A brief case study of the retail brand Lifestyle's Splash website and recommendations on how it can be improved (As of 2017)

1. WEBSITE
ENHANCEMENT

2. A well designed website needs to
Clearly direct the
user
Provide a memorable
experience
Interactive –
demanding customer
participation
Distinguished
online services
from competitors

3. Strength Opportunity
Weakness Threat
• Incorporating customer
reviews
• Create a distinguishing
factor not offered by
competitors
• Leveraging new trends
using social media
• Value migration
(Users may move to
other online
websites that
provide a more
wholesome
experience)
• No customer reviews
• No distinguishing
factor
• Not enough social
media leverage
• Simple non-cluttered
design
• Pleasant colors
• Ease of operation
• Directs the user well
SWOT Analysis

4. Certain important services
provided are lost or not
prominent enough, due to the
size of the text/the lack of
vibrant colors
• Click and collect
• Free delivery
4. Highlighting certain
key options
Remove the images that
appear when we hover over
the section and the menu is
displayed.
The word “Shoes” need not
be backed with an image of
a shoe. Increases
redundancy
3. Discard menu images
Although there is a section
that is dedicated for offers,
this should be incorporated
even while simply browsing
products to drive impulse
buys
2. Ribbon Overlays
If a majority of the money
comes from search, then you
should make it easier for
visitors to find the search
bar.
• Increasing the size
• Aligning it to the center
• Emphasizing on border/fill
color of the bar to make it
stand out
1. Search Bar
Some changes that can be made
to the current website

5. 1. Search Bar
2. Ribbon Overlays
3. Discard menu images

6. D
C
B
A
INCOROPRATING CUSTOMER REVIEWS
To influence users from other customers’ experience and
increase credibility
LEVERAGING INFLUENCE OF RISING
FASHION BLOGGERS ON INSTAGRAM
To stay on top of changing user personas and trends
SHOP THE LOOK
To drive bulk buys and help customers to style
ADDING “RECOMMENDED LOOKS”
To increase the product attractiveness
Simultaneously incorporating these 4 simple recommendations would help in:
• Repositioning the website as a styling plus product service
• Keeping the website linked to customer trends
• Distinguishing the website from competitors
• Increasing the brand’s credibility
Recommendations

7. More than 65% of consumers conduct
online product research before stepping
foot in a store,
90% of customers read online reviews
before visiting a business
Recommendation A
Incorporating Customer Reviews
88% of customers trust online reviews as
much as personal recommendations
72% say that positive reviews make them
rust a business more

8. Customer reviews help build the credibility of the
product
92% of users will use a business/product if it has at
least a 4 star rating
Almost all major shopping websites have
customer reviews for their products
Consumers are likely to spend 31% more on a
business with excellent reviews

9. We need to drive the users to write and share reviews on the product
Amazon used to drive customers to write reviews through amazon gift cards
Certain amount of investment in incentives would help solve this problem
Although a review section exists on the page, there are no reviews

10. Set up profiles on multiple review sites
Gift cards/additional points to their shopping cards/
for excellent reviews with photographs on a
monthly basis
Incorporate a simple one click 4-star system after delivery
of the product
Start from within the company, encouraging employees to leave reviews
for products they have shopped for. An empty review section creates a
more negative impression and with a couple of reviews, more would tend
to follow

11. RECOMMENDATION B,C & D
PROVIDING A
DISTINGUISHING FACTOR

12. BENEFITS
Where are competitors enjoy advantage
and market share
COMMODITY
Where competition is high and there is
no distinguishing factor between them
REPUTATION
Where there is extreme customer loyalty
When a product or a service is offered by all competitors in the same manner with
not much room for differentiation, the product tends to become a commodity.
Three – Layer Model

13. Need to bank on customer loyalty and
brand awareness to keep growing
Why are online websites becoming a
commodity
01
03
05
04
02
Changes can be easily adopted without
much capital investment
Not much room for differentiation
Most websites have similar functions and layouts
Every competitor is emphasizing on online retail
Online websites, necessary as they are, are now a default requirement for consumers.
For a commodity to be chosen by a consumer, it needs to distinguish itself from its competitors

14. • Relationships need to be
built with customers
• This can be done by
providing them additional
service which go hand in
hand with the core
competency of the
current service
• For example: A customer
does not want a drill,
they want a hole
• Going a step ahead and
figuring out what they
customer needs from the
product is key
Find new jobs to be done Provide service for new
jobs
First mover advantage
Online websites, necessary as they are, are now a default requirement for consumers.
For a commodity to be chosen by a consumer, it needs to distinguish itself from its
competitors
Providing the whole
product experience
Whole Product Experience

15. New job to be done by Fashion
website like Splash?
How can we do this using just
the online website
Include the following sections:
• Recommended looks
• Shop the look
• Styles on Instagram
How can we draw this
together?
Splash’s core competency is providing
trendy fashionable products
We need to incorporate these
products with styles which go beyond
the look book
What do customers look for
–
Job to be done?
Not just a product
A style
A way to use that product fashionably

16. Example of a product

17. A recommended looks section below the product can include pictures of how to style
the product on your own

18. Shop the look option which follows the recommended look option will style the product
for you
The product should be styled in different
ways and a few options can be offered
All complementary options should be other
in-house Splash products
The “Shop the look” option would move all
the products from the style into the cart
for checkout

19. Hovering over the whole outfit should display its individual components and the
price. A small discount could be offered for shopping the whole look rather than
individual products

20. Sample page would look like
Checkout &
other delivery
detailsProduct
Description
Recommended Looks Shop the look
Customer Reviews

21. Styles on Instagram could be a new section that replaces the traditional look book
This section should consolidate all fashion bloggers and magazines on Instagram who
use “Splash” products to style
Fashion bloggers on Instagram are
Influencers
Splash and other Landmark Group
websites do not have an option on the
website for Instagram (options for
Facebook & Twitter are available)
Not leveraging Instagram which poses
as a huge platform for fashion would
prove to be detrimental
Partnering with Fashion bloggers and
magazines who wear and market the
product to their followers would be a
beneficial in helping bringing in new
customers while also showing them
how to style the product

22. Serve as a one-stop shop
to customers
Help contribute to
the bottom line
Creates a
memorable
experience
Satisfies customer’s
requirement
ADVANTAGES
First mover
advantage

23. TO TEST IF MY RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD WORK I CONDUCTED
Primary research by taking surveys to assess customer preferences for
the specified recommendations
Test market – Duke University – Pratt School, Fuqua School, Divinity
College, Law School
Demographic and market size – 10 men, 10 women
age group : 17-30
Men said they would visit a
website with “Shop the Look”
option
6 of 10
Women said that they worl visit
a website if it had
“Recommended Looks”
9 of 10

24. TESTIMONIALS
“Shop the look seems
like a fantastic idea. I
won’t have to think
much into what to pair
my top with what
accessories! That’s half
my time saved “- Jen
Wen Chang
“I like the idea of the
Styles of Instagram
section as a it would give
me fashion advice for my
selection of choice” –
Animesh Roy
“Recommended Looks- Its
like my personal fashion
consultant!!” –
Stephanie Smith

25. GAYATHRI SRINIVASAN
linkedin.com/in/gayathri-srinivasan
gayathri.srinivasan@duke.edu
Duke University
Master in Engineering Management
FOCUS: Product Management
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