1. Friendly service in the bag

Using the word ‘soz’ (see picture below) when discussing a topic as dry as combining discount codes is a nice touch.

You might think this is an inconsequential detail, but this language shows me ASOS knows its audience and wants to make ecommerce less boring.

asos checkout

2. Social sign-in

A few years ago, social sign-in was anathema to some. Why would I give a company access to my life?

As we have become more accustomed to always being signed in to our chosen networks and are apathetic (some of us) when it comes to sharing information with advertisers, I think social sign-in is a big plus.

No passwords are required when signing in via social and this is a tangible benefit to my online shopping routine. When I return to the site, I simply have to authenticate again.

Note an early sign of ASOS’s copywriting prowess – ‘Sign in with social. Pow!’ – as the retailer attempts to liven up a boring transaction.

social sign-insign in with twitter

3. Micro UX in registration fields 

There are many things to admire in the screenshot below.

Firstly, check out the copy underneath the email and date-of-birth (DOB) fields, neatly explaining why I should give this information to ASOS (‘we’ll send your order confirmation here’ and ‘you’ll get a birthday treat..’).

Next, there’s a wonderful bit of micro UX – when I fill in my DOB, ASOS tells me how many sleeps until my next birthday. A tad twee perhaps, but another demonstration that ASOS is fun.

Lastly, the informal language used for gender – ‘girls and guys’ instead of ‘male and female’ – continues the friendly tone.

social signup 

4. ‘Pay securely now’

An old and simple trick – reassure the customer with the payment call to action.

asos checkout

5. Emphasising free returns

An obvious one, but ASOS does it well in the bag.

asos checkout

6. Checkout breadcrumb trail

So I know how far through I am. Step two of five, in this case.

asos checkout

7. Good use of the order summary page

I’ve bought something but ASOS knows that doesn’t mean it has to see the back of me just yet.

On the order summary page I’m directed towards ASOS Marketplace to continue shopping if I’d like to.

order summary

8. Clear order confirmation email

The functional is beautiful. Note how simply ASOS’s order confirmation email is.

Just black text with limited formatting. The subject line – ‘It’s ordered!’ – and the sub headers – ‘Where’, ‘When’ and ‘What’ – let the user check relevant order info quickly and efficiently.

Then, at the bottom of the email there is clear advice on how to cancel your order, get delivery updates or ask for further help.

asos checkout  cancellation

For more on ASOS, see the following posts:

Further reading: