A Cast of Thousands
1200 choices in a point-and-click layout.
Client: Alfred Sung Bridesmaids
Web Site: www.alfredsungdresses.com
Challenge: How do you provide consumers with access to over 1,000 possible outfits, using the Internet? And keep the door open for search engine optimization, site growth and future Internet marketing efforts?
Answer: Create a lean, striking site design and build in a fast-loading, data-driven Flash interface that lets visitors build their own outfits. And code to HTML and CSS2 standards, for the best user experience and search marketing potential.
Background: Too much of a good thing?
Alfred Sung is renowned for clean, classic designs, and for creating options that sophisticated consumers can appreciate. Their new line of bridesmaid separates was no exception: Six tops, six skirts, and thirty-six colors, all available in any combination. That makes for at least 1,296 possible outfits.
In theory, the range of choices was compelling. In practice, though, Alfred Sung needed a web site as simple and beautiful as their styles. They also needed a site that allowed consumers to see the whole range of options available to them, without creating confusion. The challenge, then, was to create an impression of classy simplicity, in a functional design that allowed visitors to make thousands of choices.
Portent needed to marry information architecture and design, without sacrificing potential search engine marketability.
Solved: Web Standards, Plus Dynamic Flash
Portent created a split design, featuring styles and a clean, photographic look at the top of the page and supplemental information at the bottom. The split screen let consumers get right to what they wanted to see first – the dresses – and then dig deeper without navigating to another page.
A database-driven Flash ‘separates finder’ lets consumers choose tops, skirts and then colors by clicking on a simple palette.
Portent then built the site in compliance with web standards, with a hybrid of HTML and CSS2.
Easy to Use, Marketable, Maintainable
AlfredSungDresses.com grabs attention the moment you arrive, and then delivers easy, fast access to every possible style combination.
After only two weeks, the site was in Google’s top 10 for ‘bridesmaid separates’.
Alfred Sung Dresses is already providing valuable data on the most popular colors and styles, to provide our client with valuable, usable data for next year’s manufacturing run. And it’s delivering real-time referrals to qualified retailers across North America.
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