Columbia Sportswear Boosts Direct-to-Consumer Strategy
Columbia Sportswear Company, a global leader in the active outdoor apparel and footwear industries, launches its first e-commerce site, Columbia.com, using the Demandware eCommerce Platform. The site is part of Columbia's expanded direct-to-consumer strategy, which also includes branded stores and outlets in key global markets, and was designed to help build and drive demand for the Columbia brand across all of its sales channels.
"Columbia.com is much more than a sales vehicle; it's a destination site with a rich user experience that brings consumers closer to the brand -- regardless of which channel they use to purchase. To accomplish this, we needed an exceptional e-commerce platform and partner," says Paul Zaengle, senior director of eCommerce, Columbia Sportswear.
Demandware provides Columbia with a scalable, full-featured e-commerce platform that enables complete control over its brand and user experience, while eliminating the technical burden of the IT infrastructure. The new Columbia.com offers the broadest selection of innovative, high-performance Columbia products and an easy, dynamic shopping experience.
Highlights of the new Columbia site include:
- Shop by activity: Winter, water, trail, travel, fishing, hunting and golf categories help consumers zero in on what they need for each of their outdoor passions
- Shop by technology: In-depth detail on the construction of products and technologies, so consumers can understand the science behind the protection
- Expanded shopping features, such as product ratings and reviews, and filters that enable consumers to find products by price, size and color
- Community-building via social media tools, such as the new "Inside Out" company blog
- Engaging stories and video content about Columbia experts, founders and pioneers of the Greater Outdoors
- Larger, enhanced product imagery with zoom-enabled product views, and 360-degree views of some products
"Columbia.com is much more than a sales vehicle; it's a destination site with a rich user experience that brings consumers closer to the brand -- regardless of which channel they use to purchase. To accomplish this, we needed an exceptional e-commerce platform and partner," says Paul Zaengle, senior director of eCommerce, Columbia Sportswear.
Demandware provides Columbia with a scalable, full-featured e-commerce platform that enables complete control over its brand and user experience, while eliminating the technical burden of the IT infrastructure. The new Columbia.com offers the broadest selection of innovative, high-performance Columbia products and an easy, dynamic shopping experience.
Highlights of the new Columbia site include:
- Shop by activity: Winter, water, trail, travel, fishing, hunting and golf categories help consumers zero in on what they need for each of their outdoor passions
- Shop by technology: In-depth detail on the construction of products and technologies, so consumers can understand the science behind the protection
- Expanded shopping features, such as product ratings and reviews, and filters that enable consumers to find products by price, size and color
- Community-building via social media tools, such as the new "Inside Out" company blog
- Engaging stories and video content about Columbia experts, founders and pioneers of the Greater Outdoors
- Larger, enhanced product imagery with zoom-enabled product views, and 360-degree views of some products