Online Shopping

www.topshop.com
The topshop website is one of the most popular websites amoungs young girls for updates on the latest fashions. Compared to the websites of other HighStreet giants such as H&M and UrbanOutfitters, the Topshop website is very advances and interactive, as I will go on to demonstrate in this post. The shop seems to be trying to create a franchise, and immitate high fashion seen on the catwalks through clever advertising and promotion. Below is a sample advert from Topshop, which definetly promotes high fashion.
The Topshop website is replacing the shop itself in many ways. The only thing that shoppers can't do is actually feel the fabric and try it on, but every single piece of clothing which braces the Topshop floors is show-cased on the website in an array of colours and sizes, available to buy at the click of the button. However, the Topshop website seems to offer even more than the shop does through careful explanation of each collection and added bonuses, of which I will give some examples of below.
A new media technology that is present on the Topshop website is the use of RSS feeds. Topshop explains to its audience: "RSS feeds are sort of like an old-fashioned ticker-tape news machine. Only ours gives you the latest on clothes, shoes, events - all straight from our site. Think of it like a sneak preview, straight from Topshop." The laid back, informal language used on the Topshop website helps to appeal to their ideal audience, young females, and make these new technologies seem very easy and simple to use.Below are instructions of how to use RSS feeds, in pink of course:
Another new media technology used by the topshop website is that of Podcasts, which is discussed in this blog. In this case, Topshop is offering video Podcasts 'to help keep you informed about exciting new designs and styles.' It gives the fashion saavy the chance to plan their outfits, seek inspiration or simply check out the latest collection from Topshop. It also includes the option of sharing these various video clips with your friends, which is good promotion for Topshop.
One of Topshop's latest features is that of the new Topshop range chosen and designed by Kate Moss, world renowned supermodel and style icon. This is her first fashion collection, and so Topshop have made the most out of including fans in as much information available as possible, with still leaving a little to the imagination. The collection has it own seperate website which is apart from the rest of the Topshop website, that offers a digital 'LookBook' and many mini video podcasts 'behind-the-scenes' of the making of the collection. The 'Style Notes', which are promoted below, offer the chance to be kept up to date with the lastest news on the collection and even be entered into a prize draw to win a Kate Moss Topshop Look Book:
This is a new and innovative way for fans to find out more about this latest feature from Topshop, instead of having to phone up and inquire, or even go down to the shop to find out more. The fact that there is so much hype about highstreet clothing also suggests that the times have moved on.
Topshop offer a Topshop Card, the benefits of which are seen above. This complies with the personalisation seen in many new media technologies, as it helps to make fans of Topshop feel special through the rewards they are getting.

The personalisation to students is another factor which makes the Topshop website a new media technology. As with the Topshop Card, the biggest fans of the brand, i.e. Girls aged between 14 and 24, are treated specially to appeal to them. This is again repeated in the ranges for particually tall or particually small girls, the Tall range and the Petite range. The brand does not exclude expecting mothers either, with the relatively new maternity range, who can also buy baby clothes from Topshop Mini when the baby has arrived!
The final feature of the Topshop website I will review is that of the Style Advisor, a special treatment that can be booked months in advance which gives females a chance to be advised by a trained stylist as to what kind of clothes will suit their figures and what colours will suit their complexions. The website offers plenty more information on this feature (carried out in the flagship store on Oxford Street) and the ability to sign up you or a friend in need!The Topshop website stands out for its wide and extensive range of features that are available to their target audience and more, all of which are very interactive and often personalised to the buyer.