Saks Fifth Avenue - Mobile Shopping App Review
Saks Fifth Avenue has clearly invested in their mobile shopping experience. Is the app enough to compel modern consumers, who are increasingly shopping on their phones? The app is refined and very good looking. Does it show the same level of investment as Saks’ desktop website? Let’s take a detailed look at the app and find out.
Launch Screen
We’re off to a subdued start. When launching the app, shoppers are simply greeted by Saks’ elegant logo. It’s not a special launch screen. There’s no fancy animation, and no attempts to minimize the perceived loading time.
Asking for Permission
The first thing a shopper sees in the app, is a custom alert asking for push notification permission. This custom alert UI is symbolic of the effort that went into the overall design.
The prompting mechanism itself is well done. Rather than immediately showing the iOS system prompt, Saks uses a pre-prompt that briefly explains the value of push notifications. By doing this, Saks preserves the option to ask the user again if it is initially declined. In contrast, the iOS system prompt could only be shown once.
A better spot for the prompt might be at a later time. This would give the user time to experience the value of the application. It would also provide Saks with the opportunity to show a clearer value proposition. Some better spots might be: “notify me when an item is back in stock”, or “notify me when my order has shipped”.
First Time Experience
Fortunately a new user does not need to register. Shoppers are able to dive right into the app and experience its value. I love that it’s possible to use nearly the entire app and buy products without needing to register.
Branding & Colors
The Saks brand is incorporated into the entire app in a refined and unobtrusive manner. Neither the apps design, nor the content, ever feel compromised or overwhelmed by the branding.
However, the subtlety of Saks’ brand is part of the reason for this. The black and white color scheme is generic for luxury fashion retailers. Barney’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus all use the same color scheme. Saks could exploit this industry-wide monotony by introducing an accent color throughout its UIs. (Using red to indicate a sale does not count!)
Besides the branding benefits, a key color could further improve the app’s usability. The color would provide the opportunity to draw the shopper’s eye to specific elements — such as a full shopping bag or a checkout button. In fact, there are a few spots in the checkout process where the greyscale theme is inadequate. (More about this later.) An accent color would guide users through the process and highlight next steps.
Home Screen
The main screen of the app is an editorial feed with a clean and simple interface. Editorial and curated content is key to engaging shoppers and boosting the browsing process. This includes new arrivals, collections, look books, etc. It conveys emotion and entertains much better than a simple product listing. People aren’t buying $1000 sneakers for the utility. It is an entirely subjective purchase. Fortunately this content is expressive and engaging. All images in the feed are optimized for the small screen. It’s a great start to the app.
The best way to make this even more engaging is by tailoring the content. This could be done based on the browsing and buying history of the user. For example, if I’ve previously bought a Tom Ford suit and men’s dress shoes, I’m unlikely to buy women’s ballet shoes next.
The only annoyance about the home screen is the small horizontal text slider at the top. It’s an odd UI element. The text is nearly the first thing a shopper sees. Yet the information is simply a less attractive repetition of the image below. Tapping the text opens an unsightly screen that only contains inconsistently formatted text. It would be better to keep the screen simple and remove this element.
Browsing
While the app’s home screen provides a engaging start, the rest of the app is kept very simple. Most screens are just long lists of products. This interface is fine if a shopper is only trying to find one specific item as quickly as possible. However, if a shopper is looking to be inspired or browse items for fun, then this interface leaves much to be desired.
This isn’t a complaint specific to Saks Fifth Avenue. It’s an industry wide shortcoming. Apps always show products in endless waterfalls of undifferentiated white cells. These cells do little to differentiate the products or convey the spirit of the brand and item. I wish Saks had continued the editorial approach of the home screen throughout more of the app.
Navigation
The simplicity of the app benefits the navigation. It’s easy to find products in the Saks’ Fifth Avenue catalogue. You never feel lost. Back buttons, detailed filter, sorting, and search options are always readily accessible.
However, Saks chose an interesting navigation UI. I don’t think I’ve seen it in any other app. They essentially fused a hamburger menu into a navigation tab bar at the bottom of the screen. The differences to a regular tab bar navigation are small. The icons are arranged differently, and one of the items slides up a category menu. Currently the icon layout works, but it could easily become cluttered if more functionality is added. Overall this tab bar twist works reasonably well. Although it isn’t clearly superior to Apple’s recommended classic tab bar navigation.
The category browser that is triggered by the hamburger menu is a mixed bag. The UI feels light, attractive, and maintains context better than a full-screen category tree. Yet it feels clunky when navigating long lists of designers and lacks a search function. For lists that require lots of scrolling a different interface would be more appropriate.
Search
The search function is always easily accessible at the top-right of the screen. Once activated, it shows popular searches, recently viewed items, and suggestions. It’s a great, comprehensive screen and that makes it easy for shoppers to engage.
Nonetheless there are a few opportunities to improve the search screen. The app should allow shoppers to access their previous searches. This would make it easier to continue a shopping journey. A neat implementation of this feature would show the past search query until the shopper has purchased an item contained in that query. The purchase would signal that the specific query has served its purpose. Then the app’s focus can shift forward to a new shopping journey.
Unfortunately, the section that shows previously viewed items exhibits a small bug. It only shows products that were viewed after navigating to them through the category menus. It does not seem to display products that were accessed through the search functionality.
Product Detail Page
The product details have a very clean design that shows only basic information. Here Saks replaced the bottom navigation with sticky checkout and shopping back buttons. This should reduce distractions and aid conversion — well done. Also, adding items to the bag doesn’t prematurely end the shopping journey by assuming the user wants to check out. Instead Saks sensibly gives users the option to continue browsing or checkout.
The product images are well done. Backgrounds are always white. Apparel images are always cut in the same spots: above the models lips for upper-body items, and around the waist for lower-body items. The app does well by letting shoppers view images full-screen and control the level of zoom. This functionality would be even more compelling if it could be done directly from the product detail page. Currently the image requires and initial tap to open a new screen where the user can pinch and zoom.
Highly zoomed detail pictures to illustrate the products materials are notably missing. These detail images are important for any kind digital shopping journey. They provide information about feel, shine, texture, and weight of the fabric. These attributes are difficult to judge digitally. This is the online version of picking up and touching an item in a store.
The written product details are basic but comprehensive. They contain information about fit, materials, shipping, and availability. While these are important details for conversion, they cover only the basic, objective aspects of the product. Qualitative information is completely absent. There is nothing on the page that convinces the shopper that the item is special. The brand that made the item is greatly short-changed here. Nothing on the page tells me why this particular shoe is the one that I need to buy, out of the many different shoes that Saks offers.
There are a few other pieces missing from this page:
- there is no ability to share items via messenger, email, or otherwise
- there is no user generated content, or brand generated content that brings the item to life (by showing it as part of looks, for example)
- there is no video content
- there are no similar products or product pairings
- there are no product ratings or reviews
The latter point about reviews is always contentious with luxury retailers.
Wishlist (aka Favorites)
The wishlist is the only notable action that is blocked by sign-in. When a shopper tries to save an item to their wishlist a full-screen pop-up appears. The pop up is rather unexpected. While Saks does offer a tailored value proposition on the screen, the text is visually too subtle to be effective.
Once signed in, any item can be added to the wishlist by tapping the little heart icon in the product details. That’s easy enough. Finding the wishlist afterwards is not as easy. The app hides it beneath a variety of unrelated actions in the user’s profile. The profile area seems to serve as an all-purpose drawer to house the items that didn’t fit anywhere else. Admittedly this happens in many apps. Still, it’s not a great place for a wishlist.
The app also offers “Save for later” functionality in the shopping bag. This is not connected to the wishlist, yet it serves the same purpose. It essentially eliminates the need for a separate wishlist. In the consumer research and usability testing I did at NewStore, I found that many shoppers use their shopping bags as a wishlist. They add items of interest to the bag, and later sort through them as they’re deciding what to purchase. In this light “Save for later” is an excellent function that is more valuable and easier to use than the wishlist.
Checkout
The shopping bag and checkout process are solid, but a few details prevent it from being excellent. Positive aspects include the ease of managing and editing the bag. This includes the aforementioned “Save for later” functionality.
Shoppers can also complete their purchase without being forced through the extra steps of registration. Although the checkout flow begins with a prompt to register, it can easily be skipped. Saks could strengthen this prompt by providing a compelling reason to register. For example, it could say that registering will allow you to track the status of your order in the app. An order history is already built into the app, which is excellent.
While the process of entering shipping and billing details is well thought-out, it is still quite long. The friction could be significantly reduced by offering one-touch payment methods, such as Apple Pay.
The process also has an implicit required order of steps that is not explicitly communicated to the user. As a result, it is not possible to enter the billing details before entering the shipping details. Sadly there is no clear visual indication of this. Marking the billing details as inactive or showing an information would be helpful. There’s a similar issue in the gift-wrapping process.
Fulfillment
Saks offers a traditional assortment of shipping options. Fortunately free shipping is one of the available options. Shoppers might also delighted by a rush delivery service, such as UberRUSH or Deliv, to deliver their items to them from a local store within an hour or two. Unfortunately people will need to look elsewhere for such luxury. Saks doesn’t offer such speedy delivery options.
Customer Service
Peripheral features can reveal a lot about the priorities of an app builder. In the case of Saks Fifth Avenue, the desktop experience is far ahead of mobile. The website offers a variety of neat customer service options, such as chatting with stylists, scheduling in-store appointments, and arranging personal shoppers. Meanwhile only basic options are available in the app: phone and email. The mobile experience is second class, compared to the Saks website.
Summary
The app impresses with its level of refinement, ease of navigation, and attractive design. It is easily among the best designed shopping apps available. All basic functionality is present and correct. Saks has definitely met the standard of strong contemporary shopping apps. However, it’s not a giant leap forward. It’s not a clear commitment to the next generation of shopping. The app is missing significant features compared to the website. At the same time the app doesn’t offer unique features to differentiate the mobile shopping experience.
Besides the UI design, what makes Saks Fifth Avenue a special place to shop? Why is it a better shopping experience than Barneys, Nordstrom, or Net-A-Porter? After using the app for a few days, I’m not sure.
The general trend for shopping is clear. People are increasingly using their phones as the digital shopping platform of choice. If Saks expands on the handsome platform this app provides, they will be well positioned for this trend.
You can check out the Saks Fifth Avenue iOS app by downloading it from the App Store.
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