[Posted by Adele Sage]

I just published a doc “Footwear
Manufacturers’ Cross-Channel Experience, 2009” with the results of
Cross-Channel Reviews of the four leading footwear manufacturers: adidas, New
Balance, Nike, and Puma. We tried to complete standard user goals (looking for
running shoes, buying a pair, and then tracking the order) in several channels
(Web, IVR, phone, and email) and then looked at the experiences across
channels.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Nike was a clear
  front-runner. In addition to earning the highest overall score among the
  footwear manufacturers, Nike received the only two passing scores, with +10 and
  +12 on the IVR and email portions, respectively.

• All four
  tripped up on legible text and clear language on the Web. We
  also looked at the individual review criteria that caused the biggest problems
  for the footwear manufacturers. All four firms failed our Web site tests for
  providing legible text and for using language that's easy to understand.

• Each footwear
  manufacturer had problems with its experience... Some examples: During
  scenarios in the adidas IVR, the user encountered problems with access to human
  assistance, error handling, and feedback. And on Puma’s site, the user could
  complete the purchase online, but he couldn't sort shoes by color or price, and
  there was no way for him to check the status of his order once he declined to
  register during checkout.

• …But they all offered
  best practices, too. Among the best practices: New Balance recommended types of arch support online, Nike and Puma let
  the user customize shoes on the Web, and the adidas site made it easy to scan
  pages.

For the full report, see http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/0,7211,48228,00.html