When was the last time you found yourself shopping online while being totally immersed in the experience? Most likely it was because you felt a connection to the store or the product itself, in a way that you usually only feel when shopping offline in the actual brick and mortar store. Touching a cotton shirt, trying on a fresh new pair of sneakers, comparing the clarity of several 1080p TVs, looking in the mirror of the dressing room, taking the cap off a deodorant and smelling it right there in the aisle; it’s how we’re bred to shop.

The best shopping experiences on the web, however, have the challenge of bringing this tangible interaction online. As web designers, developers, marketers and online merchandisers, we’re constantly faced with this challenge. How do we replicate these in-store interactions that trigger more purchases and return customers?

The answer lies in thoroughly understanding your products, their intended demographic, and their respective in-store customer-product interactions. In this constantly evolving galaxy of eCommerce merchandising, we’ve recently found several brands that have successfully brought their offline experience online. Some have even surpassed this challenge.

Gap’s Best Dresses
Ladies, when you try on a new dress in the dressing room do you just stand there? Heck no! You spin around, twirling in the mirror (while your husband nervously waits, purse in hand, outside between racks of undergarments). Gap’s thoughtful use of multiple videos embedded within this small interactive space replicates this to perfection.

BlueNile’s Build Your Own Engagement Ring
The ability to narrow down the product selection based on current inventory, price, and personal preference, all within a highly usable, intuitive and fast-loading AJAX interface is quite wonderful. I’d rather shop here than in-person with a pushy salesperson whose commission is the main interest. This online experience surpasses the offline experience in more ways than one.

Oneida’s Virtual Table Setting
Customizing your favorite dinner plate design with your choice of fine silverware and your table’s cloth or texture has never been so quick and easy. Another AJAX powered interface that makes shopping fun. (a WebLinc Direct eCommerce solution)

Haband.com’s Duke’s Tips
Haband is one of the largest privately held mail order companies in the US and has been in business since 1925. Convincing their demographic to begin to shop online is a challenge. Their brand is strengthened in part through the personal relationships established through letters and helpful tips from their CEO, Duke. Bringing this extremely valuable customer relations resource from their mail order business to the online world is great way to retain the trust and admiration within their customer base for years to come. (another WebLinc Direct eCommerce solution)

Zappos Multi-View
How many times have you clicked a product’s zoom image only to be frustrated with the meager results? Zappo’s offers eight, count ‘em eight different views of each shoe. They leave nothing to the imagination. To top it off they offer free shipping both ways making it a customer service utopia.

Endless Shoes Sorting
I wanted to buy my one-year-old daughter a pair of pink sneakers in size 5, but for under $40. In just three clicks from their homepage (which took 5 seconds), and one slide of their price-slider widget (half a second) I had in front of me 23 in-stock sneakers than fit my needs exactly. I won’t even mention the ‘free overnight shipping minus $5′ promotion (or will I?) Try doing that at the shoe store while she’s having a temper tantrum. Simply amazing.