Aug
31
I’m learning about merchandising to improve the www.icount.com store.
This article compares multiple store’s displays for boots.
http://www.clickz.com/experts/design/traffic/article.php/3378361
“One other thing [Cabela’s] does well (and which works effectively on several sites) is offer links for the previous and next items within the same category. This option allows visitors to continue their momentum without pogo-sticking back and forth between product and category pages.”
Cabela’s Catalog
“Our last hiking-boot visit takes us to REI. REI does the best job of merchandizing hiking boots. An image shows both the top and sole of the boot. The page has a blurb with bullet points and a separate specs area. There’s a link to a comparison chart for similar products. REI also offers previous and next links to navigate from one product to the next in the category, as well as links category pages.
What’s more, you can view an enlarged image. This is one area REI excels at. Click to see the larger view, and you’ll get a new product page with an enlarged image. On that page you can add the boots to your order. This keeps the visitor in the persuasive momentum by not opening up some foreign window that must be closed to continue shopping. Here also are links for previous and next items, the category page, and back to the original product info page. REI can add more information about the boots, such as reviews, if it chooses, because the page has been designed so flexibly.”
The other article I read focuses on TigerDirect:
http://www.clickz.com/experts/design/traffic/article.php/3381101
The future of Merchandising is in empowering the consumer to make an educated decision. The more information you can give, the better. TigerDirect has multiple tabs of information. Their goal is to empower the consumer as much as or more than if the consumer were in the same room with the product. Consumers have rated TigerDirect well because the information on the site is so good. They end up buying while they are their though.