Blog: Who took your online fashion cherry?
- Published: 07 August 2008 14:35
- Author: Sushma Sagar
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- Last Updated: 11 August 2008 11:10
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You may be surprised to hear this, but until last week I had never bought any fashion online.
I'm not quite as suspicious as my mum and am happy to have a go on Amazon for CDs and gadgets, but when it comes to clothes and shoes, I really need to get up close, touch them and know that the things I'm buying (call me old fashioned) fit. The prospect of returns seems like too much hassle and I guess I just hadn't met the right site who I trusted enough.
Well that was until last week when I happened upon www.ninaandlola.com. The belated, evolutionary jolt in my shopping habits that ensued took me quite by surprise and the whole process taught me a few lessons in how to get a cynical, marketing-savvy, bargain-hunting fashionista onside.
The main reason I was drawn to the site was the tone of voice. It was warm, informed and friendly - wonderfully normal. No spin or marketing spiel. Then after that, there was the quirky choice of products, from specially chosen vintage to a whole host of small designers I had vaguely heard of but hadn't seen anywhere else, so it felt like a bit of a secret.
The site was set up so I could mine instantly through to what was relevant – so in my case it was 'sale' and then 'size.' The choice immediately decreased to a manageable 10 things. All it took was three clicks in three seconds and I now had a big crush on a Peter Jensen Skirt. There were no flat shots but some products had catwalk snaps and all were modelled on the vintage mannequin "lola" so you could see how items actually looked on. It made the difference between a sale and a browse.
In addition to this the account set up and payment was incredibly quick. I was emailed instantly with a picture of my purchase and all the delivery details laid out simply. Again the personal tone straight from Nina's mouth, was everything and probably the closest online experience to being in a boutique you are likely to find.
So there you have it - Nina and Lola took my online fashion cherry and I really enjoyed it!
