Toys 'R' Us gets digital makeover for Christmas
Shareable content, enhanced product images, live chat and improved search capabilities are among the key changes introduced Tuesday morning to the Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com websites.
The site are said to have a fresh design and layout, revamped navigation and new features to help everyone from deal seekers to last-minute shoppers easily discover savings and information about the company's offerings. In addition, the sites have introduced social shopping functionality which allows customers to organize their most-wanted items in shareable toy and baby boards, while also viewing the most popular and trending products on the sites.
"Our e-commerce websites receive more than 450 million visits annually, and we are proud to introduce a new look and enhanced functionalities to improve the shopping experience for our customers," said Fred Argir, SVP and chief digital officer at Toys “R” Us, Inc. "Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com are the go-to destinations for a broad assortment of toys and juvenile products, and we have implemented helpful, interactive features, such as a new social shopping component that provides customers with insight into the most popular and trending products, plus improved navigation capabilities, that will make it easier to find the right gift for a child or expectant parent."
The social shopping upgrade allows customers to organize their most-wanted items in toy and baby "boards," which can then be shared with family and friends via Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. Users can also invite their friends to create boards. For example, a mom looking for inspiration for her daughter's first birthday party can pull together different items across all categories into one, convenient and shareable collection, and get ideas from what others are planning for their child’s special event, according to the company.
Other key changes involve improved navigation, a familiar claim made by companies who redesign their sites. In the case of Toys “R” Us, the main difference visitors will notice is a cleaner design and layout, with a larger space for current featured products and promotions. The site also features the ability to move seamlessly between Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com with the brands presented in tabs at the top left of the page. New "Shop By" navigation gives each subcategory its own merchandising space to simplify the process of narrowing down from thousands of choices.
Individual product detail pages also have been given a new look with bigger and brighter images of products. Each page also features customer-supplied images and videos, special offers for the item and customer reviews. In addition, order fulfillment options are more visible to quickly indicate if the item is available to be shipped to the customer's home, or if it's available for free in-store pickup within an hour or free shipping to the store within five to seven days.
Customer service has been enhanced as well with live chat functionality, increasing common on all manner of Web site, now available at Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com. Other new elements of the site include an information center where details about services reside, a saving center which is home to the retailer’s deal offering and a revamped gift finder tool.