The next step in online shopping could be greater use of web pages that customers can customize to suit their own preferences. That's the hope for Zappos, which is using in-house technology and developers to introduce such customization on its e-commerce site later this year.
Based on an automated recommendations engine as well as past purchasing behavior, shoppers on Zappos.com will be able to rearrange how they view content by category and style.
"People now say 'Wow' about our customer service, but we want them to say 'Wow' about our website," Brian Kalma, director of user experience, told Internet Retailer. "We see an opportunity for customers to create their own experience on Zappos. When you come to our site, you can determine what you want to see."
The arrival of customization also supports Zappos expansion beyond shoes to apparel and accessories. Online browsers will be able to view complete outfits taken from the site's multiple product categories.
Zappos will also incorporate more social networking into its product pages, making it easier for shoppers to share information with friends through networks like Twitter and Facebook, Mr. Kalma added. In fact, Zappos CEO (identified simply as "Tony") is a frequent Twitter user with over 97,000 followers. His "tweets" range from asides about what he had for dinner to philosophical advice: "Be Humble: 'In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.' - Shunryu Suzuki."
Management is encouraging all of its employees to share information on social networks and to develop their own product videos to share with customers on Zappos.com."This all allows us to create a better emotional connection with customers," Mr. Kalma said.
Discussion Questions: What do you think of the potential for user-customized web pages for e-commerce sites? What do you think will be the next big leap for online shopping?