You Better Shop Around
Getting started with eCommerce is a great way to prove certain business models these days. Resources like Shopify, WordPress with WooCommerce, Big Commerce and so on, make it fairly easy to get started selling your widget online. However, running an eCommerce site that allows you to sell your widget and running an eCommerce site that’s enjoyable for the user to buy from are two completely different things. So with that, here are the top e-commerce sites we’re addicted to and why we feel they’re doing it right.
Luke Pierce
Although I have never bought anything on the site, Uniqlo is one of my favorite eCommerce sites on the web and it keeps me coming back. I love that the second the page loads, you are already shopping. Although things are simply displayed in a grid format on all pages, it still looks natural as they incorporate just the right amount of white space to break things up. Aside from the looks, the shopping experience is straightforward and to the point. The quick look feature they have on every item is nice because you don’t have to leave the page you are shopping on to get a closer look and see the variety of colors and patterns they offer things in. Although I am still not a customer of theirs (and I have been aware of the site for years), their no-nonsense design and simple shopping will have me pulling the trigger soon.
Gretchen Ardizzone
While it just launched this week, the new Toms Marketplace eCommerce site has already captured my heart (and a little of my wallet too). The online site was created by socially conscious shoe brand Toms in an effort to support other like-minded brands and businesses. Consumers shopping the Marketplace now have access to more than 200 products (home goods, apparel, and accessories) from about 30 companies and charities that have been carefully selected and curated by the Toms team. Causes supported with this initiative include opportunities to assist children in need, educational funding programs, aide in basic health and funding for project research, job creation, nutrition via meal programs, and access to clean water.
The purpose of the platform isn’t just what makes Toms Marketplace great though. Consumers are able to easily navigate the site by cause, by region, by brand, and then further refine their search by sorting products by color, price, as well as newest and top rated. Editor’s picks and featured products are highlighted, and simple icons identify throughout the site what cause and region the products support. Visitors also get an understanding of the vision for each cause through featured stories from the founders. And for those who are still not sure what they’re looking for can shop via the gift finder including collections of “Gifts for the Explorer,” “Holiday Parties for Good,” and “Fashionable Favorites.”
Toms Marketplace is a total shoo-in for me. The eCommerce site thoughtfully presents the curated product and ultimately gives consumers a way to shop for a greater purpose.
Want to learn more? Check out this video to meet the Marketplace Founders.
Shannon Blair
When I sit down and think of eCommerce sites that I am particularly attracted to I always have to lean toward Etsy. The reason I picked Etsy is that it is a delightful cluster of all things awesome. It’s like Pinterest, where everything is sectioned out for you into categories, but you can buy everything you see and the products are different and unique. If you make scarves and quilts or jewelry and hats you can come to this one website to start up your own shop on the web. Could the reason I love this site be because there is nowhere else that houses so much amazing Harry Potter items in one spot? Maybe, but that’s just another reason why I love this website so much! Regardless of my love for HP its still an amazing website and it allows folks to sell the products they create in one marketplace and that is why it is doing so well – because people genuinely enjoy it.
Nathaniel Seevers
Despite its roots being right here in Columbus, Ohio, I’ll admit, I wasn’t an early adopter or even fan of JackThreads upon its launch. The flash sale thing just doesn’t do it for me. But since the early days (which weren’t that long ago) JackThreads has evolved into much more. What was a company always wanting to be a lifestyle brand when it grew up is now that exactly and not just in the well focused and curated style but in the way it’s shopped.
JackThreads reported earlier this year that nearly half of all orders come through mobile – with some new members never, I repeat never, touching the desktop website. It’s all for good reason. The most recent release of redesigned iPhone, iPad and Android-based apps make it incredibly easy and enjoyable to shop. The products are organized and indexed well and the photography and design keep the lifestyle daydream vivid. The navigation makes sense. It’s not something different just because it can be.
In fact, I almost always shop JackThreads on my iPad. It’s even a better experience than the desktop site. How many eComm shops can you say that about?
Have a favorite we haven’t listed here? Tell us about your experience.
Photo credit: Jesse757
modified by Shout Out Studio
