Kelly Mooney's blog about the online shopping experience from the customer's point of view -- MooneyThinks.com

Personalized Gift Registry Makes for Inspired Shopping

As we move into wedding season, I find myself faced with many of the same efficient-but-sterile wedding registry sites. While I truly appreciate that they're typically smooth shopping experiences, most don't endear me to the brand--or the couple for that matter. That's why I was so delighted to get a more personalized Alternative Gift Registry this week.

Sponsored by the Center for the New American Dream, the mission of the alternative registry is to focus on gifts that emphasize "the bond you share" with the couple versus just spending a lot of money. For example, gifts on the registry I received included:

• your old books or board games
• grocery store gift cards
• fridge magnets
• your favorite music
• no more junk mail (which links to an organization you can pay to stop your junk mail)
• plus a number of traditional gift registry items (not surprisingly they are earth-friendly products)

While this socially conscious angle is definitely intriguing, what I found even more compelling (as a wedding guest), is that the registry has a "Description" column, where the couple can add all kinds of details to help explain either what the gift is or why they want it. This single area adds to the wedding guest experience--especially if you've ever attended nuptials for a friend and don't know the spouse-to-be very well, or, frankly, don't know the couple very well. Moreover, with the age of the bride and groom rising with time (one of my 6 sisters just turned 50 and got married for the first time!), most already have glasses from Crate and Barrel or mixing bowls from Williams-Sonoma. Besides, given the state of the economy and world affairs, many couples are asking themselves, "Do we really need more stuff?"

If nothing else, I have a lot more unique ideas, not to mention,  conversation starters for people I meet at their wedding.

Countdown to iCitizen

We're burning the midnight oil here at Resource Interactive with less than 2 weeks until iCitizen, an intimate, invitation-only symposium for Resource clients.

Since our first gathering on this topic in 2006, we've continued to investigate the new consumer we refer to as an iCitizen--consumers empowered by the social web, personal brands who create, share and influence others using the digital tools of the web. And we have an amazing list of keynotes, panels and iTalks to inspire ideas and discussion that will help us understand how to reach and leverage iCitizens today and in the future.

• Supporting this year's theme of The OPEN Imperative, I'll be leading an iTalk about the implications of OPEN as a macro trend.
• Joseph Jaffe, author of Join the Conversation will share insights about how marketers need to adapt so they can stay relevant to consumers who are texting, Friending and Twittering their days away.
• Duncan Watts from Yahoo! Research will talk to us about the power of interacting with networks of people versus the elite few.
• Doc Searls, co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto, will talk about the changes that have to take place in order for all these exciting ideas to come to life.
• And, of course, much, much more!

While the symposium itself will be limited attendance, with the help of my colleagues at Resource we'll be blogging and documenting thoughts, questions and ideas throughout the experience, so you can be in the loop. More on that soon!

Apple Speeds Up Search

I never thought the act of completing a word and clicking the "search" button on a site's search bar was really all that arduous or time-consuming. But I also never thought going to the movie rental store was a chore (now it is!). Or buying CDs at the store (ditto). Netflix and iTunes have not only made those processes significantly more streamlined - on-demand  -  they've changed (and increased) the way I consume these products and experience their brands.

So I was surprised and delighted when I started typing a word into the search box on Apple's site. Before I finished the word (it was "radio"), a small window popped up under the box with a categorized list of results--text and images. I could immediately see what results came in for the online store, retail stores, products, movie trailers, downloads...Apple is not a case study for an OPEN BRAND, rather, the antithesis in many regards. But this is a small step in the right direction.

I don't know how new the functionality is, but I haven't seen this kind of innovation around the search bar (on a destination site, versus a search engine) in a long time. The innovation on its own is promising, and hopefully, pretty soon I'll wonder how I ever lived without it.

Protecting the Polar Bear - Join Us!

In our part of the country, it's brisk, chilly. Even had our first snow last week. Might make you think about polar bears. Okay, maybe not. ; ) But the folks at The Coca-Cola Company are doing just that. For years, they have leveraged the adorable, majestic king of the Great White North, the polar bear, in its holiday marketing. It's been a warm-and-fuzzy winter-time theme, but unfortunately, the polar bear has also become a global symbol for climate change. So in addition to Coca-Cola's existing corporate responsibility initiatives, the company created The Coca-Cola Company Polar Bear Support Fund.

We at Resource were thrilled to help bring the initiative online in an elegant little microsite that launched this past weekend. Simple, real and engaging, the microsite offers a brief overview about polar bears, the arctic, and what you can do to help.

When you get a chance, visit the site (make sure to turn on your sound) and learn about the threats to polar bears, where they live and what you can do to reduce your human impact on global climate change (learning about the cause, of course, is one way to help). Plus you can send holiday e-cards to your loved ones and support the cause financially, not to mention save a tree and the fossil fuel needed to get your paper card from here to there.

FreeRice Proves to be Sticky

Ever find a bowl of M&Ms to be addictive? How about a bowl of peanuts? A bowl of chips? Right now I'm addicted to a bowl of rice. Well, bowls of rice, actually. FreeRice.

If FreeRice.com hasn't made its way through your office or your chain of email-forwarding friends, you can be the one to start it. It's deliciously simple, fun, rewarding and, unfortunately for some, addictive (but don't worry, these carbs won't hit your waistline!).

In short, it's a charitable vocabulary test. For every word you define correctly (don't worry, it's multiple choice), FreeRice donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. Now if you're having SAT flashbacks, don't panic, the test modulates to where you are. It makes the game more relevant. And at the bottom you'll see the Vocabulary Level, a score that is tempting to flaunt with or hide from your friends.

A lot of the beauty is in the simplicity of the experience. All you have to do is answer questions. The details, like where the rice goes, are easily accessible, but don't stand in the way of you bettering your vocabulary.

I also love the instant gratification. In a matter of seconds you can donate a few grains of rice. Doesn't seem like a lot? To give you a sense for how addictive the experience is, the bottom of the page displays how many grains of rice were donated the previous day. Yesterday they donated 285, 534,420 grains.

Clinique Brings Personalization to Packaging

As the first of the holiday gift ideas start floating into our email boxes, I thought this was a great one to showcase. (At least, I thought so until I tried to buy one, but I'll get to that in a minute.)

It's pretty self-explanatory--upload a picture and Clinique puts it on a bottle of Happy perfume. It looks easy, it's not a bad price, only takes 10 business days, and voila, what a hot gift. Which gets me to the down-side. I tried lots of pics and they were either to big or too small for the site's requirements--according to all the error messages I kept getting. An associate here at RI had a little more success. She was able to upload an image, see it on a bottle and order it. They even offered her the opportunity to "showcase" her bottle design online. I'm anxious to see this OPEN experience and find out what Clinique customers are Happy about.

Eddie Bauer Inspiration Comes from the Top

Inspiration is a big part of retail, and often inspiration comes from the products stories. Williams-Sonoma has this down pat, and Lands' End often gets it right in email.

Inspiration also comes from customers. From professionally crafted customer showcases, to the genuine voices of icitizens echoing across blogs, opinion sites, shopping aggregators and branded e-retailers, inspiration from consumers is all around.

But it seems more rare these days for the CEO of a leading retailer to be the source of inspiration, not just to associates, but customers, as was the case last week with Eddie Bauer's new CEO (and with full disclosure, a former Resource client at the helm of Bath & Body Works up until early this summer).

The subject line of the email read, "Eddie Bauer's CEO tackles Mt. Rainier." Click through and you can read his story and see the clothes and equipment he used. How refreshing -- and inspiring -- to see the CEO living the brand, sharing his experience and, of course, selling his products.

Loyalty Pays at BustedTees.com

Ever wish the brands you were loyal to were loyal right back? Ever heard of BustedTees.com?

The e-retailer of jokey, retro-styled T-shirts doesn't just want you to buy their tees, they want you to love them--love them enough to sell them on your Facebook page. Don't worry, they know that's premier real estate, so they're willing to pay you for it--$5 for every shirt purchased from your page.

But wait--there's more. BustedTees.com knows that, collectively, your friends are worth even more than your Facebook page, so they're paying YOU $1 for every shirt YOUR FRIENDS sell on their Facebook pages! Now that's a profitable network.

If BustedTees.com's jokes are on you (and your Facebook page), you may make money. They call it the T-shirt Money Maker. I call it tapping the exponential potential of individual consumers and online niche communities. No joke.

MSNBC Serves Up Political Cheat Sheet

How do you get a ton of information into a cohesive, engaging and useful (and open) digital experience?

Check out MSNBC's Candidates + Issues matrix. It's essentially a CliffsNotes for the 2008 presidential election. It's a launching point for the person who's been hiding from the news/political media, or even for someone who wants a high-level or comparative view. And, more significantly, it's a wealth of content packed into a tight little space.

The matrix gives you a brief overview of each candidate and each of 5 key issues. Roll across the matrix with your mouse and click in a square to find out what Candidate X thinks about the economy or energy, for example. You can view video of that candidate speaking on that issue or click on links that take you to more information (at that point you'd be leaving the site to go to the candidate's site).

In addition to the informational aspect, you can participate by voting how much you agree or disagree with that person's stance. You can also look at all users' ratings--how much they agree or disagree with each candidate's POV. Rather than a matrix full of black squares, you can see a popular view across a spectrum of green (other voters' agreement) and red (other voters' disagreement).

I don't think I've ever had so much fun reading about political candidates. Now if we could just eliminate all their obnoxious TV ads.

Alternative Commerce from an Alternative Band

A fellow Resourcian sent me a link to the site where the band Radiohead is selling its new album, and according to the site, it's the only place the album is available.

The site experience takes simplicity to a new level, which was surprising, but I have to say rather enjoyable. That's what I thought he wanted me to see at first, but then I followed his direction to pre-order the album--the download, not the discbox.

What I found was after you add the download to your basket and click the view basket button, you get a screen that shows the contents of your basket--what you're ordering, but not how much--the price (in pounds) is a text box. You get to fill in the amount you want to pay.

Of course I clicked on the hyperlink "?" next to the text box, because surely I couldn't choose what I wanted to pay. Yep. I can. The succinct response is, "IT'S UP TO YOU." And if you click the "?" on that page you get, "NO REALLY, IT'S UP TO YOU."

Clearly, for Radiohead, creativity isn't reserved solely for music. This approach is likely to drive lots of traffic, lots of downloads, and lots of chatter. If the music good, this band will soar. Give it a try.

Shawfloors.com Insanely Great Rug Giveaway

In the market for an area rug? Or, just feeling lucky?

Full-disclosure right up front.  We just launched a new campaign for our client, Shaw Industries. Problem is, the rules dictate, I/we/RI associates and family members are not eligible to win. But, YOU are! Here's the deal: Shaw is giving away over 1,000 rugs! One rug every hour, every day for the next 60 days. Play as often as you like or until you get caught wasting time at work.

While you're at it, check out the visualization tool, order samples, or upload your own photo to visualize a new floor in YOUR home. Pretty cool.

POLO Makes Great Sport of Interactive with Rugby.com

When Ralph Lauren sets its mind on digital marketing it does so with the energy of a team that plays to win.

A recent email from Polo introduced me to its new concept and web site, Rugby.com. Wow. What a compelling, engaging and personal way to sell an entirely new concept! Note that I had visited the NYC store last summer and discovered that 2 of the preppy yet chic sales associates were from my hometown and remarked, "Oh my god! You're the same age as my mom!" Uh....exit stage left. Wrong store for me. ; )

I digress.

Anyway, I like the section called Around the Corner. It's a monthly video featuring a customer and his or her city. I sat there for minutes watching a customer named Sherwin talk about his favorite restaurants, bars and music store in New York City. He wasn't just selling Rugby clothes, he was selling me the lifestyle, or  the "whole package," which made the clothes a necessary part of an experience a consumer might be yearning to have.

The site is chock-full of great content and beautiful interaction design. Some of my other favorite parts:

• A page of Rugby store associates modeling their favorite Rugby clothes and telling why they loved them.
• A playful blog on "what's hot and what's not"
• The Rugby collection, which is a dimensional delight to navigate through, oh, and informative
• A style guide with quick little videos that really do guide you
• The history of the rugby shirt, which tells a great story and tells you how to make your own at one of their stores

Interesting, that they're bold enough to request a mobile phone number on the home page. Now, I have to test that experience. More later.

With such a strong online experience out of the gate, Rugby.com is sure to win a crowd of fans.

Shoeboxed.com Aims to Satisfy Need for Convenience

I'm up for just about anything that makes my life easier. If it's going to shave off minutes, reduce stress or increase efficiency, I'll give it a try. So when I heard about Shoeboxed.com, a start-up created by Duke grads, I thought I'd give it a look -- most of all, because I am a big fan of fresh thinking and the bold ambitions of students.

The site bills itself as an antidote for spam and identity theft, specifically, by giving members an email address to use for all online shopping (and supposedly reducing spam in the inbox). The other big sell is organization. They keep all your receipts (even the hard copy ones if you scan them in) in one place. I considered it worth a tour since my receipts are bulging out of my wallet, scattered throughout my handbags, piled on my desk and typically deleted from my email.

I've poked around a bit, but I have to say I'm not yet sold. Maybe I'm just so used to having one email identity from which I do all that I want. Or maybe I'm not terribly burdened after all by the emails I already get because I sign up for them, deem them "junk" or just keep mindlessly deleting them.

But then there's the receipt storage service. Truth is, I'm not going take time at work or at home to scan those receipts. Just isn't going to happen. It's not on the top 10 list (or 20 or 30 for that matter) of ways to improve my life. However, I do want retailers to track my purchases, save my warranties, and make recommendations based on my history. Even more, I want a universal username and password that works at every online retailer so I don't forget all the goofy combinations that I've had to contrive over the years. Thank goodness for Google Checkout. Now that's a convenience worth my time. Maybe Shoeboxed and Google should talk.

Borders Offers Inspiration, But Still a Beta Experience

Recently, I had a chance to dig around the beta version of Borders Stores' new site and I was pretty intrigued. A huge improvement over the current site with lots of  relevant, engaging content  loaded with goodies like Borders Media, Borders Book Club, playlists, and Rewards and Perks. The design is clean and fresh. And, many of the experiential aspects of the site were well done, but a few of core interactions need some fine-tuning.

On the homepage, there is a fun feature zone called Magic Shelf. (I wonder if that was one of those internal, placeholder names that accidentally made it to the site. What do you think?) The Magic Shelf consists of many shelves for things like New Books, New Music, and a personalized area for more timely items, like the "Remembering Pavarotti" shelf. Cool idea.

Unfortunately, the Magic Shelf is unintuitive to navigate (the browsing cues don't show up until you sniff them out with your mouse, and what I realized later was a navigational chart isn't clearly defined or explained). While I appreciate the bookshelf metaphor, it doesn't give you any help reading (like enlarging) the titles, so it's much like standing in front of the bookshelf in the store, except I'm standing 10 feet away.

I also like the Guest Shortlists--lists of book, music or movie recommendations from famous people. Celebs like Stephen King, Anna Quindlen, Barack Obama, Beck, and Art Buchwald explain why they like each title. Apparently this is a feature they've had on the existing Borders Stores' site, and after a few clicks I found myself back on it. I hope this will be fixed, because right now it leads you into a different, not-so-nice place and leaves you there.

For me, once I was inspired, I wanted the immediate gratification of purchase. Not just the ability to reserve in store (which is cool but not my preferred method of shopping for books and music). Yes, this is a beta, I know. In transition from the Amazon platform to a new one. So, my need for instant gratification wasn't met...but sounds like it will be soon!

The Challenge of Bra Science Exposed with zafu Video

It appears zafu is starting to put some marketing energy behind its new bra fit feature. How exactly do you sell such a service? How do you get women's attention on a topic that may not be high on their list? This clever video does it well ..up until the decapitation...maybe I'm just too much of a boomer to appreciate the humor. ; )

Google Taps Its Fans For Freebie

With the consumer generated content on the rise, many companies have yet to figure out how to put it to work in service of their brands. I was impressed, not to mention, entertained by Google's recent synthesis of Gmail users' creative contributions from around the globe. Google is definitely an open brand. Check out the video. See if it makes you smile. Or better, yet, want to open a Gmail account.

Gaiam Helps Customers Go Zero

If you spend more time counting carbon than carbs, you'll like what Gaiam, the "health conscious, environmentally friendly, lifestyle company" is offering at checkout--it's not your typical cross-sell.

Your first view of your shopping cart asks you if you want to "Make Your Order Go Zero," which means, do you want to donate $2 to have a tree planted that will, over its lifetime, absorb as much carbon dioxide as will be emitted when the purchase you're about to make is shipped to you.

Or as they explain it, "Erase the environmental impact of shipping your order."

Plus, there's an accompanying chart that shows you the progress of this initiative.

Now that I've posted this, I think it's time I go Zero Out my order.

Adidas Opens Up the Soccer Field with Rock the Pitch

"My team lost."
"My guy scored."
"We won."

A true sports fan takes a sense of ownership in his or her player or team. And with that sense of ownership (read: entitlement) comes the ability to coach, critique and, of course, cheer.

So the sense of ownership isn't new to sports fans, but the benefits of ownership aren't as common. Which is why I was impressed with how Adidas and MLS (yes, professional soccer) are handing over content assets to fans (for free, of course) and letting them mash them up as they see fit.

Introducing: Rock the Pitch. Start by selecting your team's theme song (it looks like Adidas had the songs written for each team from talent like Bare Naked Ladies, RJD2, Rose Hill Drive, and Awkwid). You can listen to it, download it, or use it as the foundation for the soccer video you're about to make.

Then you get to sort through MLS graphics and game footage, which you can drag into your own little movie. But wait...there's more. You can add your own pictures, tag your video and and then submit your final project to see if it will get chosen to play on the jumbotron on your team's stadium.

Whether we have David Beckham to thank for the recent increase in popularity of soccer in our country, or whether it's just become more adoptable or ownable by families--what a fun way to open the brand to the most loyal audience, the fans.

Room & Board Showcases Customer Homes

In the age of the icitizen, we know that consumers put immense amounts of trust in each other's opinions. Brands have their place, but right now peer feedback rules. So consumer reviews are soaring in popularity and testimonials are making a comeback, mainly because they're just a lot more authentic than they used to be -- or at least they feel real.

So as a habitual remodeler and a fan of the retailer, I was intrigued to see what Room & Board is up to these days, with its Designs for Life campaign. More than a customer review or testimonial, what Room & Board has done is essentially write (and beautifully illustrate) a case study of one customer family. We learn a little bit about Derek and Nancy Parker--enough to make them interesting and relevant, but not distracting--and how they've integrated Room & Board furniture into their home. The experience tells a story about their life, their home, their family--and of course the great Room & Board furniture within it.

I know that this is one site I'll be returning to--to experience the other stories that are on their way (if only the shopping experience could be improved) plus I may just take them up on their offer to submit my own, although not sure the iPhone pics will cut it.

Women Get Bra Help From zafu

What's harder to fit than a pair of jeans?

A bra, of course.

Which is why I was thrilled to see denim-matching site zafu.com slip into an additional and equally challenging category. Apparently hundreds of women (who were presumably happy with their great-fitting jeans) asked zafu to help out in the bra department.

Zafu promises women that it will "find your perfect bra in three minutes". Wow. Three minutes.

There's not a whole lot in this world we can do in three minutes, so I'm pretty impressed. I went through the questions, all of which address real issues about finding the right bra, real issues that most retail sales associates don't often ask about.

Like the jeans version, the bra questions are really easy to answer. And here's the clincher--the process of finding the best bra for you is fun. All three minutes of it. Ask any woman from A to D, bra shopping is not fun. I can think of a lot of words (oh, say, occasionally interesting, needs-based, frustrating, embarrassing, tiime-consuming), but generally not fun.

Thanks, zafu. And let me know when your swimsuit edition comes out.

Advertising to Kids, Webkinz Style

Who knows where they're eventually going to go with this, but I'm chewing on one of the many features of Webkinz' recent redesign. They added advertising. To children. But hold on, let me finish. At least for now, they're advertising things I wouldn't mind my kids seeing, like, oh, "veggies are great!" and "fruit is good!"

Yes, I've found a couple ads that tempt kids with something they might want to purchase--Webkinz cards and charms--but if that's the cost of healthy advertising, I  support my daughter's daily spin on the Wheel of Wow.

Geo-targeted Kodak Email Evokes Surprising Response

I typically tune it out. My kids typically end up going with friends or relatives. They have a ball and I'm relieved to miss it yet again. ; ) Do you have a guess? The Ohio State Fair. Love it or hate, we learn to live with the media blitz every August. I was surprised, however--speaking as someone who hasn't been to the fair yet this century--to get an email about it.

The thing is, the email was so well done, it actually made me think about going.

The subject line of this email from Kodak Gallery reads: Searching for Inspiration at the Ohio State Fair? Honestly, just the fact that they geo-targeted me in the subject line--a brand I already know and trust--was pretty powerful.

The gist of the message is to invite me to their display at the fair so I can learn more about things like photo-centric gifts  and even get my kids' pictures taken with "a variety of exciting, life-like settings" (that my kids may like).

The email itself serves as an invitation--a powerful one. It reads, "There's no need to wait in line. This pass allows you to skip to the front of the exhibit and be inspired immediately."

No waiting in line??? A fast pass at a state fair??? Wonder if it also gets me to the head of the line for an elephant ear.

NWF Makes it Easy to Thank Potter Publisher

As Harry Potter fans count down the final days until they get their final installment of all things wizard, muggle and magical, the National Wildlife Federation is already celebrating.

When I returned from the beach--mentally returned, that is--I caught up on news, including the random tidbit that Scholastic conceded to the pressure of NWF, Greenpeace and others who asked that publisher use more recycled paper in its books. Now J.K. Rowling isn't the only author getting this attention, and Scholastic isn't the only publisher, but what a better way to start being green, than with a story that's expected to greet the world in 12 million, 784-page books?!

What I found interesting was NWF's response to Scholastic's move. After all the effort to pressure the publisher, NWF is holding a thank-you campaign. In a recent email, the National Wildlife Federation is asking--and enabling--everyone to thank Scholastic.

Under the Forest section of the NWF site, individuals have a pre-populated email form that they can just put their name on and send, or that they can personalize as they see fit.

As other political conversations increase over the next 16 months, and as they leverage this channel to get attention, get support and get what they want, I hope they pay attention to NWF's move and never forget to say thank you.

Something Amazon Isn't Trying to Sell Me???

I get lots of different emails from Amazon--based on the random assortment of books, movies, toys and other items I've bought for myself, my family, my friends (I've even had my own book recommended to me by Amazon!). So I'm not usually surprised by their content--until this week.

I got the typical intro, "As a book or DVD customer of Amazon.com..." -- but then it got interesting. The email wasn't trying to sell me a book or DVD that was somehow relevant to one of my past purchases. In fact, it wasn't trying to SELL me anything!

It did encourage me to click through to the site to get exclusive interviews with the cast and writers of a new movie about to hit theaters. When I did click through, the landing page looked like a less-crowded version of an Amazon.com product page. The primary call to action was to input my ZIP code so I could find movie times at a theater near me. In a second I had my neighborhood theater, the address and phone number plus show times.

Way on the side I did find a place where I can give them my email address to alert me when the DVD of this movie is available. And, less prominent, but more time-sensitive, was the ability to send an e-card to a friend, inviting them to see the movie with me when it opens.

I didn't buy anything today, but they caused me to think a little differently about what they offer. My guess is that they'd view that as success.

Piperlime Email Offers Shopping Shortcut

If there's any sale I'm going to race to, it's a shoe sale, and I think Piperlime knows that I'm not the only woman who feels that way. An early morning email from the shoe e-retailer celebrates this "event of the season" with a straightforward message and a link directly to all the sale shoes IN MY SIZE.

That's the nicest shortcut I've seen in a long time.

And even though the result was some 1,700 shoes in my size, a "sole search" at the top of the page suggests that I narrow the field of options immediately--by brand, width, color or price. I can also easily change my sort filter, alter how many shoes I see on a page, and jump to different pages of my results.

Never before have I anticipated with such excitement a heap of sale shoes 1,700 pairs deep.

JCPenney Connects with Consumers on their Desktops

I have yet to see the actual widget (I found nothing of it on the JCP site), but Adweek reports that JCPenney is launching "an old-school version" of a web widget called JCPToday. (As a side note, I know technology's shelf life is fleeting, but "old-school" seems a little harsh with Newsweek calling 2007 the Year of the Widget.)

Streaming product offers, fashion tips and reminders of personal events gives JCPenney a valid, maybe even valuable reason to reach out to consumers more often and on a more personal level.

So much more than email, the article quotes Kate Donaho, group creative director at T3, the shop that helped JCPenney with the its widget, with a realistic set of expectations:

"We don't view it as a mass-marketing vehicle," she said. "We're banking on this being a useful way to reach a highly engaged set of customers. We don't expect millions of downloads of this by any stretch."

No matter how "old-school" a desktop widget might appear (to a techie, that is), its ability to help JCPenney O.P.E.N. up by making it On-Demand (the "O" in O.P.E.N.) and Personal (the "P"), is smart, realistic and, hopefully very lucrative for JCPenney.

Nordstrom Never Disappoints

Sometimes a phone call is the best fix. Seriously.

I'm a huge online shopper because I can cross errands off my "to-do" list, leaving more time for family on weekends. So in an attempt to step up my summer wardrobe, I was perusing a variety of shoe sites for a Michael Kors cabana sandal that I eyed earlier in Lucky magazine. Went to Zappos, Saks, Endless, Nordstrom, Piperlime, Shoes.com....and who knows, maybe a few others. But each site simply had the polka dot version, not the solid black. I don't really fancy myself a polka dotted gal, so I did what I rarely do, I called the store. The nearby Nordstrom. Friendly, responsive. And a size 7 in black shipped out less than a moment later. Wow.

J.Crew Video Captures Summer Spirit

While J.Crew didn't forget about Father's Day (the top 10 gifts are packaged in a slightly playful Flash experience), what's more prominent and more absorbing on the site today is a 90-second homepage video full of nostalgic, romantic, rough-cut scenes of summer. No voice over, no copy after the quick intro that promises that "it's so much more than the perfect swimsuit," and no actual participatory element...but it boldy communicates J.Crew's vision for summer.

Looks like it's actually some playful footage taken during the photoshoot for the catalog, something Free People did last winter, but  with the J.Crew video's prominent real estate, creative filming, can't-wait-for-summer tune by Daniel Palmer and duration (yes, I actually sat there and watched the entire thing!), they've got me more excited for the season than anyone else.

Shutterfuly Serves Up Solutions

It's so easy to feel anonymous on the web. Honestly, sometimes I want it. But when something goes wrong, I love the online service rep who's right up there in my face, taking care of the problem--perhaps before I even realize it. That's what happened at photo site Shutterfly. A colleague forwarded me a beautiful note she received from a customer service manager there -- before she even knew she had a problem. WOW.

Apparently some other customers were experiencing slow delivery times of their photo orders, and in a routine weekly survey of segments of the customer base (isn't that beautiful in and of itself?!) they uncovered this little glitch. They didn't just fix the problem. They fixed it, apologized to everyone, let them know what to expect with shipping from now on, and credited accounts (yes, they credited them, they didn't just give them a lengthy code to remember) for two dozen free prints.

Now that's a solution.

Virtual Conference Opens Door to Collaboration

When was the last time you were inspired by an email you received?

Exactly.

Check out this one below from Business Objects about a virtual conference being held tomorrow. From the great copy in the email itself to the very O.P.E.N. and very cool nature of the virtual conference itself, I was immediately hooked.

Lands' End Has Plans for Mom

What a cute email--and gift idea--from Lands' End. (Okay, I'm a sucker for anything that comes from my kids with a dash of sentimentalism.) ; )

Of course the email wasn't actually targeted just to their customers who are fathers, but the dad-focused subject line and primary messaging was a clever tactic. Unlike two years ago when Lands' End urged customers to get Father's Day gifts before Mother's Day had even passed, Lands' End remembered that dads are often the gift guides, transportation providers, and financial backers of Mother's Day gifts.

And more than just the marketing, these cards are fun! The recordable feature softens up the hard plastic expression by letting the kiddies record personal messages to Mom.

I will say I was a little surprised not to get the email until late Monday morning, but I suppose as clever as the talking gift card is, it's still just a clever description for a last-minute gift.

TJ Maxx to Own the Moment

More than a year after closing its online registers, TJ Maxx is re-engaging with consumers online in a smart, brand-appropriate fashion.

At Maxx Moment, bargain hunters can celebrate the thrill of finding a great deal at a TJ Maxx store.

According to the site:

A Maxx Moment defined: a spontaneous display of joy brought on by the combination of great savings and hot designer fashion found only at t.j. maxx.

The focus of this mini site is to encourage consumers to submit their best Maxx Moment with the hope of winning a sweepstakes (that, of course, results in a Maxx Moment the brand will actually pay for). What makes it even stronger is that the site experience is fun and easy to get around, and it supports the notion of the moment with a recent commercial exemplifying a moment, a cute quiz and examples to help you understand and recognize a pure Maxx Moment.

Not only do I love that TJ Maxx is overtly trying to own this key part of its brand experience, but it's doing so by inviting consumer participation. Rather than focus on just designer labels at low prices (read: Bluefly), they're acknowledging a particular moment when the consumer realizes she's found a treasure. Pure shopping elation.

BN.com Knows Timing is Everything

Now here's a great subject line from a Barnes & Noble email that showed up in my in-box this afternoon:

As Featured Today on Oprah: Scam Proof Your Life

You don't have to watch Oprah to know that whatever Oprah recommends, people do, buy, believe.. Now, I don't watch Oprah or even T