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Case Study: Next: makes it simple to shop the range from a mobile phone

Inspirational images help Next communicate its range

Inspirational images help Next communicate its range

Next makes it easy for shoppers to find and buy the clothing and homewares they want from their mobile phone, whether that’s by browsing its range through infinite scrolling or searching for a specific item through a range of filters.

Those looking for women’s clothing, for example, can find the item they want through navigation that signposts brands, category, range and more. From each category they can then narrow down their search, applying nine filters from colour, material and size through to price.

Search is predictive while the retailer also stands out in IRUK Top500 research for its use of infinite scrolling on its mobile website, as well as predictive search, daily deals and recommendations on its mobile app. Shoppers can choose different sort orders and choose how many items they view on a page.

From the product detail page, shoppers can easily see star ratings and click to see reviews. Some products have as many as five images though others have only one.

Speaking at IRX 2018, Rob Pearson, head of personalisation for Next, said personalisation was growing in importance as a way to engage with shoppers. “Personalisation can really drive differentiation in the short term, giving customers more of what they want and less of what they don’t, but may soon become the norm,” he said. “The larger the product range, the more important personalisation will become. It has evolved to find what’s best for the individual, not the masses.”

He said it was important for Next to design its customer experience for the different groups of shoppers that it has, not just for its typical customer, the woman who buys clothing and homewares both for herself and for her family. “We have other customers, who shop from Lipsy, who buy male fashion, who are kid-focused, said Pearson. “We need to engage with each while they are shopping the range – if we don’t start personalising things for people we run the risk of losing them.”

As yet, said Pearson, Next was still early on in its personalisation journey. It will continue testing and adding to its work to set up new experiences. “Data now fuels getting that insider knowledge of the customer, and what’s right for the experience.”

But, he added: “It’s important to prioritise. You can drown in the data, but it helps you to understand what’s working and what’s not.”

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