5 Top Shopping Sites - 'Charge It!'

by Crystal Armstrong

Online & Mobile Marketing, #EXSM5513

ECommerce, For Most of Us, It's Just Called 'Shopping Online'

I am an online 'Power Shopper' meaning, that I like to access a website, search, find and get out quick. Search-ability, visual impact, continuity, a clean layout and no wait times mean a lot to a consumer profile such as mine and this criteria is rarely met in a 'Bricks and Mortar' store - hence my preference for e-commerce as a rule.

The following stores are ones I frequent regularly for purchases and are popular in my social network. How do you feel about them - do you agree with my synopsis?

The products available:

Beyond the Rack is an online discount store whose main purpose is to provide access to designer goods at up to 80% Off retail pricing. It offers everything from clothes (Men/Women/Children), shoes, accessories, costume jewelry and limited home decor/goods.

How easy/difficult it is to search 

This site is very easy to search, providing fantastic visual displays of products, multiple views in some case and search options including category, gender, size, price and type. 

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Adding to the cart is quite easy - at the touch of a button and you have the option to 'edit cart' at any time but, items are only ' cashed or held' for a limited time in members carts and will time out if you do not process you sale at the end of the countdown.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

 I enjoy the ease of shopping, sorting/searching and cash out that this site provides. Even the timed cash-out feature is a bit of thrill but, should the item time-out and not be redeemed by another consumer, you are sent a reminder email on items you are interested in to re-ignite your cash-out (great after sale follow up)

Things I don't like:

This site absolutely required membership to view and shop before you buy! This annoys me as a consumer as I like the option to decide if I like the club before I commit to membership. Shipping times can also be an issue in addition to some quality concerns by online users (yes, I have had this occasionally myself but the return process is quite good)

Overall rating: Although it is a winner in my world, ratings site Reseller ratings show a consumer rating of 2.1/10 with over 21,058 consumers weighing in. Looks like there is some room for improvement on this ecommerce site across the board.

The products available:

Joss & Main is a member only online shopping site for designer home, furniture, decor accents and lifestyle accessories. The brand categories are curated, themed, highly visual and limited-time offerings with a finite supply, creating a feeling of urgency in buyers. In other words, Chintz & Company quality but with ease of shopping, no attitude and great prices'

How easy/difficult it is to search 

You don't really 'search' per say on this site. You visually feast on attractive images, click the 'Shop Now' and see what takes your fancy by clicking on single items by category/price and availability.

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Adding to the cart is quite easy - at the touch of a button and you have the option to 'edit cart' at any time but, items are only ' cashed or held' for a limited time in members carts and will time out if you do not process you sale at the end of the countdown.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

 I enjoy the ease of shopping, sorting/searching and cash out that this site provides. Even the timed cash-out feature is a bit of thrill but, should the item time-out and not be redeemed by another consumer, you are sent a reminder email on items you are interested in to re-ignite your cash-out (great after sale follow up)

Things I don't like:

This site absolutely required membership to view and shop before you even view the site! A true Fail in my world but, the items are so good, I committed anyway! Membership pays seems to be their mantra and it seems to be working!

Overall rating: This is a highly rated ecommerce site who is obviously doing it right with luxe item service. Ratings site Reseller ratings rate it 8.44/10 with over 8,312 reviews.

The products available:

This American e-commerce company, the largest of it's kind in this country, originally started as an online bookstore, but has since diversified to include electronics, clothing, household items and has separate websites for countries spanning the globe.

How easy/difficult it is to search 

If you can think of a way to search, this site has it! Category, name, author, item and a built in ratings system complete with intuitive suggestions of 'add on' items like ' other shoppers who purchased this item also viewed' and finally, upon signing in, it recalls search histories.

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Very easy shopping options with 'Add to cart' options and allows you to continue shopping or cash out with ease. Editing cart is also simple and if you do not cash out at this time, it saves you purchases allowing you to come back and commit later.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

Shipping is often free which is a plus but, the site has grown so large that it is getting ugly and confusing to look at and there are so many search tabs that it is also detracting from the experience to a degree. 

I do like the intuitive suggestions and often buy them - Success to them. The reviews however are a little irregular at times so, I take those with a grain of salt but, do read them.

Overall rating: I do trust and rely on this site for all sorts of purchases but.  the customer experience has deteriorated as they have grown bigger. Ratings site Reseller ratings rate it 5.45/10 with over 27.021 reviews with most consumers agreeing that consumer access to assistance post purchase has decreased.

The products available:

Toys for children and adults.

How easy/difficult it is to search 

Great search options: search bar, name, make, gender, age, category, learning, theme - this site also allows segregation by price, gift and top selections by popularity.

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Very easy shopping options with 'Add to cart' options and allows you to continue shopping or cash out with ease. Editing cart is also simple and if you do not cash out at this time, it saves you purchases allowing you to come back and commit later.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

This is one of the best sites I use - 'Child's play' on all fronts: cash out, shipping, shopping searching and returns/tracking. 

With the Christmas season upon us, the 'up sell' banners are distracting and overwhelming in my opinion but, every consumer is different.

Overall rating: I do trust and rely on this site completely and have had nothing but good experiences.

The products available:

A travel site offering discounting flights, hotels, vacation packages/experiences and car rentals.

How easy/difficult it is to search 

Very easy to search by need, category, deals, location and dates and searches across multiple hotel/costs airline and travel sites to get you the best deals available for travel quickly and efficiently. It also has a search bar to allow search by ratings or specific name of hotels/airlines or by rating.

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Very easy to add things to cart but, careful attention must be paid to ensure you are fully aware of constraints, cancellations and times.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

I love that it is a 'one shop stop'. my experiences are always good and the customer service is awesome! 

I always verify ratings with Trip Advisor to see the consensus of real photos/ratings of properties/resorts before I go as there are many sponsors on this site. Other than that, I have no issues.

Overall rating: I have had a great experience with them and always book my travel through this site.  After service is also wonderful and changes can be made online or with one call. Great service and highly recomended.


What are your favorite or 'most hated' ecommerce sites and why do they rate in your mind? Send us a note in the comment section of this blog and follow us for more exciting ecommerce updates here or on twitter: @getsocialmkt1

Keep Shopping!