Victoria's Secret...On the first date?!?!

Most of us associate Victoria’s Secret apparel with something we’d wear on the third date. You know, something black or pink (or PINK) and lacy or sheer – something sexy. Before writing this blog post, I knew from stealing my roommate’s Victoria’s Secret catalogue that the company also sells clothing. But the website blew me away! The top of the homepage includes links to bras and panties (we knew that), sleepwear and lounge attire, clothing, shoes, swim, beauty, sales and specials, and PINK wear. This is a Victoria’s Secret like I’ve never seen it – I had no idea that they had so much inventory and selection!

The homepage and website as a whole is easy to navigate and set against a crisp, clean white background. The space on the page is well-designed and aesthetically pleasing. The homepage features sales, specials, and news, such as swimwear sales, free bonuses with purchase, and fall fashion previews. The bottom of the page includes a variety of relevant and helpful links, including “Check Order Status”, “Customer Service”, “Request a Catalogue”, “Find a Store Near You”, and “Angel Card”. The homepage itself matches the brand, and successfully straddles the line between sexy and pragmatic.

With Victoria’s Secret offering more than just third-date apparel, I wanted to find out what my user experience on the site and product variety would be if I wanted to find a cute top for a first or second date. I clicked on “clothing”, and was directed to a new page in which “Tops & Tees $14 & Up” was featured most prominently. In a sidebar, items were grouped into categories: Sexy Steals, Features, Destination Summer, Dresses, Tops & Tees, Shirts & Blouses, Sweaters, Pants, Yoga & Loungewear, Shorts, Denim, Skirts, Suit Separates, Jackets & Coats, and Handbags & Accessories. The sidebar remained present on each page of Women’s Clothing.

I followed the “Tops & Tees” link, clicked on a babydoll tee, and used a size chart to determine the correct size for me. After that, I selected one of the many available colors, as well as the quantity, and added the shirt to my bag (adding to a wishlist was also an option). Following the add, I was given a suggested list of items “we think you’ll also love”.

All in all, I really enjoyed the Victoria’s Secret site. Its design was organic, well organized, easy to navigate, and subtly sexy throughout. I was impressed by the wide variety of merchandise (fifteen pages of tops & tees, and over twenty new styles of denim!). I believe it would be fun, easy, and overall enjoyable to select a first or second date outfit using the site, not to mention an outfit for the beach, a night out on the town, the perfect pumps, or a lip gloss for the perfect pout. Check out the site today, and soon you’ll be the sight to be seen!

Victoria's Secret

Written by: Lauren Blackwell - SpeedUSA Group Resident Blogger

Looking Good!

If you haven’t already been to Zappos.com, it’s definitely a go-to site to check out when searching for that perfect first date outfit. My top three reasons to love Zappos.com are as follows: their new home page, “Zeta”, their culture, and the site’s fantastic selection of items and search/filtering system.

Home Page

“Zeta” kicks the old homepage’s butt! Instead of the old home page focus on shoes, Zeta organizes items into categories delineated by pictures and links to subcategories (ie. “Women’s Clothing” links to tops, shorts, skirts, etc.). Zeta also features a “View All Departments” click-down menu in the top left corner, as well as an alphabetical brand index across the top of the page.

The bottom of the page features “What’s New” and “Top Sellers” categories sorted by Men’s, Women’s, and Kids’, as well as a “Find What You Need Quickly” section sorted by gender, special interest, and specialty site.

The homepage also publicizes some of Zappos’ uber cool policies, such as free shipping, free returns, and free return shipping, 24/7 customer service, weekly free clothing give-aways, and Zappos’ safe shopping guarantee.

Culture

Zappos is renowned in business circles for the entrepreneurial values which led to its tremendous growth and success. Zappos’ core values include, “deliver WOW through service”, “embrace and drive change”, and “create fun and a little weirdness”, and it succeeds at all three.

The site is personal, fun, and creative, with blogs on topics ranging from snacks to movies to exercise, videos, such as “How Big is Pat’s Noggin?”, and videos of real people sharing their Zappos stories. Additional features include twitter links, community involvement projects, customer testimonials, and pictures of “furry customers” and “customers-in-training”.

Women’s Clothing

Zappos has a ridiculously specific search system. When searching for Women’s Clothing, one can narrow down by item type, popular items, or a quick search feature which searches items by style, size, width, and color. Additional means of narrowing down include searching clothing category, specialty size, brand, new and sale items, and recommended items.

If you’re looking for a perfect first-date dress, click “Dresses”, and prepare to be amazed! You can narrow your choices by dress type (A-line, empire, high waist dresses, etc.), size, color, brand, and price. Below this feature, 20 pages of dresses are shown, and may be sorted by newest, most popular, name, low price, and high price.

Once you find the dress of your dreams, Zappos provides product information, complete with a glossary of terms, as well as “Add to Favorites”, “Share This Product”, and “Tell a Friend” features. Reviews are enabled, and brand information is included. Customers may even opt to be notified by email when new styles of the brand are added to the site. Zappos also offers free overnight shipping on clothing.

Zappos.com

Written by: Lauren Blackwell - SpeedUSA Group Resident Blogger