Usability Review: Product Image Rich Media
Many good ecommerce Web sites know that the product details page can have a material say in whether customers stick around — and even whether they come back. Customers like to learn as much as possible about a product before buying, and product details pages can allow customer to explore a product.
One of my favorite examples is the product details page for the Amazon Kindle. As you can see below, this page includes zoom features for the images, as well as a video about the Kindle.
On top of that, the Amazon Kindle product details page offers additional rich media that allows you to spin the Kindle 360 degrees in a pop-out window.
Another example I like is this product details page from Blue Nile. The zoom feature comes up where the original picture was, rather than as a pop-up. I think I like this better. It’s great for a jewelry ecommerce Web site, since it includes a small ruler to the right of the zoom image so that you can see actual size.
Another good example of the different views feature is this, from Gap. You can choose different views to see how the clothing would fit. For a clothing ecommerce Web site, this is an excellent feature, since it gives the customer an idea of how the clothing might look when actually worn.
One product details page that I was disappointed in is this one from FYE. All this product detail page offers is a zoom option to look at the video game cover closer. A video game is an excellent opportunity to include rich media, such as a brief video. Even different stills from game play would be an improvement. While it is important to include sections on requirements and features, and it was good of FYE to do so, I was hoping for a little bit more to give me a better idea of what the game looks like.
Here are some more examples of product detail pages. Which are obviously interactive? Which are patently boring? Which ecommerce Web site would you be more likely to purchase products from?
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Tags: ecommerce shoppers, ecommerce Web site, online shoppers, product details, product details page, product reviews
Posted by Miranda | February 13, 2008
Linda Bustos February 13th, 2008
Nice work, Miranda! Definitely Web 2.0 has made the online shopping experience more enjoyable and less risky when you can view multiple images of a product, zoom in/out and so on, even if some people find it difficult to figure out the first time.
Adam Creare February 14th, 2008
Multiple images is definitely an advantage, because if you’re going to buy something from a shop, you’d often spend time examining the whole of the product to ensure there’s no part of it you don’t like. For example mobile phones. A good e-commerce site would show you the back of the phone and the side of it so you can determine the width.
However, I think the most influential web 2.0 feature of e-commerce is user reviews. Amazon has included this perfectly which is why I shop there most often. When you buy a DVD from the high street you don’t have the help of dozens of previous customers to give you the good and bad points about the product you’re deciding to buy or not. And the ability to rate reviews goes even further to validate the accurateness of someone’s review.
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Miranda February 14th, 2008
Thanks for your good points! Web 2.0 is all about the customer, and catering to his or her needs. You must be a prophet, Adam, because user reviews are what I’m working on right now…
Tevfik Bülent Öngün February 15th, 2008
Amazon and GAP seems more user friendly than others. But I favor Gap as it blends technology with style.
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Miranda February 15th, 2008
Yes. I liked those two as well Tevfik, for much the same reasons…
Russell Fine March 19th, 2008
This list is also useful to people developing an advanced search for non-ecommerce sites. We’re developing a content-heavy site and it gave me great ideas…. Thanks!
Mehboob April 25th, 2008
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