Interactive Content Spotlight: Isabella Oliver, Sephora, LOFT

LOFT – Horoscopes

What it is: An interactive brand experience

Why We love it: Some of the best online campaigns are the ones that don’t take themselves too seriously. Their first priority for these is to entertain, and then to sell. These experiences make a splash in the eCommerce landscape. The Loft’s horoscope experience is testament to the value of “fun” in content. Shoppers can click through an interactive astrology wheel to select their sign, and are served up weekly, monthly, and annual horoscopes. It’s a delightful and personal way to reach shoppers. An embedded video brings an added level of interactivity, and customers can click “Shop Your Sign” to discover a full collection just for them.

What it’s missing: Curating a collection for every sign is a smart way to tie commerce into this content piece. But, it would be more effective if shoppers weren’t directed to a separate product grid to shop. This experience is so entertaining and innovative shoppers will want to stay on the page. Incorporating a sliding carousel featuring the clothes (with integrated quickviews for instant shopping) will make it easy to buy without leaving the page. 

Isabella Oliver - #IsabellaOliverMama

What it is: Shoppable user generated content

Why we love it: User generated content is a powerful conversion driver. Ultimately, consumers trust other consumers most. Seeing how beautiful a fellow shopper looks in a blouse is a much stronger purchase motivation than seeing a carefully posed model. Isabella Oliver’s Instagram UGC experience not only provides a compelling reason to buy with confidence, but styling inspiration as well. Customers can see exactly how an Isabella Oliver outfit can come together. What really makes this online campaign such a success is how shoppable it is. Every item is easily purchased through integrated quickviews, allowing shoppers to stay on the page and continue their product discovery.

What it’s missing: We recommend adding brief editorial content to this experience to continue the inspiration. Short style tips and tricks will not only be useful to the shopper, but it would give them an extra element to explore, keeping them on the page and boosting engagement metrics. 

Sephora – Foundation Finder

What it is: A shoppable digital quiz

Why We love it: For cosmetic products that often require testing before purchase, selling online can be difficult. Shoppers often lack the confidence to commit to the buy because they’re unsure of how a product will work for them. In a store, they would turn to a sales rep for guidance; online, a digital quiz can be just as effective. Sephora’s foundation quiz uses a series of questions to guide shoppers to the right foundation product for them, helpfully narrowing a large volume of potential items to just a handful. It’s interactive and effective, taking the guesswork out of shopping and making the product discovery process easy and fast.

What it’s missing: The quiz itself is fun, graphic, and perfectly on brand. But the final landing page is a simple product grid. We recommend incorporating elements like gifs, videos, and even user generated content to make the final product reveal page dynamic and entertaining. Shoppers should feel just as engaged with the results as they were with the actual quiz process. 

The North Face – She Moves Mountains

What it is: An editorial experience

Why we love it: The North Face uses editorial content, video, and sliding carousels to bring their brand to life. The “She Moves Mountains” campaign tells the unique stories of five different women, and does so through richly visual elements. The page is interesting, interactive, and easily navigated. But what makes it so powerful is how it defines the brand and its values, allowing shoppers to forge a connection that goes beyond products. Editorial content like this establishes and strengthens the brand-customer relationship, showcasing to shoppers that they’re not just buying clothes, they’re buying into a lifestyle. The North Face makes a powerful statement with this experience, and gives their brand a voice.

What it’s missing: North Face products are included in the photography of this experience, but if a user falls in love with a sports bra or leggings, they have no way to make a purchase. Adding shoppability to these images through quickviews is a subtle way to enable purchases without undercutting the spirit of the campaign.