Editorial voice key to ecommerce

In the last year there have been some notable changes within the ecommerce world, with journalists being hired to take ecommerce roles.

Melissa Dick, previously at Elleuk.com, moved to Asos.com to become its new head of editorial, while Jeremy Langmead, former editor of Esquire, was appointed editor-in-chief of the brand new Mr Porter.

At My-Wardrobe.com we have made a significant hire in the editorial team with the appointment of founding Grazia editor Fiona McIntosh as creative director in October 2010.

So, why is there this sudden shift of journalists to ecommerce? The answer is simple - the customer wants more from their online shopping experience and it is the responsibility of the etailer to provide this to them.

Journalists are being hired by etailers to innovate and evolve their editorial content, and therefore improve the customer experience.

At the end of February My-Wardrobe.com relaunched with a heavy focus on editorial content, providing daily style news, magazine-style features, click-to-buy fashion films from MY-TV and street-style photography through its Daily Buzz editorial bar.

Alongside improved navigation, the editorial content has been the main focus for My-Wardrobe.com. We realise how important it is to stay ahead of the game in the world of ecommerce. We want our customers to keep coming back for more and it seems that this editorial/ecommerce hybrid is what the customer is asking for.

To be able to successfully translate your brand online a strong editorial voice is vital. Often, the voice of an etailer can get lost through the different channels of the business such as PR, social media and marketing.

Over the years I have understood the importance of a united voice across all of these channels, in order to keep the brand focused and the authoritative message consistent.

In order to keep this vision strong we hold weekly creative meetings, a chance for all of the different channels of the business to meet and discuss their different ideas. A strong editorial vision helps to keep the various channels of the business united.

So, what can we expect from the future? With technology constantly innovating and evolving, it looks as if this is the direction in which etailers are going. For instance, advances with the iPhone and iPad apps mean that people can gain immediate on-the-spot access to some of the most cutting-edge technology in the ecommerce world.

Our customer has an increasingly busy lifestyle and shops within the seams of his or her life. What our customer wants is a space where they can do everything under one roof, and advances in technology mean that can be done quicker and easier than ever.

This can only be a positive thing for us because our customer is looking for ways to free up their time. I believe that there is a lot more to come that is extremely exciting - we have only just scratched the surface.

Sarah Curran is founder of My-Wardrobe.com