Collaborate or Die

J!nx is a clothing manufacturer that produces video game-inspired and licensed clothing. They hold merchandising rights to many video game-related properties (‘The Guild’, ‘Starcraft’, ‘Eve Online’) and cater to gamers, a technically proficient and lucrative market. Jinx has set some unique best practices for e-commerce that demonstrate how well it understands its users. Here’s a snapshot of their strategy.

J!nx homepage

Users are more than just an order number; they are a community.

Users can comment on posts, participate in geek trivia quizzes, submit their own tee shirt designs, upload photos of themselves wearing Jinx clothing – even create their own profile page. This truly interactive approach builds relationship and encourages repeat visits.

All community-based actions and online orders reward the user.

All of the community interactions listed above reward the user with Experience Points (EXP). For example, users gain five EXP for submitting a comment, and 50 EXP for getting at least four answers correct on the weekly trivia challenge. When users amass enough EXP, real-world benefits are given.

Transparency: Product quantities, reward status are visible at a glance.

Jinx is transparent with any information the customer may need. When users log in, they immediately see their current rewards level. On a product page, users can see the current stock level of each product – even breaking down the stock level by size and color. Jinx is even transparent about which items they will be discontinuing (and has a sense of humor about it).

Experience Points reward chart for registered J!nx users

“Back in stock” notifications signal loyalty, encourage return visits.

J!nx cushions the blow when a product is out of stock. Users can request an email notification for when that specific item size and color is back in stock, increasing the likelihood that the user will return to the site (and possibly order products in addition to the now-in-stock item). Related product functionality (“complete the armor set”) increases that likelihood significantly.

Will this work with every e-commerce audience? Know your users
Not all users are as willing to create a personal profile on a shopping site; gamers are known for being smart, snarky, and community-aware, so profiles are a win with them. Be sure your users are likely to engage with a feature before investing time and money on any feature. J!nx is successful because it really understands its audience and its high expectations for the websites that try to cater to them. J!nx demonstrates that it understands gamer culture while offering best-of-breed functionality.

Industry-standard functionality required, regardless of audience
Gamers (and other technically proficient users, such as engineers) are unlikely to order from a poor website. For that matter, so are tech-averse grandmothers ordering knitting needles. All users expect and deserve a great user experience when handing over their dollars.

Discontinued stock message on J!nx: Feel free to rage quietly

There are very few online retailers that match the experience offered by Jinx. Would Apple enthusiasts customize a profile page on Apple.com? How many shoppers would like to see the stock level on a fast-selling product at Amazon.com? J!nx exemplifies many best practices that even the current best-of-breed e-commerce sites can adopt.