creating a fashion library. Its called Stylish Me. I would love it if you could blog about us. I think our service will be one of the next big things in fashion. As a blogger it would also be helpful to you.
Stylish Me lets you borrow clothes from the brands you love. It makes it affordable to wear designer clothes as well as to have the wardrobe you always dreamed of. Stylish Me will give you access to one of the largest collections of clothing in the world. So you can stay in fashion while spending your money on more important things.