Alight minimizes clicks when maximizing product views
In redesigning its web site, alight.com wanted to make the shopping experience easy and low-tech. That includes the zoom feature on its new site that lets women magnify the larger-size clothing the company sells without any additional clicks.
When a customer clicks to view an item, a translucent square box automatically appears on the screen. Mousing over the item blows it up five times so customers can see the detail of the fabric, stitching and other features of the garment.
Zooming in on clothing on competitors’ sites often requires several clicks, says Deb Malkin, vice president of e-commerce at alight.com. You have to click on a zoom icon, then click a couple of times to get the full magnification.
“We were trying to create a system where there are as few clicks as possible to see what you want to see,” Malkin says, “because we’re selling clothing, not technology.”
The new site went live in January. Malkin says the average order now has 2.5 items, up from 2.25 a year ago. She has noticed that marked-down items are selling more quickly, which she attributes to customers being able to more easily zoom in to see every feature of a garment.
She says returns also are down, which could be a sign that customers have a better idea of what they are ordering. While she could not quantify the decline, company president Norman Weiss predicts returns will be down more than 20% this year while sales will go up 25% to 30%.
The redesigned web site also offers views of every garment in every available color, whereas in the past the site displayed only color swatches, Malkin says. And it only displays items that are in stock in a given size so customers don`t have the disheartening experience of finding the perfect plus-size dress only to discover it is not available in their size, Malkin says.
Alight.com worked with Bock Interactive to redesign the 7-year-old site. Formerly a web-only retailer, alight.com opened its first store last month in Plainview, N.Y.
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