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Zend launched a new Varien designed and coded Framework site today, you can check out the new design at zendframework.com. The redesign came about as Zend was releasing the biggest update to its Framework since the 1.0 version, and wanted the site to reflect the big update. Varien redesigned the site to match the occasion, while still keeping the navigation and layout of the site as people were used to. Varien also produced the HTML coding for the redesign.

This follows other work Varien has done for Zend, including the redesign of the main site, Zend.com, and more.

I really like this Abe Books advanced search page. Book ecommerce Web sites, as you will see, remain the last strong bastion of what are considered “advanced search pages.”

You can see all the great search options that allow you to narrow it down to exactly what you are looking for. No searching through pages of results of nothing more than vague keyword matches. Some other features of this advanced search page include:

• Fully navigable to the rest of the Web site.
• Ability to look at top search terms (for inspiration).
• Capability of sorting results how you want them (price, relevance, etc.)
• Various options uniquely applicable to the ecommerce business.

This sort of page makes online ecommerce shopping much easier and more enjoyable.

Barnes and Noble also offers a good advanced search page. I especially like the tabbed advanced search, allowing you to search different types of media.

I like that Chapters.indigo.ca offers tips for more effective search on its advanced search page.

One thing that I’ve been finding in terms of advanced search pages is that they are becoming rare among ecommerce Web sites. Out of the top Web sites for usability, very few had the advanced search option. Instead, the “refine search” option is taking its place. This PC Connection page is a good example of how “refined search” is taking over.

You can see, above, how off to the side all of the fields that might be included on advanced search pages to narrow things down a bit are included. You can choose categories, and you can choose how to sort the search results from a sidebar. Of course, this means that you have to type in broad keywords to get to a starting point, and then narrow it down.

Coach offers search that I am not terribly fond of. It just flops of pictures of everything that matches, with no attempt to refine further. I do like all the images, which make it easy to instantly see whether you like something, but it is hard to narrow the results.

Below, see more examples of advanced search pages, and “refined search” options. Which do you prefer? Would you rather start broad and work from there? Or would you rather narrow the search immediately? With too much narrowing, I think, there is the possibility that you could miss something that you would otherwise find when you start broad.

Abt

Ace Hardware

Amazon

Apple

Art.com

Audible

Brooks Brothers

Bulbs

Drugstore.com

FYE

Gap

Home Depot

HP Shopping

Kohls

Oneida

I’ve found a few ecommerce Web sites that really make a big deal of offering gift registries — especially for weddings and babies. But other events — birthdays, housewarming parties, anniversaries — are getting play as well in terms of gift registries.

One of the more interesting experiences is signing up for gift registries. I did this when I got married (don’t be fooled by the false information you’ll see later), but I didn’t do it online. You’ll see several of the sign up pages included on this post as well.

My first example is from the Kohl’s ecommerce Web site:

You can see above that it is possible to choose what kind of event the registry is for. It is also possible to leave a message for your guests. I’m not sure what sort of message I’d leave, but I guess some people find this feature useful.

Many ecommerce Web sites that offer multiple gift registries allow you to manage your registries, offering a page that gives you access to your options. I like this idea, since it gives you an overall view of what you have, and makes it easier to keep track of your gift registries by event.

Finally, the list above shows some features that a good gift registry should have:

• Clearly states who the gift registry is for.
• Provides visuals of the items.
• Gives pricing information.
• Offers the option to order from the gift registry (to shop to recipient).
• Provides information as to how many of each item has been requested.
• Keeps track of what has been bought already for the recipient.
• Option for a printer-friendly version of the gift registry.

Amazon also provides a good examples of gift registries. One thing I like about Amazon’s registry is that when you sign up, you can choose a “ship-to” address from your account information. Many of the other ecommerce gift registries made me fill this information in all over again, even though it was already in my account.

JC Penney offers a great example of a value-added gift registry. As you can see, this particular gift registry allows you to choose free “event cards” when you sign up. Additionally, the barcode at the top of the registry makes it easy to keep track of items that are purchased in the store — provided the gift-giver brings the list for scanning, of course.

Viva Terra is one of those sites that requires a new gift registry account. As you can see, a pop-up was involved. I don’t really like the idea of a separate gift registry account, since it adds yet another online shopping item to sign up for. However, I do find it interesting that Viva Terra offers the option to require a guest password to see the registry.

Macy’s gift registry sort turned me off. I do like the gift registry manager that the store has, but I thought that the sign up was a bit long. Indeed, the sign up page was so long and involved that it was impossible to get a screenshot of the entire thing. And it seems to me that asking how many guests are coming seems a little superfluous.

Here are some more ecommerce gift registries. On those that offer interesting sign up features, I’ve included those screenshots as well.

Anthropologie

Buy.com

Crate and Barrel

Lillian Vernon

Moosejaw

Oneida

REI

Wal-Mart

As usual, Amazon.com manages to steal the show with its awesome wishlist capability. As you can see below, Amazon offers a variety of different list options in addition to the generically named “wishlist.”

You can see some of the great features highlighted on the Amazon wishlist:

• Ability to add to cart from the wishlist.
• Images of items in the wishlist.
• Option to email list to friends, providing them with gift ideas.
• Ability to make the wishlist private, so only invitees can look at the list.
• Possibility to set priority for items in wishlist.
• Option to create a new wishlist and name it (multiple wishlists).
• Navigate to other parts of the ecommerce Web site.
• Allows you to choose number desired.
• Keeps track of whether the item has been purchased.

Amazon does not, however, remove items from the wishlist when they have been purchased; hardly any of the wishlists do this.

Skechers is another good example of a wishlist. This ecommerce Web site also allows you to name your wishlist and create multiple lists. The drop-down menu makes it easy to switch between lists.

Another interesting ecommerce wishlist page is the Coach page. This combines the wishlist with the gift registry, and allows you to specify which event you would like certain items for.

Blue Nile increases the social media aspect of sharing wishlists by allowing you to use Facebook to post your wishlist.

Some ecommerce Web sites, like PacSun, have you create a wishlist account. This means that you have a separate account for your wishlist, in addition to the account you set up with the Web site.

Here are some more ecommerce wishlists. Which do you think allow the best online shopping and customer usability?

6 PM

Abercrombie and Fitch

ABT

Ace Hardware

Altrec

Art.com

Audible

Barnes and Noble

Delightful Deliveries

Drugstore.com

Karmaloop

Netflix

Swell

Vivre

Email newsletters offer great opportunities for highlighting products and services, as well as creating a sense of urgency for a potential customer (special 24-hour Internet-only sale!). And, if done with personalized linking, it is possible to offer customers great deals on products and services they actually want. Unfortunately, most of the email newsletters I received did not address my personal preferences.

One of the exceptions is Amazon. When my husband bought me a piece of jewelry off Amazon, the company began sending me email newsletters geared toward the jewelry line:

Other aspects of this email newsletter that I enjoyed include the following:

• Ability to go to shopping cart from the email.
• Additional products I might be interested in.
• Visible savings.

However, despite the fact that this email was aimed at a personal preference, it wasn’t personalized with my name. That sort of bothered me, since the point of personalized email newsletters is to personalize them.

Perhaps PacSun did a better overall job with its email newsletter. It offers full ecommerce Web site navigation, as well as options for better email viewing, signing up (in case a friend forwarded the email) and to unsubscribe to the list. Additionally, there are customer service links in this email newsletter, including to live help.

Cafe Press sent this email in a timely fashion, advertising its St. Patrick’s Day merchandise. This is a smart idea, since the email newsletter arrived early enough that I can receive any ordered items in time for the holiday. Timeliness is a good trait for email newsletters. Additionally, note the “send to friend” option:

Ace Hardware offers a full search function from the email newsletter, which is something I like.

One that I thought interesting was this from the Food Network store. I’m not sure whether it was my browser or what, but something went awry with the picture.

Here are some more email newsletters. What do you think of them?

1-800 Flowers

Altrec

Brooks Brothers

Dale and Thomas

eBay

FTD

J.Crew

Lancome

Levenger

Netflix

Skechers

Vivre

Altrec has a rather “ultimate” customer service landing page:

Some of the aspects of this customer landing page that I find especially helpful include:

• Full navigation
• Live help (Altrec includes pictures of the associates)
• Ability to login to your account
• FAQs to help with common concerns
• Easy to find phone numbers and email addresses

Another interesting customer service landing page that I enjoyed is this from Apple. Apple includes access to a rich media video tutorial and an easy-to-find “search” function:

ABT.com includes an option for Spanish help. In a country where Spanish is becoming increasingly spoken, this is a wise move.

In a rather interesting move, Best Kiteboarding has opted not to have a customer service landing page. Instead, customer service options appear as part of the drop-down menu when one is on the main page.

Here are some more customer service landing pages. What do you think of them? Are any missing “must-have” characteristics? Which are done really well?

Amazon

Coach

Ecampus

FYE

Guess

JC Penney

Karma Loop

KL Wines

Kohls

Nike

PC Universe

PlumberSurplus.com

Repair Clinic

Stacks and Stacks

Swell

Vera Bradley

A “welcome” email confirms to the customer that s/he has, indeed, signed up. And for the ecommerce Web site, it can be a great marketing tool. After reading all of these registration emails, I can see how an etailer can get added value from sending the right kind of “welcome” email.

Examples of “welcome” emails

One of my favorite examples of a great “welcome” email is this registration email from Ace Hardware:

As you can see above, there are some opportunities for deep, personalized email linking. Here are some of the other good qualities for “welcome” emails:

• Search right from the email.
• Personalized with the customer’s name.
• Attractive picture with logo.
• Special promotion offer for ordering from the etailer.
• Link for another version if the customer can’t see links or images.
• Unsubscribe link, since often when you register you sign up for email newsletters and offers.
• Doesn’t include the password for security reasons.

Blue Nile also offers a special. You can refer a friend, and receive a discount. These kinds of offers in the “welcome” email can encourage wider ecommerce marketing efforts and help you spread your brand through word of mouth.

By far the most image-rich “welcome” email I received was from Altrec. Not only does this ecommerce Web site send a rather colorful registration message, it includes pictures of customer services representatives. This is really taking the customer service email linking to the next level. Indeed, it might even be verging on the superfluous.

One “welcome” email that I wasn’t overly fond of was this, from Abe Books. While email linking does appear (a ton of it!), the email is just too long. I had to give up reading it. And there are no images to help break up the text.

Here are some more examples of “welcome” emails. What do you like about them? Can you see any that could use serious improvement?

AE.com:

American Stationery:

Brooks Brothers:

CafePress:

Drugstore.com:

Home Depot:

J. Crew:

Lancome USA:

Moosejaw:

Netflix:

PacSun:

Shutterfly:

Skechers:

Sony Style:

Vivre:

Wal-Mart:

I think this Abercromie & Fitch page offers a good example.

Some of the features that make this confirmation page a good example include the following:

• Full navigation to the rest of the ecommerce Web site.
• Includes tax and shipping, offering the whole total to be paid.
• Alternative payment (in this case a gift card) option.
• Picture of the item, so you can verify the product.
• Addresses (note: mine is fake) of shipping and billing, for verification.
• Progress bar so that you can see how far along you are in the process.

One thing that is missing, that I would like to see on the above Abercrombie “confirm order” page is the ability to change quantities in the cart.

As you can see below, Drugstore.com does offer the option to change quantities inside the cart. I also like that this page reminds you of the gift wrap option and allows you to look at your credit card information (also fake in my examples). The security measure showing only the last four digits is a good move as well.

Another “confirm order” page I find interesting is this page from Palm. This is, in fact, the final step before submitting an order. But because you have to sign up for a service package, even when buying smart phones online, a credit check is run. So in addition to entering your basic credit card information, you also have to enter information used in a credit check. I like how Palm explains the purpose of this step in the checkout process.

This page includes the payment option of a check. This is quite interesting to me, since it is rare to see an ecommerce Web site that accepts a check. Unfortunately, I think it looks a little “busy” with all the blank lines. I don’t know if I like filling everything and placing the order without being able to review it before finalizing.

Netflix offers a rather interesting “confirm order” page. If you are a member, you have the option of having automatic billing to your credit card. When you go to buy a DVD from those offered for sale, a pop-up appears, asking you to confirm automatic billing to your card — and shipping to the same address your rental movies are sent to.

Here are more examples of “confirm order” pages. What do you like, or dislike about them?

Ace Hardware:

Amazon:

Anthropologie:

Art.com:

Audible:

Cabela’s:

Coach:

Crate and Barrel:

Delightful Deliveries:

J. Crew:

Lancome USA:

Overstock:

PacSun:

Sony Style

Vivre: