Check out the latest installment of the Interactive Content Spotlight, a monthly roundup of the coolest and most cutting edge retail marketing content examples from around the web. Enjoy!
What it is: A video series featuring skincare tutorials
Why we love it: Shopping for skincare products online can be daunting. In-store, shoppers have helpful sales reps to give advice and teach them how to use the products. The best online skincare experience mimics this process. We love Dior’s “Skincare How-To” content page because it breaks down each of the products featured and shows the customer exactly how to use them, with expert tips included. And because it’s a video series, customers have a step-by-step visual guide to using the products, meaning there’s no confusion. And with one click, the product can be added to the shopper’s cart without ever leaving the page.
What it’s missing: To drive home just how effective these skincare products are, we’d like to see Dior include user generated content as well. Seeing how a serum improved a real person’s skin is a powerful buying incentive.
Check it out:
https://www.dior.com/beauty/en_us/fragrance
What it is: A holiday-themed shoppable lookbook
Why we love it: For a customer doing some last-minute Mother’s Day shopping, this experience is a home-run. The lookbook has everything shoppers need to put together the perfect gift, from jewelry to home décor. And through quickviews, everything is instantly shoppable. We love how the experience is perfectly on-brand as well – featuring bright colors and graphics – and provides endless styling inspiration through beautiful photography.
What it’s missing: To add a little interactivity, we recommend including gifs, animations, and video to this lookbook. It’s a small way to make a digital experience dynamic, and keep shoppers exploring longer.
Check it out:
https://www.francescas.com/category/lookbooks
What it is: An informational brand experience
Why we love it: Any digital experience that focuses on the brand rather than the products has one major goal in mind: educate. They want the shopper to learn more about what makes their brand special, and they want this education to strengthen the brand-customer relationship in the long run. Steve Madden’s Self Made experience does just that. Through punchy graphics and visuals, customers learn how the Steve Madden brand came to be, and what makes it unique. The experience then takes it a step further by introducing customers to a series of entrepreneurs who embody the Steve Madden self-made spirit. And through integrated videos, the experience is interactive, keeping shoppers on the page.
What it’s missing: Steve Madden shoes are featured throughout the experience, but clicking them takes the customer to a standard product grid. By featuring quickviews, shoppers can instantly add to cart without leaving the experience.
Check it out:
https://www.stevemadden.com/content
What it is: A shoppable UGC image gallery
Why we love it: User-generated content is a high-impact way to inspire customers. Shoppers trust fellow shoppers, therefore It’s much more powerful to see how fellow shoppers look in a brand’s clothing than a highly stylized model. Topshop’s UGC gallery is easily navigated and full of beautiful outfit inspiration, straight from the customers themselves. We love how the gallery can be organized by product type, and with a single click shoppers can see exactly what items are featured in each one. Shoppers leave this page feeling inspired and ready to buy.
What it’s missing: The lightboxes activated by clicking each image are not instantly shoppable. To make a purchase, customers are sent to a product page. By making these lightboxes commerce-enabled through quickviews, the purchase process is streamlined, and customers can stay on the page to continue shopping.
Check it out:
http://us.topshop.com/en/tsus/category
Dior – Skincare How-To
What it is: A video series featuring skincare tutorials
Why we love it: Shopping for skincare products online can be daunting. In-store, shoppers have helpful sales reps to give advice and teach them how to use the products. The best online skincare experience mimics this process. We love Dior’s “Skincare How-To” content page because it breaks down each of the products featured and shows the customer exactly how to use them, with expert tips included. And because it’s a video series, customers have a step-by-step visual guide to using the products, meaning there’s no confusion. And with one click, the product can be added to the shopper’s cart without ever leaving the page.
What it’s missing: To drive home just how effective these skincare products are, we’d like to see Dior include user generated content as well. Seeing how a serum improved a real person’s skin is a powerful buying incentive.
Check it out:
https://www.dior.com/beauty/en_us/fragrance
Francesca’s – Mother’s Day
What it is: A holiday-themed shoppable lookbook
Why we love it: For a customer doing some last-minute Mother’s Day shopping, this experience is a home-run. The lookbook has everything shoppers need to put together the perfect gift, from jewelry to home décor. And through quickviews, everything is instantly shoppable. We love how the experience is perfectly on-brand as well – featuring bright colors and graphics – and provides endless styling inspiration through beautiful photography.
What it’s missing: To add a little interactivity, we recommend including gifs, animations, and video to this lookbook. It’s a small way to make a digital experience dynamic, and keep shoppers exploring longer.
Check it out:
https://www.francescas.com/category/lookbooks
Steve Madden – Self Made
What it is: An informational brand experience
Why we love it: Any digital experience that focuses on the brand rather than the products has one major goal in mind: educate. They want the shopper to learn more about what makes their brand special, and they want this education to strengthen the brand-customer relationship in the long run. Steve Madden’s Self Made experience does just that. Through punchy graphics and visuals, customers learn how the Steve Madden brand came to be, and what makes it unique. The experience then takes it a step further by introducing customers to a series of entrepreneurs who embody the Steve Madden self-made spirit. And through integrated videos, the experience is interactive, keeping shoppers on the page.
What it’s missing: Steve Madden shoes are featured throughout the experience, but clicking them takes the customer to a standard product grid. By featuring quickviews, shoppers can instantly add to cart without leaving the experience.
Check it out:
https://www.stevemadden.com/content
Topshop - #TopshopStyle
What it is: A shoppable UGC image gallery
Why we love it: User-generated content is a high-impact way to inspire customers. Shoppers trust fellow shoppers, therefore It’s much more powerful to see how fellow shoppers look in a brand’s clothing than a highly stylized model. Topshop’s UGC gallery is easily navigated and full of beautiful outfit inspiration, straight from the customers themselves. We love how the gallery can be organized by product type, and with a single click shoppers can see exactly what items are featured in each one. Shoppers leave this page feeling inspired and ready to buy.
What it’s missing: The lightboxes activated by clicking each image are not instantly shoppable. To make a purchase, customers are sent to a product page. By making these lightboxes commerce-enabled through quickviews, the purchase process is streamlined, and customers can stay on the page to continue shopping.
Check it out:
http://us.topshop.com/en/tsus/category