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BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE: Business Week ebiz | |||||||||||||||||
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Why Famous Brands Often "Fracture" When They Hit the Web Too many retailers rush their wares onto the Net without making sure that customers will get the experience they're expecting There's a nasty new ailment stalking the would-be E-commerce giants. Traditional retailers with well-established brand names are especially vulnerable. It's called brand fracture. And it's the result of the spills many retailers take when they hustle themselves out on the World Wide Web without keeping the promises made to shoppers in the real world. The pressure on retailers to get their stores online is intense. Wall Street analysts and investors are pestering retailers for a Web presence, so much so that Home Depot, preparing to transform its modest informational Web site into an E-commerce site next month, has placed its director of investor relations on the site development team. "You can't go to an investor conference without the subject of E-commerce coming up," says Kim Schreckengost, vice-president for Home Depot's investor relations. TOUGH TO REPLICATE. But Home Depot is a prime candidate for brand fracture, experts say, based largely on the strong brand imagery of its traditional stores. Home Depot, in the real world, is all about vast selection and knowledgeable, accessible sales staff. That brand promise is going to be a bear to replicate online, says Roger Black, whose consulting firm specializes in brand identity in new media. Home Depot sells about 50,000 different kinds of products in its stores, a feat Schreckengost concedes they are not ready to try virtually. And morphing human service into virtual service, especially in an area that often requires a lot of explanation -- like home improvements -- won't be easy. When a retailer finds itself making compromises on its core brand elements, it's time to worry about brand fractures, says Black. "That's when you say: Am I blunting my message? Am I confusing my consumers?"
BROKEN PROMISE. But as with any online retail store, the company risks disappointing its visitors. It wouldn't be the first time. L.L. Bean launched its E-commerce Web site in 1996. Brand fracture hit almost immediately. In an effort to move carefully and test the online waters, it put only a selection of its most popular items up for sale. "That's a break in the 'everything's for sale 24 hours a day' promise," says Jim Sterne, author of the book World Wide Web Marketing. "That's a big reason why people might choose L.L. Bean." Bean has made the fix, now offering the sale, if not an online photograph, of most of its merchandise via the Net. But it lost valuable shoppers while it recovered from its brand fracture, says Sterne. "Those were missed sales."
Others have made the transition to online fracture-free, thanks to a careful understanding of consumer expectations. Gap Inc. designed its site with consistency as a primary goal, says Rebecca Weill of Gap's marketing department. "We want to replicate the things the Gap is known for," she says. The design of the site imitates the clean, almost neutral look of stores. The display of clothing is similar. The majority of goods in the stores are available via the site, says Weill. And Gap is making its entertaining series of dance-themed ads available online for shoppers to enjoy. "You have the ability online to add a game or some other fun virtual thing to do, but that can't be your focus," she says. "You have to remember what the customer is coming to you for," she says. That's the backbone of an unbreakable brand.
Ellen Neuborne is Business Week's marketing editor. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
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 Ellen Neuborne is Business Week's Marketing editor and a regular Perspective columnist | ||||||||||||
