By Alicia Fiorletta, Senior Editor
The funnest part about being a retail reporter in this day and age is that there are so many great opportunities to learn straight from executives in the trenches.
Because the industry is in such a constant state of change, retailers are constantly testing new strategies and implementing new solutions to improve the overall brand experience.
Advertisement
I had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion featuring executives from Qubit and Kate Walmsley, Digital Director at Topshop.
Now, I wasn’t only excited because I myself am a fan of the Topshop brand. The company has been getting so much recognition for its successful expansion into the U.S. that I was thrilled, as a journalist, to get first-hand perspective on the endeavor and how Qubit has helped in the process.
The successful partnership began in 2012, with Topshop focusing on testing a variety of personalization strategies on its e-Commerce site. With online operations in a number of markets worldwide, the retailer is tasked with the challenge of understanding different tastes, preferences and other cultural variables. After all, what may be popular in NYC, may not be so popular in the UK.
By personalizing the web experience, Topshop saw conversion rates increase by 11%.
A few components that Topshop was able to refine with Qubit include:
- The mobile experience: Targeting Millennial shoppers, Walmsley and the Topshop team understand that consumers hop between devices throughout the day and for different reasons. For example, tablets offer a more enriching browsing and buying experience, while smartphones are ideal for getting quick bites of information while on the go.
To capitalize on these benefits, Topshop has refined its smartphone experience, offering more relevant content and a more streamlined design with clear navigation. The retailer tapped Qubit to create a call-to-action that encouraged consumers to use the new navigational tool. By highlighting how customers can find the products they’re seeking quickly and easily, Topshop increased basked adds by 4% and their number of visitors viewing a product page by 1.2%.
- Capturing customer feedback: Qubit provides Topshop with a wealth of valuable data about customers’ individual browsing and buying behaviors, which empowers the retailer to make more effective personalization decisions, faster. However, Topshop also encourages customers to share insights on their shopping experiences using a feedback portal. Some analysis of this feedback helped Topshop determine that customers were struggling to find and use the search bar.
After implementing four different search variations and testing different color and copy options, Topshop saw a 5.8% uplift in conversions.
- Product pages: Online shoppers consider a number of factors while making a buying decision, especially if they’re shopping for clothes. After all, the flow, fit, colors and patterns may look one way online, but very different in person. Topshop wanted to determine how much (and what type) of information should be included on product pages. The retailer also revamped the confirmation pop-up and buttons for the size guide, “add to bag” and “check stores” to make them more aesthetically pleasing and pop out more to consumers.
Walmsley also noted that Topshop will be exploring new ways to engage with mobile shoppers while they’re on the go. For example, if a customer is looking at a product on their mobile phones, they may be able to see if a nearby store has it in stock. The retailer also is continuing to test personalization strategies, such as free shipping thresholds, worldwide.
Want to learn more? Check out the below video that includes an interview with Walmsley:
