Getting Personal

Internet shopping may not seem like a personal experience, but it is at La Ti Da boutique. The clothing store offers an online questionnaire that lets the store act as a personal shopper, no matter how near or far the customer might be. In addition to standards like sizes and skin tones, questions include the shopper’s goals, attitudes towards shopping, sense of style, self-definition, and lifestyle factors like clothes and children. And they’re all optional, so no shopper gets turned off by having to provide Too Much Information or delays because they don’t have all the answers (and may never make it back).

For virtual merchants who don’t have a big budget for online recommendation software based on previous views and orders, or those who haven’t been very impressed with their results, this is a great way to use the irreplaceable expertise of personal experience, and translate that personal touch right through the screen. And it doesn’t only apply to apparel — how about a “find the perfect gift” service, just in time for Mother’s Day?