Wrangler launched its first e-commerce Web site this week on the IBM WebSphere 6.0 Commerce platform. The portal uses Web 2.0 technology to simplify and streamline the shopping experience, said Teresa Zobrist, president of Zobrist Consulting, which helped Wrangler develop the site.
The site’s features include rotating product images, single-page checkout, quick page refreshes, enhanced navigation and site search. Its search function also enables users to look for clothing and accessories using traditional categories, such as men’s jeans. However, items are grouped in different ways — such as music and dancing or fishing and hunting — with the intention of better educating and enticing consumers, said Zobrist.
She added that wholesalers in general are showing an interest in e-commerce because of its ability to help them learn about consumers. Columbia Sportswear and Eileen Fisher have announced they are building e-commerce sites, as well.
“These brands can get a much better feel for what consumers like and don’t like with an e-commerce site,” Zobrist said, adding that portals can offer shoppers more selections than many retailers’ Web sites.
She explained that the site’s search “gives users an alternative way to find products besides normal drill down and presents them with a lot more choices.”
Zobrist Consulting also developed a search engine optimization strategy that includes running both flash and HTML versions of the site to optimize natural search rankings
