JCrew.com — fashionably functional
From its auspicious beginning as a direct-mail business in the early 1980s, J.Crew has grown into an US$ 800M brand (E 895M), offering classic, functional designs of men's, women's and children's clothing, shoes, accessories and personal care products.
Like the competition, J.Crew has felt the sting of the recent economic downturn; it recently reported a drop in revenue from US$ 202.3M last year to 195.6M this year (E 226M to 220M). However, net sales in J.Crew's direct business actually rose 6.1 percent to US$ 65.7M, from 61.9M since last year's third quarter (E 74M from 69M).
An early champion of the web, it could be said that J.Crew.com contributed significantly to this growth spurt, as the site quickly became its fastest growing distribution channel. We recently visited J.Crew.com to see if it’s a good fit.
The site is designed as a virtual catalog with a stark sensibility, which successfully replicates that of the brand’s popular publication. With a look and feel every bit as wholesome and utilitarian (think Zen Americana) as its apparel, the web pages are laden with pictures of freshly scrubbed, shiny, happy, young folk, romping through rustic settings representative of the active J.Crew lifestyle.
As the brand is well known for its magazine-style photography, a seasonal cover image dominates the home page in lieu of immediate product offerings. Where a common goal among e-tailers is to reel in surfers by immediately confronting them with product, this strategy could reflect J.Crew’s minimalist ideology or a missed sales opportunity, depending on how you look at it.
Easy to maneuver, both top and bottom navigation bars are plain to see with links broken down categorically. For shoppers with a mission, an "Order Item by #" field appears to expedient purchasing. For those who enjoy the art of browsing, standard product categories such as "Men," "Women," "Kids," "Shoes," "My Account" (where recent activity can readily be viewed), "Help" (self-explanatory), "Order by #," and "Shopping Cart," are featured prominently on top of the page. Various promotional links appear across the bottom of the home page cover image without causing too much clutter. One technical hitch is that no matter where you are on the site, the top menu highlights "Kids" in red, erroneously leading the user to believe he is somehow trapped forever in the kids section.
J.Crew.com must be credited with the effective planning and execution of a comprehensive customer service page, which, on the web, can be elusive. An order status can be checked, gift cards can be sent, shipping options can be explored and returns can be arranged in one convenient area. The "Store Locator" page offers a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide to retail locations. Also worthy of an honorable mention is a function called "Live Help." With the click of a link and your phone number, a personal call from a customer service agent is dispatched immediately.
As any e-tailer worth its IP address knows, folks tend to shop where it’s easy to shop. The J.Crew site understands the impact of a smooth flow of content and thus strives to maintain a high standard of information architecture. By presenting items in an outline structure, browsing the content is easy. Where J.Crew holds off on product display on the home page, directory pages compensate in such abundance, it’s conducive to sensory overload. Too many choices on a webpage can occasionally be likened to rifling through an overstuffed sales rack – the gem you seek may very well disappear in the pile.
On the product directory pages, a close-up of the item appears uninhabited by a model, so users get a true visual. All related product links are placed in close proximity, lending to no-nonsense navigation and rapid-fire browsing. Snappy product descriptions accompany the images, followed by the price and pull-down menus allowing for the selection of size, quantity and color. Clickable squares of fabric swatches allow a view of the selected item in the chosen hue.
By arming itself with various tools to broaden its reach and cater to customers, J.Crew.com demonstrates a solid understanding of its customers. It recently re-launched with a cookie-based browsing history called "clickstream analysis," which allows it to track consumer’s browsing habits and target potential customers with customized promotions based on their shopping habits.
Competitor BananaRepublic.com offers similar products and prices, although its site isn’t quite as orderly, resulting in a more labored browsing experience. Can the newly deployed sales initiatives help J.Crew.com regain the lofty accolade of #1 e-commerce site, as so dubbed by The Wall Street Journal? Not without continued forward thinking and strategic technical savvy. And you thought it had something to do with clothing.