My first online experience with
Indigo was sending an email and hearing back from CEO
Heather Reisman herself – quickly and yes, it was definitely her.
My first experience with online shopping was purchasing books from Indigo. I think I was one of the first customers when the e-commerce site was launched. I made sure my order qualified for free shipping and I was delighted when the package arrived at my doorstep.
The company was way a head of the curve both in terms of online customer service and as a Canadian e-commerce pioneer.
I’ve been a loyal fan. I frequent their bricks and mortar stores and am a card-carrying
iRewards member. To be honest, I much prefer the tactile experience of shopping at my neighbourhood store over shopping online but that’s not a reflection of their website. I’ll shop online when I’m pressed for time. I’ll also shop online when I want to buy gifts for friends or relatives who live across the country.
Three weeks ago, when I saw a tweet with a link to Indigo’s new website, I immediately clicked over to check it out. I quite like the redesigned site’s fresh new look – it’s unique from their competitors; supports the integration of
blogs, Facebook and Twitter; and, offers independent authors the ability to have their books published and distributed in partnership with
iUniverse.
A few days later I was delighted to receive an invitation from Tuulie and Katie at
MS&L to attend the media launch at Indigo’s head office. The event focused on new website features and holiday gift items, just in time for the start of the holiday shopping season.
Indigo now offers their entire gift, paper and toy inventory (including electronic games and consoles) online. They’ve also partnered with
Moleskin, in addition to an extensive inventory of
Moleskin products, they have some Indigo exclusives with unique designs and packaging. And as one would expect, there’s a big push on
Kobo eReaders.
Some of the other enhancements include:
• Improved search
•
Deal Zone (all deals can be found in one place)
• Larger images (for close-up viewing) and complementary groupings called “mosaics” (especially for kids’ items to engage those too young to read)
• Free shipping on orders of $25 (down from $39) or more for most items (heavy toys and gifts excluded)
• Expanded
Wish List capabilities with an option for birthday reminders (up to 20 wish lists where items can be easily transferred to the chopping cart)
The new site delivers and for those of you who belong to their community, it has been ported over in it’s entirety. However, I was not alone and somewhat disappointed when the media kit for the event was provided on CD ROM. Why not a secure media page on the new website?
chapters.indigo.ca’s holiday shipping deadlines:
Dec 9 –
Free Shipping Deadline - Across Canada
Dec 14 – Ship-to-store Deadline
Dec 17 – Premium Shipping Deadline - All Canada
Dec 19 – Last Minute Deadline through GTA/Ottawa/Montreal Corridor
Dec 23 – Quick Ship Deadlines
Have you seen the new chapters.indigo.ca? What are your thoughts? How much of your holiday gift shopping will be done online this year?
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