As the UK’s largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer, selling more than 80,000 branded products from more than 800 brands, presentation has always been key for Asos .
The company works hard to inspire its customers with content that goes beyond stock images to include the Asos Magazine. This is a monthly trend, styling and celebrity-content magazine sent as a print version to more than 475,000 customers and in digital format to a further 50,000. The latter is sent via Asos’ Fashion Up app, which allows all products featured in the magazine to be bought from the site.
Shoppers can also be inspired by the Asos stylists – who customers can follow on social media and chat with via Twitter or live chat. So far, 850,000 customers have signed up to follow the stylists globally.
Asos offers customers the chance to inspire their peers with its AsSeenOnMe feature, launched in 2014, which allows shoppers to upload their own looks and add tags so that other shoppers are able to emulate the look. Engagement is key and, as of October, Asos now has 12m followers across its social channels, and publishes more than 2,000 pieces of fashion and lifestyle content every month to build brand awareness.
Asos provides comprehensive information at the browsing stage. As well as standard static images, shoppers are also able to ‘view the catwalk’, launching short video clips of models wearing the products. Additional detail is provided, from type of material to fit, washing instructions and sizes worn by the model viewed. Various products also allow shoppers to shop the look, allowing them to add similar items. The retailer also offers full social sharing with Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook Like and Facebook Shares and Google Plus social buttons below each products.
Shoppers are able to save items, compare and send gift lists, and since 2014 have also been provided with a relevant product edit based on their purchase and browsing histories.
The company launched a zonal pricing capability this year, which has now been implemented on 113 brands across six countries as of October. The move has seen volume uplifts as a result.
Mobile is hugely important, with 44% of orders placed via the channel, and localised versions of its app launched for France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia earlier this year, and China in September. The company has also launched a ‘New in’ app in the UK and Denmark, an Apple Watch app and a mobile news website, ‘ASOS Likes’.
Its international sites are also tailored to each market, with country-specific sites and product ranges. “This doesn’t simply mean rearranging the items we already sell on the website. It means we buy, and plan differently, for our customers around the world,” says Asos on its site.
