Graham Charlton from Econsultancy talks to The Online Fashion Agency about his review of the Whistles website, River Island’s usability and why he thinks John Lewis and Quiz have got it right.

What were you doing before becoming Senior Reporter at Econsultancy?
I had qualified as a junior school teacher, but ultimately I decided that it wasn’t for me, so I had a change of career.

After working for ntl for a year or so, I started writing and blogging online, and after doing some freelance work for Econsultancy for a year or so, I was offered a full time role.

You’ve reviewed countless websites for Econsultancy, many of them fashion retailers. What’s a common mistake online fashion stores make with usability?
I think that online fashion retailers have to work harder than some other sectors online because there is the challenge of overcoming the simple fact that shoppers cannot try clothes on.

I think some fashion websites make the mistake of trying to produce stylish and attractive websites without giving enough though to usability.

The Whistles website is a prime example of this, while others, such as River Island, have Flash sites which aren’t great for usability, have major accessibility issues, and will not do as well in the search engines.

I think fashion sites do need to be visually appealing, and there are some that pull this off very well, but web users still need to be able to easily find what they want on the site and make a purchase with the minimum of friction.

Did you expect so many comments on your site review of Whistles.co.uk?
No, that was a surprise to me! There are over 85 comments now, thanks to the fact that some people defended the site against the criticism.

I was critical of the site, and you have to expect that some people will react to that. I find that most companies will appreciate the criticism and thank you for the advice though.

I think Whistles is a prime example of a company that has got it wrong online by choosing to forget about how people will actually use the site, and just going for a bold design.

I don’t think that all e-commerce sites should look the same, and I applaud the desire to do something different, but the result is a site that it actually very difficult to browse and buy from, since it ignores some basic usability principles.

Which fashion retailer has the best checkout process and why?
The checkout process on any site should be easy to use with as few steps as possible. By selecting items and entering the process, customers have shown a clear intention to make a purchase, so the key is to make this as smooth as possible.

Of the sites I have reviewed over the past year, Quiz Clothing is one that stands out. The one page checkout process provides all the information that customers need to reassure them, form filling is easy, and there is a clear contact number for customers to call if they have any issues.

Just as importantly, it doesn’t insist that shoppers register before shopping, a mistake that many sites make.

The John Lewis fashion site is also a good example of checkout best practice for similar reasons; no compulsory registration, removal of distractions, and well –designed forms.

You recently reviewed the Yoox mobile website. Do you think 2010 is the breakout year for m-commerce?
I think we are finally getting to that point, thanks to the proliferation of the iPhone and other handsets which allow for a more enjoyable shopping experience.

Also, more retailers are now producing mobile dedicated websites and apps which make it easier for mobile users to actually make a purchase; Net A Porter has an excellent iPhone app, while Yoox is probably the best mobile fashion website I have seen.

It is still a niche activity, and there are barriers to be overcome, customer concerns, making payments easier etc, but I think we are at the beginning of a few years of strong growth in the m-commerce market.

And finally, where do you shop online?
Not sure why, but I tend to buy most of my clothes offline, but I do buy plenty of other things online.

For books, games etc, I tend to use Amazon, just because they are so reliable. Firebox is great for quirky gifts and gadgets, while I use Naked Wines when I want to stock up with a few bottles.

See Graham Charlton’s posts on the Econsultancy blog.