London, UK (PRWEB) June 20, 2007
Following on from the recent successful openings of stores in High Street Kensington, Reading, and Knightsbridge, UNIQLO has now turned its attention to the on-line market place. Under the expert guidance of London & New York based web design agency Pod1 this will be UNIQLO’s first UK e-commerce website.
The website has been designed and built by Pod1 to focus on both the customer and product experience. Using the very latest web design technology the site provides the same high level of service enjoyed in store.
The all new UNIQLO website includes Pod1′s proprietary Single Page Checkout (One Page Check Out). This will be the first time a UK e-commerce site has used an Ajax based one page checkout. The Single Page Check-out (One Page Check Out) application was designed to eliminate the occurrences of customer drop off during the buying process by quite literally condensing it using Ajax, onto one single web page. The basic idea is that the customer can navigate through the checkout process all on one page as opposed to the usual 3 or 4 pages of forms.
Fadi Shuman, Co-founder of Pod1 says, “The single page checkout process is forecast to deliver conversion rates which are up to 50% higher than multiple page formats by reducing the number of abandoned baskets. This will in turn lead to a much better ROI for the client”.
Pod1 designed the UNIQLO website with the highest accessibility standards in mind, which means although the site uses JavaScript for many features and functions, users without JavaScript or with it disabled are still able to navigate and use all areas of the site. This removes the need for any patronising messages telling users they must have JavaScript enabled or Flash installed to view the site! Another huge benefit of this ‘pure’ HTML version of every page on the site means it makes it extremely search engine friendly which is vitally important for an all new ecommerce site in an extremely competitive market area.
Other features include; The ‘Quick buy function’ which speeds up traditional online shopping by allowing customers to add items to their shopping bag without being taken away from the product listing, allowing them to easily make a selection just as they would walking around a bricks and mortar store.
The on site search facility, which along with filters for category, gender, size and price, also allows users to ‘Search by colour’. This gives customers the option to search the entire collection for specific colours across all product categories or narrow it down using the other filters.
The ‘Extra fine zoom function’ allows details such as fabric texture, buttons and stitching to be easily viewed. This eliminates a problem which is really frustrating on many shopping websites and should help reduce the number of returns.
Adding a funkier designer edge to the site’s offering is ‘The UT Collection’ section. This showcases UNIQLO’s designer range of T-shirts in their own uniquely designed microsite, with over 1000 different designs being displayed over the course of the year by renowned artists, designers, photographers and musicians. These include; Terry Richardson who also shot the campaign, Nobuyoshi Araki, Solve Sundsbo and Alison Mosshart.
Background on Pod1
Pod1 is a specialist web design, development and online marketing agency.
Pod1 is an established, award-winning, web design agency, building high-impact, creatively inspiring websites which deliver highly profitable business results for clients with a clear focus on usability and accessibility. Pod1′s aim is to create web sites and online marketing campaigns that impress, inform and effectively communicate the right message to the digital audience.
Pod1 is a London and New York-based independent web design agency and has been providing expert web design & build, technical development and online marketing services for the last five years. Established in 2001 the company has continued to go from strength to strength while building an impressive client portfolio and award list along the way.
Ranked in the top 100 UK Design Companies, by Design Week magazine (June 2007), Pod1 continues to supply the very best in creative and technical expertise.
Background on UNIQLO
An unwavering focus on quality and value, has guided UNIQLO’s actions since the establishment of its first store in 1984 in Hiroshima, Japan. Today UNIQLO has grown to over 760 stores worldwide and has become Japan’s leading casual clothing retail chain in terms of both sales and profits.
UNIQLO is committed to providing customers with true excellence and innovation in casual-wear, from the design and functionality to the fit and colour choices. As a company, UNIQLO controls every stage of the creation of its products, from the fabric used to their stringent production control programme.
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Pod1 Launches Single Page Checkout E-shop for UNIQLO, Japan's Largest Casual Clothing Retail Chain
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