SonyStyle.com plugs in a site redesign

After 18 months of research and implementation, Sony Electronics is rolling out an updated and redesigned SonyStyle.com.

The redesign, which is based on more than 200,000 pieces of customer feedback, features better personalization and comparison tools and faster checkout.

The consumer brand manufacturer, No. 9 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, has added an interactive wish list and personalization features that enable shoppers to select specific colors, personalized engraving and other options. “With enhanced features and tools, SonyStyle.com offers an easy-to-use resource to help people make smart buying decisions through any channel they prefer,” says SonyStyle.com vice president Brian Siegel.

Sony is introducing the redesigned SonyStyle.com to get a jump on the upcoming back-to-school shopping season and appeal to the site’s core customers: students and women. The retooled SonyStyle.com features rich media technology that allows customers to “mouse over” merchandise on a product page and compare various models and prices.

SonyStyle.com customers, who visit an average of 1.8 different categories each time they log onto the site, also have the ability to e-mail product pages to family and friends.

To facilitate faster order processing, Sony redesigned the check-out process and reduced the total number of clicks to complete a transaction from about seven to four. With the shopper’s permission, SonyStyle.com will store the user’s credit card information and offers a “save for later” option where they can return to their shopping cart at a later date without losing their product selections, Sony says. Consumers also have more flexible shipping options, including three-day delivery for most TVs.

“In revising our online platform, we developed a web experience by incorporating the features consumers expect from Sony,” Siegel says.