If you, as a vendor or site, can figure out how to show me something I like, something I wasn’t planning on buying, then you have a shot at my wallet.

On-site there’s definitely some stuff that can be done/is being done around recommendations, cross-sell, up-sell, etc… which in many ways is similar to the mannequin (although lacking in full context usually – upcoming post on that).

But eCommerce sites are also lacking sales people. I can walk into a Nordstrom or an Apple store and say “I’m looking for a few t-shirts I can wear under a few dress shirts to dress down a bit. I like dark colors, fabrics that breathe well, and I hate to dry clean.” or “I love my new iPhone, what are the five must have accessories I should get?” and the sales person will show you a number of options catering to your request and subsequent feedback.

That’s a tough one to solve on websites. Obviously search, cross-sell, etc.. can help, but it’s a very different scale of assistance versus a good salesperson.

Just rambling a bit:)

When I first saw the title “focused and unfocused shopping”, my first thought is that this was a post about findability, possibly related to search engines. It still holds true once you’re on a site, but for a particular retailer, you’re already making some assumptions if they’re on the site (that they’re aware of the brand, value it, possibly in the market to purchase SOMETHING).

The reference to “that’s a great jacket” is interesting when it comes to overall site design. In a store, there is an entire experience around you, and it’s possible for endcaps and mannequins to be there peripherally. It’s a bit different for many eCommerce sites, which generally just offer a list of products. I suppose it’s a question if you can present an experience online that is equivalent to something in a store: where you have available to you the products as well as the peripheral atmosphere.

I look forward to your next post!