Retailer websites getting summer makeovers

Perhaps as a response to the statistics showing that online shopping is slowing, several major retailers including Victoria's Secret Direct, Linens 'n Things, Aerosoles and Edwards Luggage are sprucing up their websites this summer adding enhanced functionality that embraces Web 2.0 concepts of interactivity.

They're not alone. The RIS Retail Technology Study reveals that over half of retailers upgrading their web sites over the next two years are seeking to make sites more interactive and easy to use. Some of the improvements that online retailers are looking at include more logical search and navigation, finely tuned recommendations, product comparisons and reviews, live chat and the formation of social communities.  The new Aerosoles site for example, will include advanced shoe imaging and photo manipulation control and specialized search and navigation designed specifically for shoe inventory. Customer satisfaction on the web is also important to these retailers. Ace Hardware's website measures the satisfaction of customers both when they are browsing the site and after they have bought a product. They can use this information to help make changes on the website. Like the upgrades that take place in traditional bricks-and-mortar stores, what matters most is that the shopper has a pleasant experience and comes back again.