6 Examples of Creativity in Ecommerce

I decided it was time to write a fun blog showcasing different aspects of creativity that I’ve seen on my travels in ecommerce. Some of these have come from tweets from the EcomChat group and I’ve done my best to reference the sources where my memory permits.

This blog leads into next week’s #EcomChat on ‘Creativity in ecommerce’, sponsored by our digital friends at Blueleaf. They’ve just released the latest in their ‘Inspiring Great Retail’ (IGR) report series, focused on two key topics; creativity in ecommerce and ecommerce payments. You can view the report online or download for free here.

What do I mean by creativity?

I’m using the following definition:

“the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination”

[source: Dictionary.com]

 

For me this encompasses the spirit of digital creativity, as many examples aren’t building something completely unique, they’re building on known patterns and providing a different take, so the creativity is in how the websites tap into known user behaviours but do so in a fresh, engaging way.

So here are my 6 examples, feel free to disagree and/or share your own examples with a brief explanation of why you think they’re creative.

1. Instant play product video

Lush product pages load with HTML5 video playing alongside a neatly designed product image and purchase tab. I like how the video brings the page to life without interrupting the user journey – I don’t need to click/press anything to stop the video, it’s there in the background if I want to watch. Take a peek and tell me what you think.

2. Polarising product copy

Love it or hate it, Palace Skateboards nails distinct (and at times incomprehensible to the non skater boi) product copy. The line that seals its place in this blog is “AND MY TWISTER IN THE FREEZER”. It’s far more subtle than the preceding copy, yet it’s the casual but well crafted social reference that will appeal to the intended audience.

Thanks to @danbarker for originally sharing this website.

I was going to reference J Peterman but I think I’ve used that example to death over the years, though I still think they’re one of the best examples of creative product copywriting I’ve ever come across.

3. Distinctive visual style

I confess that if I were a woman (op not yet complete), I’d spend far too much money shopping online at Freepeople. It’s a site I just love to browse and see how it evolves. In my opinion, they have developed a sharp, distinctive and easily recognisable visual style. Note the visual flourishes around the core product and lifestyle photography; they bring the page to life. The images display well on all devices including retina screens.

The site wide footer also demonstrates this. Site footers are relatively vanilla across most sites, often nothing more than handy link zones. Freepeople has added a few flourishing touches.

4. Prominent value messaging

Zappos has 10 core values that are promoted across the site and there is a persistent ‘Zappos family core values’ bar in the site wide navigation that changes each time you load the page to ensure the messages rotate for each user. It’s a neat way of reminding people that there is integrity to the brand without interrupting the core user journeys.

5. A picture paints a thousand words

Taking an example from the IGR report, Bellroy has attracted positive coverage for its innovative way of communicating products USPs. The core premise of its slim wallets is that you can fit much more in than the conventional wallet, and it’s still slimmer. It achieves this with a slick interactive section in the ‘Slim your wallet’ story page, where the user can also scroll to learn more about the story behind the product.

6. Standing out from the crowd.

Rei.com has taken a refreshing, and to some extent bold, approach to Black Friday; it has opted out entirely and launched a subdomain to promote this at optoutside.rei.com. This works for the brand because it aligns with its product; outdoor clothing. And this is why I think it’s creative; they’ve taken a common event, reviewed its relevance/appropriateness to the brand and created a campaign that is a complete juxtaposition to most retailers.

The campaign is carried through to the main website where it proudly displays the number of people who have chosen to opt out with the Rei team, encouraging you to join them. It’s like a Rebel Alliance gathering for an assault on the Death Star.

I like the menu option to ‘Explore the outdoors’ where you can find places near you to opt-out too and make Black Friday an outdoor day. As someone who works with many retailers but still finds Black Friday a rather soulless pursuit of consumerism, I salute this point of difference, although I realise that opting out of the event is untenable for many due to competitive trading pressures and shareholder demands.

Thanks to @LordManley for tweeting about this on #EcomChat.

Parting thoughts

There’s a nice quote from Rob in the IGR report that sums up the key challenge with creativity in the digital space; the need to ensure that being creative isn’t at the expense of solid UX.

“Creativity is often one of the most controversial areas in our industry. We all recognize the need to be creative within the marketplace. It can create standout value from the crowd, which is especially valuable in today’s noisy marketplace. We also recognize that best practice plays a significant role in ecommerce; for creativity to contravene user experience best practice is a dangerous area, and one only for the bravest retailers.”

Your view

How do you define creativity for ecommerce websites? What examples can you share of brands who are doing things that get your admiration and attention? I’d love to compile a list through the comments.

And don’t forget your free copy of Blueleaf’s IGR report, there are some useful nuggets to beg, steal and borrow.

Thanks, James.