Pros and Cons of a Members Only Shopping Cart

July 15, 2009
By the ZippyCart Shopping Carts Content Team

Shopping online has becoming increasingly popular over the past decade and eCommerce stores have tried a variety of tactics to attract users and make their site stand out. An emerging tactic over the past year that has shown success with a few sites is a ‘Members Only’ Shopping Experience. This technique makes the user feel like they are part of an exclusive crowd that gets special deals on products. It allows the sites a unique way to quickly sell the inventory of a certain item so that they can make a profit and move onto the next product.

Three stores that have been gaining popularity in this space are Rue La La, Ideeli, and Hautelook. All three have a focus on clothing with the majority of it catering towards a female demographic. They work by sending out emails regarding special sales that run for a limited time. This can create a panic and if you do not get your pick right away then your size may already be out of stock. It may seem like a great deal but you may not be able to easily return the item or may not be able to return the item at all, assuming it doesn’t fit or just isn’t what you had in mind. The deal you think you are getting might also be available on another site if you spend a little time looking online for it.

When it comes to your ecommerce store you may take a stab at this technique, but the majority of sites that have succeeded over the past decade have opened up their store to everyone to shop freely and purchase whenever they want. It is also much easier to operate a store that has no time limits so that you do not to constantly get new products, create new deals, and manage frequent email campaigns. Regardless if you decide to go ‘members only’ or not, make sure you provide customers with a solid shopping cart experience that will make them feel comfortable checking out of your eCommerce store.