Positioning : Nordstrom.com

Nordstrom.com positions itself as the ultimate destination for fashionable individuals to exclusively shop for their favorite brands. With the use of trend guides, recommendations, a blog and specialized live chats, Nordstrom strives to cater to the needs of all shoppers and visitors. With a large assortment of inventory that can be easily filtered, the site gives visitors the opportunity to control their online experience without being overwhelmed by the product. With over 100+ brands, Nordstrom offers a unique shopping experience for all visitors with distinguishing tastes.

Nordstrom.com - Online Destination For All Shopping Needs

Aesthetics

 

 

 

The imagery of Nordstrom.com displays the overall exclusivity of the retailer. Prevalent colors, trends and silhouettes/ bodies are displayed on the homepage.

 

Visitors experience online specialty shopping with complete access to beautifully crafted look books from high-end designers, mid-tier brands and private labels exclusive to Nordstrom.

Tory Burch Catalog  - Nordstrom.com

Burberry Catalog - Nordstrom.com

The site becomes a high fashion virtual catalog with a large assortment of detailed images for each product. The informative and colorful trend guides gives the shoppers the opportunity to virtually "window shop" while getting detailed information about each product, such as customer reviews, size guides, availability and fabric content.

Trend Report - Nordstrom.com

 

Addressability

When signed in to the site, customers are greeted with a "Welcome (Shopper's name)" message. Each returning customer have their own personalized recommendations page where they can view merchandise recommended to them. These items will be based off of past purchases, browsing history and bestsellers.

Interactivity

Guests can experience customized live chats with stylists specializing in the following areas:

Beauty

High End/Runway Fashion

Weddings/Bridal

Customers are also able to view videos, trend reports and virtual catalogs to get more insight about their favorite product or brand. Nordstrom's True Fit size guide assist customers in finding the right size according to designer/brand and fit, which is another great interactive service.

Control 

Guests can control which items to view or shop for based on price, color, silhouette, trend, availability, brand and class. Being able to filter through the large inventory makes it much easier for browsing. Customers can also read the reviews of others to decide whether a product is the right fit. Speaking of right fit, Nordstrom also offers size charts and fit guides based on the style, designer and silhouette of an item.

 

Getting to Know the Customers: How Nordstrom.com Collects Data

Nordstrom's website uses different avenues to collect information from visitors. Whether you are just browsing the site, or are a returning customer with an account, Nordstrom uses the information collected to cater to each unique guests...

The information collected is personally identifiable information through communications with customers, or through the Nordstrom family of companies, whenever customer interactions take place with us. Regarding e-commerce, some examples include:

• registering for a shopping account or Wish List account
• requesting a catalog or other content from the site
• signing up to the email newsletter
• applying for an account(rewards card)
• interacting with their mobile sites, mobile applications and services

Nordstrom.com may also collect information from third-party firms to further enhance the overall shopping experience and services based on the needs of each customer.. The site also gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. That information in particular may include Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or other device identifiers, browser information, Internet Service Provider (ISP), operating system, location, date/time stamp and clickstream data.

Nordstrom collect such data for a variety of reasons. Mainly, they use customer's personal information to conduct business and to provide guests with the best possible products, services and experience. The information collected provides feedback and gives Nordstrom insight on what opportunities are out there for improvement.

Cookies, Web Beacons and Flash Technology

The website also uses "cookie" and "web beacon" technology. Cookies and web beacons distinguish visitors, track IP addresses and usage of the site, as well as identify the name of the Web site from which guests linked to Nordstrom.com. Non-personally identifiable information obtained through cookies and web beacons may be shared with or obtained by service providers on Nordstrom's behalf. More information is available under Third-Party Advertising Partners. When customers visit the website, Nordstrom may use both a session and a persistent cookie. This Nordstrom-placed cookie may contain information (such as a unique user ID) that is used to track visitor's usage of the sute and in some cases, theire-mail address. E-mail addresses are only saved in this Nordstrom-placed cookie if a customer registers with the site. 

A web beacon captures certain additional types of information about a visitor's actions on a web site, such as a visitor's cookie number, the time, date, duration and number of page views, a description of the page where the Web beacon is placed, and details about any items that were purchased. When registered with Nordstrom, this Nordstrom-placed cookie recognizes visitors when they return to the website and provides them with access to their account information. If you save your information with or order from us, we may also use cookies to monitor and maintain information about your use of our website.

Lastly, the site uses Flash Cookies (also known as Local Stored Objects) or other similar technologies. A Flash cookie is a small data file placed on a computer using Adobe Flash technology that may be built into your computer or downloaded by you to your computer. Nordstrom use these technologies to personalize and enhance the overall online experience, facilitate processes, personalize and store visitor's settings.

Analytics

Nordstrom invested in partnering with JMP software to understand product and brand relationships for customers. The idea is to figure out how to promote the right products and brands to the right customers in hopes of maximizing both customer's happiness and the site's revenue. The site use the analytical data from the JMP software to figure out which segments of customers are more like to buy brand Y after buying brand X. Nordstrom believe they can make better promotion and merchandising decisions while making it easier for customers to find exactly what they want.

Nordstrom emphasized the focus on customer service and part of that customer service is personalization, something that their customers wanted for some time now. Possessing this type of knowledge about a customer will play an increasingly large role in building loyalty. A personalized recommendations page is an idea of creating loyalty for visitors. 

Up until May 8th, Nordstrom used Euclid to collect certain information publicly-broadcast by mobile devices used in and around their stores. This information is anonymized and aggregated by Euclid and used to create analytic reports, which are provided to Nordstrom. Neither Nordstrom nor Euclid will use the customer's mobile device information to personally identify, locate, or contact them. 

If a customer have a Wi-Fi equipped phone AND Wi-Fi is turned on, Euclid's sensors collects their phone's unique MAC address (in hashed form only), manufacturer, and data that is used to estimate its location in relation to the Euclid sensor. Nordstrom use this information only to calculate and analyze customer foot traffic based on these signals sent from shoppers' mobile devices.

Staying on Trend

Nordstrom's Trend Guides

Nordstrom's website offers trend guides for every occasion. These virtual catalogs gives insight on trends based on the season, designer/brand or occasion. Trend guides are available for women, juniors and men and all of the merchandise featured are available on the website. Another strong point is that Nordstrom tries to incorporate all merchandise; clothes, shoes, accessories, make-up and home decor/bed and bath in these guides to cater to the needs of each unique customer.

I think this is a great alternative for those who may prefer to not receive mailings or catalogs with the same information. Customers can view this information on the site while still having access to the inventory and online customer service. All trend guides are very detailed with product information, descriptive writing and eye-catching photos.

Globalization

The site ships to 96 countries

 Nordstrom offers international shopping through a partnership with global e-commerce provider Borderfree. By placing an international order, customers acknowledge that their financial transactions and shipments will be processed by Borderfree.Customer service needs and inquiries however will be handled directly by Nordstrom.

Borderfree partners with online retailers to sell internationally by providing international customers with access to products found in the United States. Borderfree allows local currency prices to be visible throughout Nordstrom.com and makes the final total (including customs tariffs, taxes and shipping fees) visible to the customers during checkout. Borderfree also enables Nordstrom to take advantage of a shipping network that delivers packages quickly and reliably to global customers.

Customers first select the International Shopping link at the bottom of any page on Nordstrom's site and choose their shipping destination and preferred currency. All Nordstrom prices will automatically be converted into the selected currency.

Shopping Cart with Swiss Franc currency

 When  proceeding to Checkout, the customer's secure transaction will be completed with Borderfree. Borderfree will calculate and display a guaranteed order total, including all shipping costs and any applicable duties and taxes.

Once the transaction is complete, Nordstrom will ship the item to the Borderfree shipping hub in the United States. Borderfree then ships all orders to its final international destination.

Customers may ship to a specific country but pay with a different country's currency. If a specific country is not country listed, that means Nordstrom is currently unable to ship to that destination.

Exchange Rates

Foreign exchange rates are determined by Borderfree and are based on interbank rates of exchange. These rates correspond with the average aggregate exchange rates that would otherwise be applied in an e-commerce transaction.

Nordstrom.com updates exchange rates on a daily basis. Customers will receive a message if exchange rates have been updated while they are shopping.

 

Duties & Taxes

Order totals are guaranteed at the exchange rate set when the order is placed. International taxes, tariffs and value-added tax (VAT) will be calculated into your final order total during Checkout and can be viewed under Duties & Taxes.

Duty, customs tariffs and VAT are set by the destination country. They are determined based on the purchased merchandise's country of origin or manufacturing and the classification of that merchandise in accordance with a harmonized system adopted and used by the countries that Borderfree supports. The amount of applicable duty, tariffs, taxes and VAT will vary by country and will be determined and guaranteed by Borderfree during Checkout.

 

Payment Methods

Nordstrom.com accepts Nordstrom Visa®, Visa and MasterCard for international orders. Customer's credit card will be billed by Borderfree when their packages is shipped to its final international destination. 'BF*Nordstrom' will appear on their credit card statement. Nordstrom retail cards, Nordstrom debit cards, Nordstrom Gift Cards and Nordstrom Notes® are not accepted at this time.

 

Shipping Options & Charges

International shipping costs are calculated based on a number of factors, including the chosen service level (Standard/Express), the number of purchased items, the weight of the items and the destination country postal code. During Checkout, international shipping costs will be calculated and guaranteed by Borderfree based on the items you are purchasing and your shipping destination.

Unfortunately, Nordstrom does not offer free shipping to international destinations, even for Fashion Rewards® members.

International customers may ship to multiple addresses by placing a separate order for each shipping address. The site cannot ship single international orders to multiple addresses however.

 

Shipping Timeline

Most in-stock items will arrive 5-13 business days after receipt of an order. A shipping timeline specific to the customer's destination can be viewed in Checkout.

 

Returns & Exchanges

Nordstrom does not offer merchandise exchanges on orders shipped internationally.

International orders must be returned via Borderfree and must be authorized using a Return Merchandise Authorization form. Customers can contact Customer Service to process that form and receive shipment documentation. Refunds on international orders include duties, taxes and tariffs when sent with this form to Borderfree. Borderfree will credit the customer's account upon receipt of the merchandise at the international hub.

Merchandising

Nordstrom's website has a very large selection of merchandise from over 100 brands, from mid-tier to high fashion. What sets the e-commerce site apart from their brick and mortar store is that some selections are offered exclusively on their site or completely difficult to find at a retail store. This can be a huge plus if customers would rather shop online to avoid the crowds, long lines and the travel. However, this could be a disadvantage if the customer would rather feel and try on the merchandise. Luckily, Nordstrom.com offers size guides and customer reviews to ease the anxiety and indecisiveness of online shoppers.

Assortment 

Customers can shop for merchandise in a variety of ways. The most popular ways are by product, brand, style, and price. The are the first options you will see on the screen. You can later do more filtering through the inventory by searching based on color, size, availability, length, height or occasion. For the "availability" feature, customers can shop for items based on store availability. This is a great way to get to know the merchandise; specifications, attributes, etc and from there you can go to the store to purchase or call the store to have the item placed on hold. While Macys.com tell customers whether a specific item is available in store within the product description, you are not able to shop or filter through merchandise  based on "Store Availability" like you can with Nordstrom. This feature shows customers in real time where a product is available and when they can expect to receive. Utilizing this real-time data service for customers has proven to increase same-store sales for Nordstrom and beaten the department store average.

Some designer collaborations in the "Specialty Shops" tab of the site are available online only. This is a great way to keep customers on the e-commerce site which creates exclusivity for the brand.

 

Sizing

Nordstrom offers clothing for men, women and children. Women's clothes are broken up by Misses, Petite, Plus and Maternity. Men are broken up by Regular and Big & Tall. For children, Nordstrom offers merchandise for Babies, Big Kids and Teens. Juniors sizing is a great alternative for women who like to look youthful in her apparel or teens who want to look a little grown up, without looking too "old". It is important to keep in mind however that sizing differs according to some brands, especially high fashion brands where the sizing is cut smaller than normal. Some apparel may fit larger than what the label says as well.

Pricing

Prices are not different from the prices offered in their retail stores. However I believe that the retail stores offer more deals and discounts than they do on the website. For certain items, the prices are comparable to that of other websites, such as Macys, Endless and Lord & Taylor.I believe this is why Nordstrom drives most of its business with exclusive merchandise; things you can't find anywhere else. Both Macys and Nordstrom can carry merchandise by Sam Edleman, but Nordstrom might request Sam Edleman to construct a shoe with details or specs exclusive to Nordstrom only and may be priced at a competitive price point.

One suggestion I would make is for Nordstrom to offer some sort of discounts to online customers. This will help drive online sales. Even something as little as 15% off a purchase (excluding certain brands) would make a huge difference for customers.