RadioShack rolls dice with online redesign

Few retailers have as much at stake this holiday season as RadioShack which explains why the company made the high risk move of relaunching its Web site just days before the busiest shopping weekend of the year.



The struggling retailer said the redesign of RadioShack.com offers an easier user experience and comes just in time for the holiday season and kicks off a week of free shipping offers on promotionally priced goods.



"We know our customers are multichannel shoppers, and we wanted to provide a better experience that reflects our brand and makes it easier for our customer to shop no matter where they are," said Jennifer Warren, chief marketing officer at RadioShack. "We approached our website design in the same way we approached our recent brick-and-mortar designs: to be dynamic, solution-oriented and inspirational for our customers. With our great deals on top products during Cyber Week, there couldn't be a better time to experience the new RadioShack.com."



Launching a redesigned Web site just days before the busy holiday season is a major gamble considering site redesigns and relaunches can be problematic and even when pulled off smoothly some glitches are inevitable.



To generate traffic to its new site and create a sense of urgency with shoppers, RadioShack is offering free shipping on all online orders placed by midnight on Saturday, Dec. 6, and featuring new deals added daily.



According to the company, its new site is completely different, with a shift to a clean, uncluttered design that is organized more by interest, category, theme and seasonal topics. The site also features dynamic merchandising capabilities, enabling RadioShack to deliver quicker product and inventory updates with real-time pricing functionality that allows quick price adjustments to be made to meet or beat other online retailers.



The real-time pricing updates and price drops on top products are critical pieces to RadioShack's new price match guarantee, which ensures customers can feel confident about getting the best deal on gifts at RadioShack. The company has said it will match verified prices on identical products from brick-and-mortar competitors and major online retailers.