Overall, Walmart.com’s redesign is a great improvement over their old site. It brings them on par with Target. However, I’m really surprised that Walmart didn’t implement some form of faceted/guided navigation (e.g. Endeca). Perhaps they’re prepping this up for their next iteration as they move from redesign to design optimization.
From the press release:
The site redesign is a sweeping overhaul that touches 1,000 categories and more than 2 million pages at Walmart.com, with dramatic new designs of the Home, Apparel and Electronics departments. It also includes the following upgrades and innovations:
- New Look & Feel - Features larger images, clean, bold design, and clear, crisp messages.
- Fewer Clicks - Allows for fewer than 4 clicks to product checkout from any starting point.
- Rich Interactive Content -Interactive elements on more than 5,000 site pages allow users to easily obtain information without going to another page. For example, a new “peel to reveal” function marries the online world with the way customers use traditional magazines by allowing them to click a “peel” option that reveals additional content.
- Smart Home & Apparel Solutions - Comprehensive home and apparel collections tell an inspiring story, and enable users to shop by room collection or apparel outfit.
- CNET Information - Industry-leading CNET buying guides were added so that customers can research information online and make more informed purchase decisions
