3 features on ASOS your e-commerce store should steal
Online retailer ASOS is nailing the product features of their app. Here are my top 3 features e-commerce stores should copy.
Online shopping has been around since the mid-90s. Over that time, we’ve seen huge improvements in the online shopping experience, with whole product teams dedicated to ensuring incremental improvements that convert OKRs to cash.
When you didn’t think there could be much more for industry-changing features, ASOS, the British online shopping brand, has three awesome features you’ll want to steal if you want to improve your online shopping experience.
Feature #1: Can’t describe an item? Don’t worry! Just take a photo
I’ll be honest. This feature blew my mind. Never have I seen such a good and useful implementation of searching via a photograph.
As someone who loves buying the same version of what I’ve already got, this feature means I can take a photo of an existing item of clothing I have, and it will find matching or similar items. Also, I tried drawing a Nike T-shirt as an experiment, and it did a pretty good job. You can watch the video below. It might not have shown the exact item, but the options were great.
Imagine the possibility of seeing a celebrity you admire, and you could easily upload a photo of their outfit and quickly piece together something just as good.
Feature #2: Lengthy wishlists become shareable boards
Curated wishlists, known as boards, are a game changer for ASOS customers.
With the ability to have multiple boards, customers can manage items without getting bogged down with huge lists. Now customers can use the boards to curate outfits in separate spaces, perfect if you’re looking to save outfits for work while also trying to collect gym gear. The boards are also shareable, an aspect I love when looking for advice from my better-dressed friends.
By allowing customers to spend a longer time on the site crafting groups of clothes, customers will no doubt place a higher value on the items they’ve so carefully selected. Also, sharing boards with friends could help create a new customer base, as there is no better recommendation than one from a friend.
Feature #3: Suggesting sale pieces on favourited items
How often have you added an item to your wishlist because you loved it, but the price was steep?
ASOS have saved many customers' purchasing dilemma, which is that they might not be able to afford an item right now, so they add it to the wishlist to save for later, perhaps payday. To combat this blocker on purchases, ASOS have included a handy product area called For You on the homepage, which has a selection of categories but one being similar items you’ve liked in the sale.
I didn’t take a screenshot at the time, but also the wishlist area when I had no items in the sale. I was recommended similar items from the sale in that space too. This is a genius idea. Not only does it help the customer buy an item they like and within their budget. But ASOS can clear older stock and maybe create more purchases.
This a prime example of focusing on the customer's needs and pain points.
The team at ASOS are doing a wonderful job, and it shows that when you focus on user problems rather than just metrics of improving purchases, you can’t help but make more sales as a result.
What other great features have you seen on ASOS? What have I missed? Let me know!
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