The best and the worst ecommerce websites of 2013

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THE BEST & WORST ECOMMERCE WEBSITES OF 2013

IS THIS BOOK RIGHT FOR ME?
Not quite sure if this ebook is right for you? See the below description to
determine if your level matches the content you are about to read.

INTRODUCTORY
Introductory content is for marketers who are new to the subject. This content
typically includes step-by-step instructions on how to get started with this

aspect of inbound marketing and learn its fundamentals. After reading it, you will
be able to execute basic marketing tactics related to the topic.

INTERMEDIATE

THIS BOOK

Intermediate content is for marketers who are familiar with the subject but have
only basic experience in executing strategies and tactics on the topic. This

content typically covers the fundamentals and moves on to reveal more complex

functions and examples. After reading it, you will feel comfortable leading projects
with this aspect of inbound marketing.

ADVANCED
Advanced content is for marketers who are, or want to be, experts on the

subject. In it, we walk you through advanced features of this aspect of inbound

marketing and help you develop complete mastery of the subject. After reading

it, you will feel ready not only to execute strategies and tactics, but also to teach
others how to be successful.

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CONTENTS
1.Introduction
2. 5 Best Desktop Websites
3. 5 Best Mobile Websites
4. 5 Biggest Mistakes
5.Conclusion


What is Ecommerce
Outtakes?

Ecommerce Outtakes is a blog that aims to improve usability and the ecommerce
experience, one blog post at a time. It is managed by the people of Ecommerce
Partners, a full-service ecommerce and interactive agency based in New York City.

We’re here to shine a light on the good and the bad (and a lot of the ugly) that we
come across in ecommerce every day through the website reviews in our Lion’s Den.
Readers are also encouraged to submit sites to be reviewed by the eCO team. Our
goal is to be a source for insight in the ecommerce industry by offering suggestions
and recommendations, mixed with a healthy dose of wit and snark.

FIND OUT MORE


Author Profile
Gil Levy
Gil is the Founder and Managing Partner at ECommerce Partners, a full-service
ecommerce agency, where he directs the company’s sales and business activities.
A widely recognized software and ecommerce guru, Gil discovered his passion for
IT while growing up in Israel. Since moving to New York in 1992, Gil held various
leadership positions at premier technology outfits before founding ECommerce
Partners in 1998. He began the Ecommerce Outtakes blog in December of 2011 as a
side project to improve ecommerce one post at a time, and to become an authority
in the ecommerce blogging scene. Gil has been growing the blog and the team
behind it ever since.

Sasha Butkovich
Sasha is the Senior Writer for the Ecommerce Outtakes blog. One of the more
prolific bloggers in the ecommerce space, Sasha writes daily website reviews with a
focus on usability and design. She also manages the social media outreach for the
blog and engages with its online community of readers. After earning a degree in
journalism and writing for various web publications, Sasha worked as a copywriter
before moving to New York and landing in the blogosphere.

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THE BEST & WORST ECOMMERCE WEBSITES OF 2013

Introduction
Ecommerce can’t succeed without a well-designed site that attends to the needs
and wants of consumers. Stellar design is so much more than pretty colors and bold
images, too. Your ecommerce site must be fully functional, with features that serve
no other purpose than to make a buyer’s experience on your page the easiest and
most fulfilling possible.
Some of the most important components
of a successful ecommerce site include the
following:
● .Personalization
● .Intuitive search function
● Smart filters
● .Responsive design
After these needs have been met, then
attractive design becomes important. Some
ecommerce sites manage to balance the many
components well for a beautiful, functional, and helpful online shopping experience.
Others, however, miss the mark in one way or another.
We’d like to recognize those sites making strides toward better ecommerce
experiences, both on desktop computers and mobile devices. Take notes for
application on your own ecommerce site, because these are the companies giving
ecommerce a good name.

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5 Best Desktop Websites
(in no particular order)

1

Fab.com

.Fab features a wide array of products, selling everything from women’s and men’s
clothing to llama wall decals. The sheer volume of choices on this site necessitates
an effective system of navigation, but the unique search function was frustrating for
users accustomed to standardized searching. Although the search box automatically
suggested products when customers began to type, instead of providing a
comprehensive results list for each query, the site forced users to view products
with relevant descriptions one at a time. This was time consuming and not intuitive,
decreasing convenience to the consumer, and probably losing Fab.com some sales.

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THE BEST & WORST ECOMMERCE WEBSITES OF 2013

The company earned its Badge of Honor in May 2013 when it redesigned its
search function to produce comprehensive results lists and to offer extra search
refinements. Appropriate filters and natural navigation improve the user experience
and ease of purchase. Another design reboot in October brought even more
updates, including common searches and popular products (complete with prices!)
to the predictive search drop-down.

BEFORE

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AFTER

.Fab made enhancements to its site by amping up personalization efforts. The
recommendations engine offers highly personalized results based on many factors,
including product pages you view, items you purchase, and products you fave. It
also bases recommendations on products you share in your social media networks,
highlighting Fab’s already strong social component. On top of that, the redesigned
mobile app brings all these great new features to shoppers on the go.

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2

ProperCloth.com

Proper Cloth exceeds the expectations of what an e-commerce experience can
offer. This menswear company specializes in custom dress shirts, but its dedication
to customer satisfaction elevates it to a league much mightier than other run-of-themill customization sites.

Some of Proper Cloth’s most noteworthy features include:
Detailed filtering options
Fantastic visual appeal
Realistic swatches representing actual shirt cloths
Unique and varied styling options
Infallible guarantee of fit

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.ProperCloth.com simplifies the potentially exhausting task of choosing one
fabric among 249 by offering detailed filtering options. Consumers can use price,
color, pattern, construction, weave, and thickness to whittle down the choices to
their optimal selection. Proper Cloth guides its customers through the process
with many helping hands to prevent users from getting lost in the abundance of
options.
.The crowning characteristic of the site is the company’s absolute dedication to
ensuring a proper fit.
Input your own measurements. (Proper Cloth will send you a free
measuring tape to do so.)

Pluck your favorite shirt from your closet and use Proper Cloth’s dropdown menu of menswear brands and fits to select the exact same cut.
Mail your favorite shirt to the company, and it will copy all the
measurements for you.

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3

SamsClub.com

.This discount warehouse chain was awarded the Badge of Honor for its supreme
site design. The navigation tools - conveniently highlighted in line with the product
search box - allow consumers to browse according to All Items, Online Only, or
Specific Club Location. Such a simple organizational effort eliminates the frustration
of finding a product in the online catalog only to learn it cannot be purchased from
one’s desired location.

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.Permitting shoppers to narrow down their selection by such broad denominators
right at the beginning of the browsing process is a minor alteration that can
drastically improve the user experience on innumerable ecommerce sites.
.Sam’s Club goes above and beyond intuitive site design to create a truly successful
integrated marketing platform. Not only is it easy for customers to find the products
they’re looking for, but this site also invokes a strong brand image for shoppers to
include in their everyday lives. Whether the inspiration comes in the form of recipes
or holiday entertaining tips, SamsClub.com proves itself to be a helpful resource to
consumers.

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4

WarbyParker.com

Warby Parker exhibited unique excellence from its inception by becoming one of the
only eyeglass retailers exclusively involved in ecommerce, so it comes as no surprise
that its site reflects such excellence. Highlights of the well-designed site include:
Clean simplicity with ample use of white space
Intuitive navigation
Category filters, e.g. material, color, frame shape, width
Multiple views without leaving product page
Virtual try-on option
Multiple customer service options
.Traditionally, shoppers assumed the best fit and style could be ensured only if
they visited an eyewear store in person. Warby Parker forged a niche by appealing
to consumers who want another option. The goal of all ecommerce suppliers is
to provide a comparable shopping experience online as they would in a brickand-mortar facility. Warby Parker exceeded this goal by crafting an archetype of
ecommerce experience, most notably with the virtual try-on option.

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THE BEST & WORST ECOMMERCE WEBSITES OF 2013

.Customers may upload a photograph of themselves to the site and position various
styles of glasses on their face. This replicates visiting a store and trying the glasses
on.

.Shoppers feel confident that their real-life glasses will look the same as presented
on screen, because Warby Parker provides a slew of different pictures, angles,
and views from which to choose. Getting more detail about each option is simple,
too, because the site allows shoppers to stay on the product page throughout the
process.
.In addition, shoppers can create a home try-on kit, selecting 5 frames to try on in
real life, just like they would at an actual store.

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5

The Home Depot

.The Home Depot is in a constant power struggle for market share, brand loyalty,
and now, web site superiority over its competitors. HomeDepot.com is our favorite
home improvement ecommerce site for an online shopping experience comparable
to shopping at one of its brick and mortar locations with the assistance of trained
support staff.
Intuitive Search Function is Key
.The search box is just as friendly
(if not more so) than an in-store
employee, by presenting a clear CTA,
“What can we help you find?” Then
the search function begins trying
to guide shoppers to what they are
looking for immediately upon typing
in the field.
The search’s term estimates are
very accurate, offering the top three
products (with images) matching the
term, as well as suggesting categories and brands that fit the query. This already
plants the seed for shoppers to explore accessories, cross-sells, and upsells within
their desired category.

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.The search results page is even more intuitive, by offering refinement options that
are personalized for each product. Helpful filters for all items include:
Brand
Price
Review Ratings
How to Get It: This is a feature many ecommerce sites lack, but it is a
popularly requested filter from shoppers. The Home Depot clearly goes out of its way
to be convenient for its customers.
Free shipping to home or store
Free shipping with $45 order
Pick up in store today

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.The Home Depot earns
bragging rights for fabulous
user experience by taking
its dedication to customer
convenience one step further
than most. Not only does
the site provide painstaking
assistance in finding the ideal
product through customized
search, it also offers a slew
of related resources to help
the consumer along his/her
decision making process.
The combination of customer
reviews, product Q&As, howto buying guides, and how-to
videos ensures that shoppers
are confident in their final
purchasing decision.

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5 Best Mobile Websites
(in no particular order)

1

The Container Store Mobile

.The Container Store successfully translates its efficiently organized brand image
into mobile ecommerce by structuring its site with responsive design and plenty of
usability. A positive user experience stems from:
Effective adaptation to mobile devices
Easy navigation
Various refinement options
Excellent product images
The first and most obvious accomplishment of The Container Store’s mobile site
is its attractiveness. The home page is simple, including just the basics. There is a
search box, rotating promotional banner, and a menu of options organized in grey
boxes (three across). It is a prime example of offering function without clutter.

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.Unique animation offers a fun side
to The Container Store’s otherwise
no-frills design. The straightforward
navigation through multiple
refinement steps makes a potentially
overwhelming array of products
highly manageable. The clear
and realistic product images and
descriptions can be reviewed after
narrowing down an item search by
New Arrivals, Price, Top Rated, Best
Sellers, Price Range, and/or Color.
Even shopping on a mobile device,
consumers are able to find exactly
what they want without any hassle.

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2

Gap.com Mobile

.The Gap.com mobile site has a simple
layout that makes great use of white
space. On the homepage, customer
service is at the forefront with Free
Shipping and Free Returns clearly
shown in the navigation bar. When
clicked on, the details are shown
in a lightbox, eliminating the need
to navigate the user away from the
homepage. Gap also makes good use
of geo-location in the Find A Store
feature, which allows users to search
product availability in retail stores with
a single click. Its positive user experience stems from:
Effective adaptation to mobile devices
Easy navigation and easy access to companies under the same umbrella (ie,
Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, Athleta)
Integration of offline presence
Excellent product images

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.The use of large images with a quick, easy way to select size and style makes for a
great user experience. Reviews are also promptly displayed with a single click of a
button while remaining on the same page.

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3

Etsy.com Mobile

.Etsy is like a virtual department store, serving as a link to over one million active
shops, (according to the company’s press page). With such an enormous volume of
products comes the huge responsibility of directing consumers to the items they are
actually interested in buying. Etsy.com accomplishes this daunting task even on its
mobile site, providing a great user experience.
Some of the outstanding features of Etsy.com mobile include:
Non-disruptive banner ad promoting the Etsy app
Large, obvious CTAs with little need for users to type
Clear product images with accompanying prices
Helpful categories and filtering options
.The superb browsing options
truly sealed the Badge of
Honor for Etsy.com mobile.
Broad categories help direct
customers to the shops they
are interest in, and they also
serve as sources of inspiration
for customers without a lot of
direction.

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.Here, you can see the browsing options.
Notice the seasonal category Back
to School, and the social category
Trending Items. Such options increase
the likelihood that shoppers will engage,
because Etsy is literally showing them
how to incorporate the company’s
products into their real lives.

For shoppers who have already have an
idea of what they’re searching for, Etsy.
com offers a comprehensive system of
subcategories and filters.

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4

Amazon Mobile

As Number One on Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide, seeing Amazon on this list
should be no surprise. The reigning king of ecommerce gets a nod from us in
particular for their mobile site.
The home page highlights some of the brand’s signature products they want
to keep top-of-mind for shoppers, including Amazon MP3 and their big-ticket
Kindle products. Below this, users can start browsing from only the most popular
departments, as the site does not waste precious space on sections of the site
shoppers are less likely to use.
.When a user is logged into his or her account, the homepage will of course display
product recommendations specific to the customer based on browsing and
purchase history. Personalization is always a good thing! Users can also manage
their entire account from the mobile site, including their wish list, 1-click settings,
payment options, and more.

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