STORES Magazine - January 2008 - (Page 48)

WORTH WATCHING / E-COMMERCE Social Shopping Platform would allow friends to shop together online BY REBECCA LOGAN yberspace can be a lonely place for shoppers. While retail therapy in the physical world is often used as a way to connect with friends, “that social aspect of shopping has been absent online,” says John C. Jackson, president and CEO of DecisionStep. The Beltsville, Md.-based company is trying to change that with a new solution called ShopTogether. C Rockville, Md., couple with full-time jobs and little room in their schedules to ponder purchases. They recently moved into a new home, “so we have a lot of reasons to shop together — we just don’t have a lot of time,” Crystal says. And Jim says the pair won’t go bricks-and-mortar browsing without first doing some Internet prep work. The Internet has proven to be a “powerful social force,” says Jackson, who believes ShopTogether offers a way for retailers to tap into that force. It is being used in pilot format by NetShops, an Omaha, Neb.-based online retailer that operates several specialty stores, such as Hammocks.com and WorldGlobes.com. ShopTogether allows visitors to NetShops.com to invite a friend (or family member) to shop with them. By using an assigned code, a shopper then sees one window featuring what they are looking at and a second window that allows them to view items that their friend is examining. A third window is for shared favorites, and message bars allow for a text exchange. “We wanted to help our customers Compairing notes easier So the Schmidtleins have spent many a work break at their desks typing furibuy products where multiple people had ously to each other about items they loan influence on the decision but were cated online. “We tended to send a lot of not at the same place at the same time,” links but that kind of got out of hand,” says Jay Gordman, director of e-comsays Crystal, who thinks ShopTogether merce for NetShops. While still in its makes it easier to compare notes on fireearly stages, initial customer feedback to places, dining room sets and the like. the pilot has been positive, he says. “This is a much more real-time expeShopTogether is also being used by rience and allows for back-and-forth exNetShops.com’s customer service agents ploring of the products on the website versus trading e-mails back and forth,” fielding questions from those looking for Gordman says. something specific. This keeps agents from having to walk a potential cusShopTogether works particularly well tomer through multiple steps while wonfor shoppers at the “What should we get dering if that customer is keeping up. Mom — I have no idea” stage of the “We can open ShopTogether and game, according to Jackson. “The tool show you different products,” Gorddisappears very quickly and it literally man says. “All you have to do is click on becomes just a conversation between the ShopTogether window.” two people … where the products are Crystal and Jim Schmidtlein are a what matters.” DecisionStep gets numerous requests for the capability to bring more than two people together to shop and it’s in the works, says “We wanted to Jackson, who is in discussions help our customers with retailers of all sizes about buy products adding the ShopTogether feature to their e-commerce sites. where multiple DecisionStep is also pursuing people had an the possibility of making Shopinfluence on the Together a choice for retailers decision but were looking to promote specific sales not at the same or events. For instance, a group of friends place at the scattered across the country same time.” might be able to pick one night a — Jay Gordman, week and “meet” to shop. NetShops StORES Rebecca Logan is a Fort Leavenworth, Kan.-based writer. 48 STORES / JANUARY 2008 WWW.STORES.ORG http://Hammocks.com http://WorldGlobes.com http://NetShops.com http://NetShops.com http://NetShops.com http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - January 2008

STORES Magazine - January 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Build a 'Bot Sneak Peek at Fashion Trends What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Cover Story: Fishing for Talent Retail CEO Compensation Research Concept2Watch E-Commerce Payment Solutions Online Merchandising POS LPInformation LP Vantage Point Newsbeat Industry Watch Cover Story: Making LP PCI-Compliant Mall Security Video Surveillance Industry Perspective Forum RFID Business Intelligence Data Management Logistics Turning Green into Gold Love of – and for – the Outdoors Loeb Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - January 2008

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