What makes a website click?
Footwear & Leather Goods Today Magazine
March 2000

What is the formula for a successful website?
Quality content, well-balanced graphics, easy navigation, plus appropriate and reliable technology. It sounds simple enough, but this is precisely why there are far more bad websites than good ones on the Internet. The important thing to remember when embarking on your Internet identity is 'Less is More'. Stick with this philosophy and you can't go far wrong. Visitors will mentally strip a website down to its bare essentials, so why confuse your message with unnecessary animation, graphics and slogans? Subtle colours, limited fonts, easy navigation and small images will contribute to a sophisticated, fast loading presence that will be a professional reflection of your company.

Here are some examples that illustrate the point:

www.shoeworld.com

Shoeworld.com is Europe's leading information directory focusing on footwear and fashion for a complete Internet shoe-shopping experience. Endorsed by the BFA and Footwear and Leather Goods Today magazine, Shoeworld.com holds a certain kudos in the industry as well as on the web. Now nearly five years old, this site boasts established audiences, high search engine listings, well maintained, quality content and user friendly design. Links from a variety of directories including hard to find footwear, appointments in the industry and the cream of shoe-shopping sites, point browsers in the best directions on the web, rather than wading through the thousands of footwear matches on popular search engines. Shoeworld.com provides serious, effective online advertising for independents and large companies alike.

www.ecco.com/uk

This is a big-budget site which incorporates the current collection, company news and some great interactivity: try the amazing 360-degree animated product view - it's the nearest thing you can do to physically handling a shoe. The design is dynamic and innovative without being too complicated, which demonstrates a real conscience to the needs of the individual browser. Ecco claims that technology and good, old-fashioned craftsmanship has helped take the company where it is today; their website supports this manifesto.

www.rainbow-club.co.uk

Rainbow Club is the UK's leading bridal footwear company specialising in dyable shoes and accessories. Although it is not in the major league of aesthetic websites, it uses the latest technology effectively and purposefully. Visit the 'Colour Studio' and use your mouse to scale up and down the colour palette: watch the products change shade according to your own personal requirements.

www.nike.com

Nike has created a major breakthrough in Internet-innovation. The concept is called Nike ID and the facility is available to anyone with Internet access. Specially written software enables the customer to modify the shoe's base and accent colours and add their own eight-character name. The system is easy to use (providing your fingers aren't quivering too much in anticipation!); the only disadvantage being the long wait as the design program loads up. In spite of this, the new service has been greatly acclaimed as the Internet's latest gimmick and given the rate at which technology races along with consumer demand, no doubt more customised product facilities will follow hot on Nike's heels.

www.jonesbootmaker.com

This site is understated functionality at it's best. Focusing on customer needs, the website is a dream to use; straightforward, quick and appealing with clear information, search facility, excellent product images, secure online transactions, free delivery and professional service. If it 'aint broke, why fix it?

And the award for the web's worst footwear site goes to:

www.rubyslippers.net

This site illustrates exactly how wrong a website can go. Enthusiasm for a great product line, searchable database and online shopping has turned into the website equivalent of lost property in a launderette: colours galore, HTML overload, dreadful, slow loading backgrounds and assorted fonts demonstrates absolutely no evidence of composition, design restraint or worse of all, company credibility.

Realising the importance of professional branding and website usability are the crucial elements that lead to the re-birth of a company as an e-business. Although many retailers still doggedly rely on the web's 'touch and feel' limitations of shoe buying, technology is rapidly proving this argument to be outdated and shortsighted. Consumers can now design their own footwear, alter the colour of a shoe, rotate products 360-degrees and significantly reduce the chances of sizing errors and returns through the use of downloadable measuring devices and committed customer support. As current trends forecast the next generation of shoppers will consider it the norm to buy by computer, footwear companies should keep their websites simple, evolve with technology, remain focused ... and stay online.

Web Retail Wars
Footwear & Leather Goods Today Magazine
February 2000

Hardly a week goes by now without a large retailer announcing it's going online. While many companies are embracing visions of developing their Internet identity, a greater number are lagging behind in turning that vision into reality.

In today's global retail marketplace, successful chains are steadily beginning to understand the power of the Internet. The Doubting Thomases of the footwear industry should realise that the web won't threaten a brand's existence, but without even a modest Internet presence it will face certain alienation. In 1995, when there were a scant 19 million Internet users, the American Research company IDC predicted a new economy built on a base of over 1 billion people connected to the Internet by 2005. Today, there are over 200 million online.

Internet retailing is fast becoming conventional wisdom. It has the potential to generate new markets, customers and revenues; service individual consumers' wants and needs; provide 24/365 access to products; eliminate time and geographic barriers; provide retailers with knowledge that can be used to improve overall profitability; and create new lower cost structures.

However, due to confusing media coverage, the Internet and online shopping have presented the retailer with twin visions of heaven and hell. Too often in the past companies felt bullied into creating their online presence and their internet experience tells a tale: unrealistic expectations, low consumer traffic, poor web design, difficult navigation, low transaction volume or lack of cohesion with other corporate projects. Building a website is a long-term commitment that will require time and maintenance. By itself, a website provides little or no benefit without a business plan in place to ensure that the new venture achieves the desired goal. Who would seriously consider setting up a traditional organisation without careful preparation, investment, marketing and staffing? The important questions to ask are:

E-commerce soared from the fringes to the mainstream for businesses and individuals in 1999: now in the year 2000, consumers can take advantage of cheap appliances, free Internet access services, devices, and software, and web-enabled mobile phones. The predicted shift of women from an online minority to parity also contributes to the positive statistics, as well as secure transaction facilities and international diversity.

As the Internet is growing at such an phenomenal rate on the corporate front, companies now enjoy the benefits of working within the structure of directories which boast retail experience, established audiences, knowledge of the evolving internet user, and high listings in the major search engines. John Griffiths, managing director of Internet software supplier Intershop claims, "There is no reason why retailers should be fearful of taking advantage of what the Internet has to offer. They are not going to be overwhelmed by technical details and there's nothing inherently different about selling on the Internet to selling on the high street." With hindsight, it is incredible to think how many businesses are still waiting to develop their Internet strategies, when all around them the success stories have been valued at millions of dollars...

Footwear Comes of Age on the Web
Footwear & Leather Goods Today Magazine
January 2000

As the Internet retailing debate steps up a pace, Footwear and Leather News Today charts the progress of the latest Internet project to revolutionise the shoe industry, Shoe-shop.com. Conceived by Stuart Paver (Pavers Ltd) and Steve Cochrane (Psyche, Middlesborough based fashion retailer), the new shopping website promises to be the footwear category killer on the Internet.

The investment by Psyche and Pavers Ltd, together with substantial funding from other partners, will allow them to offer the world's top footwear brands from one virtual shoe shop. The fully transactional website is forecasted to launch with over 10,000 products, with an expected turnover of over £20 million within the first four years of business.

Supporting the theory that customers should be able to obtain what they want, whenever they want, Shoe-shop.com guarantees a quick and professional online shopping experience using the latest Intershop 4 technology and a very expensive server. Speed, service, selection and savings will feature most prominently, along with consistent branding, interactive retailing, free delivery and a no quibble money back guarantee. The Shoe-shop.com 24/365 virtual sales assistant will be happy to assist you with any information (she is never too busy discussing her love life to be bothered to look! ). Ask her to find a ladies court shoe in pink, size 2, between £40 and £50 and she will bring a variety of options within seconds.

The project already boasts agreements with major footwear manufacturers including Loake, Grenson, Ecco, Padders, Rhode, Base, Jeffrey West, Van-Dal and are on their way to doubling the expected 15 brands available at launch. Talks are currently under way to establish a European distribution facility in either Holland or Germany to service the whole European mail order market.

"Conventional retailing is limited to the amount of people that can enter the store," says Cochrane, a confirmed e-commerce disciple with an extensive online product range for his own store, "Traditional mail order requires sometimes lengthy telephone conversations or order filling and posting. Web ordering is much more user-friendly and fun, and has no time constraints. Also a terrestrial shoe store can only stock a limited range and has high running costs, whereas a cyberspace store can carry an unlimited range and is much more effective to run. As more and more consumers log on and appreciate the benefits of e-commerce, there will be a lot of pressure on the accepted model of High Street retail."

Experienced in the running of one of the Internet's leading web development companies, Paver's information portal Shoeworld.com will be a key marketing avenue for Shoe-shop.com.

Divided into two directories, consumer and trade, Shoeworld.com is Europe's largest online footwear resource centre on the Internet. The consumer directory now concentrates on fashion and shoe-related resources as well as promoting footwear websites. The content changes and increases daily: popular features include current trends, links to virtual shoe galleries, how to find illusive footwear and the 'Site of the Week' award. A commitment to the industry is endorsed by the British Footwear Association who feature regularly in the trade directory along with comprehensive listings of organisations, fairs, factories, appointments in the industry, educational links, financial information and trade-related articles.

Shoeworld.com recently won the category of Most Innovative Retailer this year among nominations that included Camper and Agnello & Davide.

"…With the potentials of product sales over the Internet only having come to full fruition over the last year, Stuart Paver's Shoeworld.com website was a clear contender for the Most Innovative category. The choice of brands offered - from classic to specialist, Grenson to Birkenstock - is excellent, the site is easy for visitors to navigate and buying couldn't be simpler. Production values are excellent and execution is superb." (Press release taken from the UK Footwear Awards publication.)

Shoeworld's invaluable 14,000 weekly visitors will be channeled to the new shopping site, in addition to the audience created by an online and traditional marketing budget of £500,000. Reciprocal links from both sites will encourage greater exposure and an enhanced shopping environment.

The formula that makes for a successful online store not only has to offer unique attractions, but also brand perception, technology, information and the professional confidence that is only attained through experience and conviction. Whilst many retailers are still skeptical of the Internet's potential, Paver and Cochrane seem determined to provide the most attractive retail framework the WWW has seen to date.