Yes, an e-commerce site is designed to sell. But some retailers are finding that shoppers increasingly are looking to these sites to provide information and entertainment on subjects surrounding the retailer’s market.
When it comes to adding information such as blogs and articles and entertainment such as online video and non-product photos, retailers must consider what they’re selling, says Greg Selkoe, CEO and founder of streetwear apparel retailer Karmaloop. He will speak during a session titled “What engages shoppers now—and what will engage them tomorrow” at next week’s Internet Retailer Web Design ’09 Conference in Miami Beach, FL.
“For us it is tremendously valuable because we market to a culture and we are selling more than just clothing,” Selkoe says. “We are a community of style, and we have to show an understanding of the culture, and we do that through the entertainment we provide to people in the culture.”
Karmaloop offers a Lookbook of photos, a blog, a robust site dedicated to video, and more. Selkoe advises other retailers to ensure such content is not making a hard sell—the content will bind customers more tightly to retailers all by itself.
“Retailers must ask themselves, ‘Am I selling to a culture? Is content something I can make interesting and not blatantly a sales pitch?’” he says. “Make sure it works, make sure your providing shoppers with what they really want. Because if you do it in a way that’s inauthentic, you will turn people off.”
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