Top 11 Features for Apparel Ecommerce Stores
Video: Top 11 Features for Apparel Ecommerce Stores
Not all ecommerce stores are the same. Although they tend to utilize similar pages and elements, there are things that differ from industry to industry. The apparel ecommerce space has many unique elements.
In this video you’ll learn:
- The state of the ecommerce apparel industry
- Features customers expect per page type
- Examples from different websites
Transcript
In today’s video, we are talking about the top features that apparel ecommerce stores should have. You’re going to learn the state of the apparel ecommerce industry at the moment, as well as the types of features that customers come to expect on different page types. And then examples of these different features that you could add to your store.
State of Apparel Industry
Currently, the apparel ecommerce industry is around 713 billion as of 2022. And based off of Grand View Research, they estimate that this is going to reach 941 billion in 2028. Going to continue to grow and especially as more physical stores continue to increase their online presence. And Statista finds that of the ecommerce industry, 21% is fashion, which is quite high.
When it comes to different features that apparel stores should have specifically, we’ll go through a few different examples here from some popular stores.
Site Search
Right now, we’re looking at Bonobos, and this is an example of search. A fashion store that has quite a big catalog. If you only are selling five items, search doesn’t really make sense, but typically fashion stores have quite a lot of SKUs. You want to have a robust search that allows for looking up clothing based off of typing in different keywords. What that means is somebody could look up pants or slacks and they’ll get relevant items. Somebody might look up button down shirt, or they might look up a business casual shirt and they should be getting relevant items. Bonobos does a really good job because they display both product results, as well as suggestions, even if you haven’t typed in a full query.
Themed Categories
On this site, Cuyana, we can see an example of themed categories or edits. This really helps for those that are very into fashion, constantly trying to buy the latest trends or the latest styles. It helps them really keep up with what’s new, what other people are buying. Here we can see they have a core collection, summer catalog, and then they have some stories, things like ready set jet or summer statements. These are examples of types of themed categories you could consider for your store.
Variant Selection
On category pages, if you’re offering products that come in multiple different colors or styles, you want to communicate that on the category page. If you have one product where customers can select a number of different variants, make sure to mention those variants on the category page. Otherwise, if you have separate products for each color type, if you’re selling tank tops and you have a red tank top, a black tank top, a white tank top, then each of those will be shown separately. There are those two options for displaying products. And if you’re not sure which one works best for your customers A/B test it if possible.
Sizes in Stock
Another thing to show on category pages is sizing stock. Here we have an example where if you hover over this product image, it showcases that only the XXL size can be added to the bag. That lets customers know that not all of the sizes are in stock.
Product Reviews
On product pages, of course, customers expect reviews as a given. Something really cool for apparel stores is offering different ways for customers to review an item so they can review based off how the size felt, how the width felt. For example, this is for shoes. They can also include what size product they purchased, their own measurements. If they’re 5’10, 180 pounds and they bought a medium and it felt too tight, this is important information that future customers will want to know.
Detailed Photos
On product pages, of course, as many photos as possible. Customers are not able to touch the product, see how it fits on them. Having very up close photos like in this example is really important so customers can get an idea of how the print and the material is going to look.
Sustainability Info
Also on product pages. This won’t apply to necessarily every apparel store, but if your company is focused on sustainability or the environment, including information about that and how your company adheres to sustainability practices is important to share with customers.
Sizing Tools
Sizing tools. This is key for apparel stores, and it’s quite interesting to look at a lot of apparel stores and see that they don’t have a robust sizing tool that really helps customers figure out the size because this is a huge barrier for customers when buying online. And it also leads to a lot of over purchasing as customers will buy a small and a medium, try it on at home, knowing that they’re going to return one of the sizes. Having a really good sizing tool can help reduce some of that.
Material & Care
Also, on the product pages, ensure that you have a lot of information about the material of the products and the care that’s going to go into it. Some customers don’t want to purchase an item that is dry clean only because it just is a lot harder to take care of. Giving that information upfront will likely help reduce future returns.
Model Sizes
Also, on product pages, if you’re showing the clothing on models, just make sure to include information about the model. Their height and what size they’re wearing so customers can get an idea of how it might fit on themselves.
Returns Info
And lastly, returns information. As I mentioned before, clothing is often returned because visitors can’t try the items on themselves. Make sure to mention return information across the site on the product page, in the cart, in the checkout so customers know they can purchase and return items. Because otherwise, if they’re not able to return items for free, they’re probably less likely to want to purchase.
These are some examples of features that your apparel ecommerce store should definitely have, or at least definitely A/B test. And if you have any suggestions, if I missed any that you think are important for apparel stores, let us know. I’ll see you in the next video. Thanks.