Summary
Gilt is an
invitation-only lifestyle site that offers highly coveted products and
experiences at insider prices. Each day, Gilt provides its members with a new,
curated selection of merchandise, including apparel, accessories and lifestyle
products for women, men and children, home entertaining and decor, along with
luxury travel packages and fantastic offers on local services and experiences.
Most sales start at noon ET and last only 36 hours, making Gilt an addictive
destination for aspirational shoppers from coast to coast.
To manage their rapid site content turnaround, Gilt needs
modern browser features that grab customer attention at the point-of-sale. It
needs to be fast. 10,000+ members will hit the site in the first minute with
intent to purchase. Through Pinned Sites, they delivered a better web
experience and got more measureable results from them. Users that pinned the
site did more of what Gilt wants them to do:
- Visited 39% more often
- Added 160% more items to their shopping cart
- Completed 45% more sales transactions
That’s why Gilt measures "fast" in terms of customer access
and satisfaction. See the
video on how Esther Park, Senior Product Manager at Gilt, says it.
You can take advantage of pinning features in 15 minutes of
dev time by going to BuildMyPinnedSite.com.
Links in this case study will take you directly to specific MSDN Pinned Sites
sections to learn specifically how to create a similar experience like Gilt
with Code Samples and Demos.
Situation
Timing is key to Gilt’s success. Gilt’s customers are
trend-setters and influentials. Their customers want fast access to the browsing
experience, so they can score that dress they’ve always wanted. They demand
great quality at value prices in a personalized "must-have" shopping
experience. Today’s web browser is sufficient to deliver the content and
complete a secure transaction but it relies on the customer proactively
visiting the site. By the time this happens, the current sale may be already
over. Other emerging technology channels like mobile and social posting are
valuable complimentary experiences that build loyalty but they are less
immersive than the core site experience on the PC, which is where most
purchases occur.
Gilt’s "ideal" customer experience would be more like this:
Trina
prides herself on being "in the know" and being a trendsetter amongst her
friends. Her home town of Boston is trendy in fashion but it’s not quite like
the New York shopping experience she would long for. She found Gilt when one of
her former college friends "liked" it and now she loves it! But she’s busy and
sometimes she misses out on the best sales. On her work PC, she pinned Gilt to
her Taskbar. Now, Gilt notifies her when a sale happens. For 5-10 minutes a day
during her lunch break, she can be a designer label shopper and shake the work
stress for a few minutes. Sometimes she even buys that handbag for a "steal."
The next day, she tracks the shipping at one-click and reads Gilt’s fashion
blog. And there’s always today’s sale to check-out too.
Developers at Gilt look for features that run clean and
simple in platforms that their customers use every day. The designer products
and shopping experience should stand out and the technologies that enable them
should not. Success means getting the customer to engage quickly for the core
sales experience. That means designing a site that supports the pre-sale and
post-sale as well as social experiences that build membership and loyalty.
Gilt chose IE9 as their primary standard for the "modern
web" because of how they measures success in terms of user access and
satisfaction. Pinned Sites features were key differentiators in the
decision-making process because they brought their members back into the
experience when a new sale hits.
Solution
Gilt made a designer site experience to match their designer
products. It feels "fast" because:
Members are Primed for the Sale – Members of Gilt
visit often. They read the Gilt Blog
for fashion trends. Sales run daily. So, Gilt Favicons
feature a slick GiltMAN logo personalized for men’s style. Women get the
classic Gilt logo. About half of consumer usage of the PC is outside the
browser. Now, Gilt’s brand is always visible on the members’ Taskbar. It’s
one-click away.
A Sale Hits – The Taskbar flashes
the Gilt logo when a sale starts. Members are ready for it. Their best 36-Hour
Sales sell-out within 15 minutes! Seconds matter, because 10,000+ members hit
the site within that minute to purchase. Inventory sells out quickly. Those
that pinned the site have an advantage.
Members Come Back Often – Members want to track their
purchase. They want to know if an item they missed is back in-stock. Gilt also
displays new offers through Gilt City and Jetsetter part of their
growth strategy. Static
Jump Lists provide a great solution with quick access for members. Dynamic
Jump Lists track the last 10 viewed products.
E-Commerce and the Modern Browser
Success to Gilt is about great customer access and
satisfaction. They wanted their site to inspire their members and be different
than many of the "utility-like" e-commerce sites.
Customer Value
- Visited 39% more often
- Added 160% more items to their shopping cart
- Completed 45% more sales transactions
Site Experience Benefits
- Built their brand and grew membership loyalty
- Created an inspiring experience that grabs the member at
the point-of-sale
- Built a "faster" experience, getting members what they
wanted
Visit Gilt and See It In Action
Gilt in IE9 is a great
example of the new experiences that are possible with sites at the center.
Members get what they want quickly without the browser getting in the way.
Learn more about how to take advantage of Pinned Sites with
code samples.
Ready to Develop?
Get Started:
Mentioned in this case study:
For More Information
The Gilt Groupe
www.gilt.com
Launched in November 2007, Gilt Groupe has rapidly
established itself as one of the leading online fashion and travel retailers in
the US. Gilt curates a broad range of daily sales for its exclusive,
invitation-only membership. Each sale lasts just 36 hours and features many of
the world's most sought-after designers. Gilt Groupe is headquartered in New
York.
Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer 9
http://www.beautyoftheweb.com/#/startdeveloping/
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