Gap

Full review
The folks at The Gap have always been able to spot a trend. Owners of the clothing chain by that name, as well as niche stores like Banana Republic and Old Navy, the company is aggressively seeking a web presence.

Things have not looked this bright for the company in years. Same store sales at the brick and mortar locations are skyrocketing, the company is throwing off cash and has more than $3 billion in liquid assets on its balance sheet and tech gurus Meg Whitman (eBay) and Jim Schneider (Dell) have joined the once troubled Board of Directors. Meanwhile, a strategic alliance with behemoth Amazon gives the company even more online distribution and branding options. The company claimed in its annual report that online shoppers spent more than in-store shoppers, leading to an e-commerce push that has resulted in an easy-to-use site with strong logistics and a pleasant user experience.

Visiting Gap.com

I was wooed to the site by an online coupon promising $10 off any pair of jeans. To my surprise, the price also applied to sale items. Navigating through the site was very easy. The navigation bar is split into two levels, a main cluster of age and gender and a second cluster of clothing type. Switching between men’s polo shirts and boy’s jeans is a breeze, requiring only two clicks. That easy-to-use navigation remains consistent throughout the site, a definite bonus.

The bottom navigation includes such added value options as store credit cards, customer service links, and perhaps most importantly, order tracking.

Shoppers can search for pants by size or look at collections of other apparel. Click on an item allows shoppers to choose colors, sizes, and even multiple addresses to which you can ship your order. Perhaps the best feature is the large picture of an item offered on each product page. Switching colors loads the actual color for that item – not just a little swatch tile.

Ordering

A telephone number is offered for shoppers who experience difficulty while checking out. I found the process easy and intuitive. Even better, my coupon was accepted without problems. An order confirmation arrived almost immediately.

A shipping confirmation arrived on the second business day. Included in this confirmation email was a link to check the shopping status, even though the order was sent via the U.S. Postal Service. The email also contained a detailed invoice and, a unique element for many e-commerce sites, a customer service phone number.

My package arrived well bundled and fast, with a order form that allowed me to easily make a return if the fit was wrong or for other reasons. Lands End, L.L. Bean and other well known customer service organizations make a habit of these types of touches, and I was happy to see this option offered by The Gap.

The Bottom Line, Clicks and All

The pricing for “online specials” is outstanding, and the overall pricing is pretty good for the other products. The Gap’s quality has always been strong so shopping here for casual clothing is a good choice that is recommended for all ages and body types.

Five Things To Remember From This Review

1. Look for coupons. Gap stores are aggressively pursuing new web business.
2. Don’t just head for the tried and true. There are plenty of “online specials”, but you may have to scroll to see them.
3. The ability to display clothing in different colors is a unique feature that really helps the buying process.
4. Checkout is intuitive, fast and easy.
5. Confirming emails are helpful, prompt and accurate.

Joubert’s FunLink

Just Plain Folks is a web site for working musicians and the people who help them perform and record. One member with a special profile page is Art Twain, who wrote the famous Fall Into The Gap jingle. You can read Twain’s comments on jingle writing by copying and pasting this URL into your browser’s address window.

http://www.justplainfolks.org/Mentors/Articles/twain.html

© 2003 Joubert