Views > website review


Best foot forward


By Richard Jackson


Subtle might look nice, but to become a runaway success, Running Bare could do with a stronger emphasis on branding


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unning Bare (www.runningbare. co.uk) is an ecommerce site that sells sports clothing, accessories


and footwear for women. Having stumbled upon a sportswear heaven during a backpacking


trip to Australia, the founders wanted to bring the whole shop back to the UK with them, and were inspired to launch their first physical Running Bare store in London in 2004. Since then, runningbare.co.uk has developed into an online store serving shoppers across the nation.


First impressions The look-and-feel is light, airy and easy to


engage with. The effect is a feminine, but not overly girly website. At first, Running Bare seems to be just a reseller for the Fitflop brand, but on closer inspection, a wide range of other sports-related products can be found on sale. Currently all the design elements on the


site, including the blog, are off-the-shelf—an imported theme set up on an existing asp. net ecommerce platform—with minimal investment from a brand perspective. Most of the features affecting user experience are inherent within the platform itself, rather than developed by Running Bare. Therefore, my first recommendation would be to develop a stronger brand with a distinct Running Bare personality—without losing the spirit of the current design. Because Running Bare clearly wants to


position itself as a lifestyle brand, the site would benefit from more imagery, and more lifestyle- related content; at the moment the site is very heavy on product information. Graphically, the Best Sellers and New Arrivals could be promoted more heavily and the blog and testimonials could also stand out a bit more.


On the homepage, the search function and the shopping basket could be more prominent, and the links to products in the bottom panel are too subtle. The copy is also quite a way beneath the fold, so visitors are likely to ignore it.


Products


The site features a simple drop- down navigation to find and view products. Shoppers can choose to navigate based on product type, by sport, or by brand. When visitors to the site select a category, such as products suitable for yoga, or products from a particular brand, the site displays a list of products with images and prices. I feel that these pages could be improved not only to make the shopping experience more enjoyable, but also to justify the relatively high price of some of the branded products. By showcasing a particular brand and its origins, quality control, or other key attributes, it could possibly soften the price a little and allow Running Bare to convert more visitors into customers. Likewise, the main page for a particular sport, such as yoga, could give general information about the sport and the lifestyle it represents, and encourage shoppers to identify with this image and form of exercise. The actual product pages display clear product images with standard zoom functionality. Directions for purchasing a particular product could be simpler though; currently the call-to-action instructs customers “To buy, click on a box on the grid below”, which seems to complicate the process. It is too easy to accidentally add two items to your basket—by simultaneously selecting two sizes—and not realise it. There is a nice pop-up box for the basket that can take you straight to checkout if you’re ready to purchase. However, if you add a product to the basket and close the basket, there’s no easy way to checkout from the page—this could perhaps be improved. On a positive note, the site features a “Refer a friend” email function, and a quick, relevant “Other customers bought” cross-selling section.


Direct Commerce Catalogue e-business www.catalog-biz.com Shopping basket


and checkout The shopping basket is simple, clear and easy to update. The discount functionality is nicely visible and there is clear upsell for other products. It’s easy to register as a new user, to sign in as a registered user, or to continue checking out as a nonsubscriber. The checkout process itself is simple but only if you are a member; it might put off shoppers who do not wish to register on the site. There is quite a lot of content on the checkout page, and too many pages in the checkout on the whole. The button that allows you to progress could be more obvious, too. I also assumed UK would be first on the


country list. It’s not. This is a small, but annoying detail. The site could definitely make more of an upsell on the free delivery for orders over £30—possibly a flag that comes up to let me know it’s delivered free if I hit £30, to encourage conversion? Payment methods are clearly displayed on the checkout screen. There are also nice triggered emails set up; I placed something in my shopping cart but didn’t complete the purchase, which was promptly followed up by an email asking whether I had any questions or if I had had any technical problems with making a purchase.


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