Apparel and accessories retailer Express targets a hip, urban audience, and the Express.com Website captures just the right edgy attitude. It also nails the e-commerce best practices, which is why the merchant won a Silver Award in the 2010 MCM Awards competition in the Apparel, Sales Over $20 Million category.
Why it won a Silver:
The Express.com site packs a punch with promotions on its home page. A plethora of promotional content—including a one-line text promo above the banner in a scrolling rotation with its social media feeds—entices the user to click through to learn more.
It’s easy to shop from, too: Express.com handles misspellings and product searches beautifully. A search for misspelled words such as “jeans” and “dresses” brings the user to the proper landing page.
The consistent photography and use of alternate views delighted the judging panel. The product pages allow the user to zoom in to get a better look at the fabrics and textures. And when applicable, the user can see what a different color shirt, skirt or blouse looks on a similar model.
Express.com also incorporated a digital version of its “Look Book” on its site, and that impressed the judges. “One of the nicest features on this site that I came across was the Look Book,” a judge said. “But it was a bit buried, and I would love to see more links to the Look Book throughout the site.”
Finally, the judges applauded the clear and concise copy on product pages, and the way Express.com incorporated user reviews. The panelists felt the use of a “runs small/large” bar—which gives the user a chance to describe the fit—within the user reviews was a tremendous value-add.
Why it didn’t win a Gold
The darkness of the site may convey coolness, but Express.com needs to lighten up a bit to improve readability. Though the background on product pages is white, the white text on a black background on registration pages and the left-hand navigation made viewing difficult.