Desktop boutiques
Catalogs are just a click away, thanks to a local firm's technology
Catalogs are coming to your desktop.
Allurent, a provider of online shopping technology based in Cambridge, and clothing retailer Anthropologie are piloting a computer application that allows shoppers to browse Anthropologie's catalog and place orders through a button on their desktop, without downloading cumbersome portable document files or connecting to the Internet.
For Allurent, the goal is to reduce the number of paper catalogs and their environmental impact.
For Anthropologie, the "desktop boutique" technology is a way for the retailer to enhance its brand and tailor offerings to individual shoppers. The company, part of Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters Inc., has 102 US stores, including four in Massachusetts.
"The idea is the right one," said Joe Chung, Allurent's chief executive.
Allurent's desktop boutique uses Adobe AIR, a program similar to Adobe Flash, but runs on a computer desktop instead of on a browser. It's compatible with all operating systems.
Someone shopping for clothes from Anthropologie would download the application to a desktop, then simply click on the icon to get into the catalog. Items are displayed in categories as if they are moving along a conveyor belt. When a user clicks on a specific item, it zooms in for a closer view, and an information and ordering page appears.
The program also allows users to add a note about specific items, which the shopper can save and view during the virtual shopping trip. They also can customize the search with a "color picker" which searches for all products in a specific color. For example, choosing blue on the spectrum brings up several dozen items in varying shades, from aqua to navy.
Once a shopper is finished looking at an item, it fades away, similar to a fade-out on a movie screen.
When a shopper is ready to check out, the application seamlessly transfers to Anthropolgie's website, where the shopper pays and fills in the shipping information.
Virtual catalogs help retailers slowly convert paper-catalog shoppers to online shopping, said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, the digital division of the National Retail Federation in Washington.
About 45 percent of US retailers Shop.org surveyed last year were using online catalogs, while about a third thought the catalogs were an effective marketing tool.
"I think if you're doing something like what Anthropologie is do ing, it's a completely different experience than paging through a catalog," Silverman said. "This is a much more interactive format."
The desktop boutique pilot was launched in May and should run through July, Chung said. Users download the application through an Internet link. Once it's downloaded, Allurent can send updates and new catalogs directly to the user.
"Having a fully branded Anthropologie application on our customers' desktops will help keep our audience engaged and allow us to provide tailored personalization," said Anthropologie.com managing director Michael Robinson.
The pilot went to about 5,000 Anthropologie customers who previously ordered from the firm's paper catalog. A few thousand have downloaded the application, Chung said. Once the desktop boutique pilot ends, Allurent will decide whether to offer it to clients, Chung said. Based on preliminary data, he said, it's likely the company will make some improvements, but add the product to its lineup.
Anthropologie executives also will evaluate the application once the pilot ends to determine whether to keep using it.
"We know this is a pretty good idea," Chung said. This isn't about trying to make a ton of money. This is more like 'Here's some great technology, let's give something a shot.' "
