FGI weekly site review | woot

today is the first day of the rest of your life. why? because today is fgi's first ever weekly site review! each week from here on a guest writer or myself will be reviewing a website, some sites will be great while others will be examples of what to avoid. this week's website however falls in the "great" category, at least in my opinion, which happens to be the one you are reading right now anyway so shut-up and hold on for the first ever redclay weekly site review.

this week we will look at a website is a great example of "outside of the box" thinking and while the term "outside of the box" sometimes conjures up complex thoughts of synergistic buzzword heavy meetings. in this case it will probably just make you say, "why didn't i think of that?" so with nothing further, this week's website"¦ woot.com!

how it works

every night at midnight woot features one new item for sale, but it isn't just "one" item it is "x" number of units of that item. here's the thing though once the item of the day is sold out, it's gone, and that is where the trick comes in: woot doesn't tell the user how much inventory they have. by doing this they create a phenomenal sense of urgency with their customers, and i should know, my wife has "discussed" that very "sense" with me on multiple occasions.

the site

woot.com has done a great job capitalizing on simplicity and user experience when it comes to their site. their homepage (or today's woot page as they call it) is no exception as it doubles as their sole product page, the top of the page is dominated by a large image of the product woot is pedaling that day, right alongside the product image users will find a button that says "i want one". following the product images users will come across what is likely one of least helpful product descriptions you will ever see, without a doubt entertaining, but useless. if you don't believe me just take a look at this excerpt from a page long product description for a digital camera"¦

"you've seen armadillos, herds of hippopotami, kangaroos, nudibranchs, lyrebirds, and platypi. but no beasts anywhere are anywhere near as fabulousas the fauna to be found in kambingo-durambulus. come for a safari, say the friendly kambingans, but be very careful about what you're bringing. before your kambingo air flight's in the airmake sure you pack this kodak easyshare."

besides wacky product descriptions and easy to use features woot has also excelled at catering to their customers needs and desires. two pages of woot.com have helped them achieve this recognition their blog page and the community page, both of which are tied closely in together. the blog page is just what its title sounds like, a blog, where users can discus that day's product. appropriately woot's blog starts fresh each day allowing users to express their pleasure or dismay with the product of that day.

if you are saying to yourself, "it sounds like a typical blog to me?" you're right it is a typical blog, but that is where their community page comes in. the woot community page is more or less a monthly calendar chronicling each product they have carried and peoples reaction to those products. in fact woot gives there visitors access to a full set of analytical tools. these tools show data ranging from what state made the most purchases all the way to an hour by hour breakdown how the inventory was sold.



so what is it that makes woot.com so great?

love them, hate them, or just plain don't get them, woot has done an impeccable job of finding their audience and keeping them interested. so congratulations woot on being the first ever redclay site of the week.