This week the Online Retail Industry Awards were announced. Here are some highlights from 5 of the nominated sites. These brands have thought about how people research and consume their products and attempted to provide an online experience within this context.

Birdsnest

The innovative approach here is that they you don’t just search for clothing by ‘product’ or ‘department’ you can search for clothes body shape, occasion, personality and colour.

I find the body shape search particularly innovative. This taps into the insight that all women have parts of their body they don’t like and we tend to shop for items which hide this. It has categories like such as ‘cankles’, ‘voluptuous body’ and ‘big arms’.

Birdsnest have looked at how we shop for clothes and translated this experience online. Any clothes shop retailer would tell you their customers don’t always shop by product they might come in and ask “I need something to cover my fat arms”, or “I am shopping for a wedding” or “I need something to match a green blouse…” and they’ve worked out a way to cater for the many ways we shop for clothes.

What you can do

Apply what you know about how customers are researching and choosing your products or services to your website experience. Pick the brains of staff who interface with your customers (shop attendants, call center staff, sales representatives) and study how your customers are shopping and researching offline so it can be translated into the ways you can browse and learn about products online.

Domino's

I wish more companies would have their deals and vouchers available online instead of killing all those trees just to fill my mailbox! Junk mail is a pet hate of mine and I am glad to see that Dominos lets you access vouchers which can be used in your local store.

You can also register for discounts to be sent to your email via the e-Club.

By the way, Domino's Pizza also released a pizza ordering iPhone app in November 09. It claims to be Australia’s most successful iPhone app released by a business, generating $2 million worth of sales in just 12 weeks.

What can you do?

Please, please, please save money on printing and save the trees! Enable people to access deals and vouchers online or via email or mobile.

We are fast becoming more accustomed to tapping into a keyboard or mobile than picking up the phone. If you don’t already offer online or mobile ordering it’s worth considering.

General Pants

I think it’s safe to assume General Pants customers are young and often strapped for cash. That’s why their price based website design works so well for this market. For those who are living on 2 minute noodles until the next pay-cheque just so they can afford Saturday night on the town, it’s exciting and comforting to know there are heaps of clothes within their price range.

General Pants have introduced a mentoring initiative to help (photographers, writers, artists in all mediums, filmmakers, musicians, designers and anyone else with a great visual or communicative skill) get their work out there and get it produced.

The site states:

Every two months, the creators of the most interesting work, as determined by the voting public, are commissioned to produce material to be displayed in stores, supported to stage their own exhibitions, gigs or readings, as well as being featured in the pages of the bubble's media partners, Russh and Monster Children.

OUR GRAND PLAN?

We discover enough talent out there to form a collective whom we can employ as consultants. And, to kick ’em further along the road toward gainful employment, we fund and promote the group so they’re nailing jobs outside of General Pants Co.

What you can do

Are there ways your brand can support up and coming talent relating to your business? It’s a great dipstick into the styles and ideas from your audience. This ‘crowd sourced’ inspiration can be translated directly into merchandise, marketing approach and store layout, even product innovation.

Sportsgirl

Sportsgirl has embraced the fashion blog in their website. They have paid attention to how fashionistas are turning to blogs to get regular fixes of fashion observations from the streets. After all, bloggers are now amongst front rows at Fashion Week and treated on par with major magazine editors.

They’ve also cottoned onto the trend of people blogging photos of what they are wearing everyday and have recruited celebs and Sportsgirl friends show us what they’re wearing every day for a week

What you can do

Understand what influences the decisions of your customers. Do they follow trends in your industry? Are there popular blogs and bloggers? Do they follow the advice of peers in reviews and forums? Think about how your brand can participate in this. Can you develop relationships with influential bloggers? Which useful information support can you provide which is in line with blogs, forums and reviews?

View all the Online Retail Awards Nominees 2010