Two examples of storytelling in eCommerce

By starting from a common base, it is worth pausing a moment in concept. I have explain before what storytelling is: this way of using stories to illustrate brand values and enrich the user experience. 

Storytelling strengthen engagement, humanizes the interaction by putting a face to those people behind the project, and it adapts the creation process. It gives a different approach from the tone of communication... in short: it provides an extra sensitive information layer to any store. 

For sometime now, we have seen the growth of the niche of male cosmetics. Within it shaving stands out thanks to the new burst of beards that has generated many more users. 

We must distinguish between cool barber and the concept of day to day shaving. In this last, there has been a big change after one dollar shave club that promoted the purchase of affordable and quality shaving products through a subscription. Following its footsteps grew competitors such as Boldking (pay attention to its amazing website that is also amazing in terms of design and storytelling in general) or the one that we are talking about: Harry's. 

What about the product? Basically the same as its competitors: disposable quality blades, own design and a recurring subscription which can be managed in terms of periodicity by the customer. 

They needed a strategy of differentiation and opted for Storytelling. Dollar shave club were wild and sought the provocation, so Harry's needed to find another brand positioning within the market. 

In the end, his bet was aimed at another kind of men, or rather,another way of understanding masculinity. If we see its store then we realize there are not the typical bearded or mustachioed models full of tattoos. 

On its website, very focused on the product, there is also a very important place for: 

Show its factory: we are selling quality at fair price, but quality in the end, after all. It has an own factory in Germany (a country we associate with the latest European technology). And, in addition to show us its store here, we are also shown some workers: they are humanizing the brand.

They take advantage this video and tell their story and show just like they are(normal people). How was their idea born and how did they have come to be the company that it is today. 

Breaking stereotypes: this project can be found in the same home. They want to stand out as allies of those men who do not fit or do not want to fit into specific archetypes. They claim, in fact, there are many ways of being a man. 

Special mention to the storytelling in video for this piece which nicely sums up the positioning aimed by the brand (a child explaining what is being a man about to an alien. 

They run away from a profile often imposed by social pressure, in which other brands of grooming reproduce. 

Something important in Harry's storytelling is that is not just a more or less emotional approach. It has a continuity fed by various projects which drive narrative between young people with stories that break those stereotypes, marginal communities, support for associations that prevent male suicide... 

In addition to this, they keep the speech through their social networks in which they do not focus so much on talking about their product but on spreading their brand values. Good job, Harry.

In contrast to storytelling applied to online stores, I would like to compare the example of Harry´s with Modcloth, an eCommerce with totally opposed audience. Modcloth sells fashion and accessories for women. 

The audience is different, but the approach, in essence, is similar. For Modcloth the message to convey is that it is the same whatever your body complexion is: all women have the right to dress fashionably. This is extracted directly from the brief manifesto on its "who we are" page (an important page when we talk about storytelling because it lays the basics of speech) 

How do they tell their stories? Because Harry's bets clearly on video, but it is not the case we refer to. As a matter of product and segmentation, for Modcloth user-generated content is a very powerful tool, on its own page you can upload your picture with the outfit so that other users can rate it... and buy it. 

As you can see, this strategy is much hipervertical social network (directly own) but of course, this rather limits the scope to those who rely on the social network of fashion lovers par excellence, Sure, Instagram. They have created their own hashtag, #modclothgivingcontest with a very special contest where they offer 4500 dollars to the initiative of a woman who contribute to their community. 

The own users are who propose their candidates and tell the story, the reason why they are so inspiring. 

What they do with this? Well, link their image to an activism in favor of their philosophy. All these stories of extraordinary women are uploaded to their eCommerce and mix with images of real women, of every type and condition, wearing their clothes. 

Apart from specific actions like this contest, they use Instagram extensively. You can find directly linked from the main menu other options under the heading "what we're lovin'"highlighting especially weddings with their dresses and accessories. 

Just take a look at the page to see how everything is surronded by storytelling. 

Read more examples of storytelling here:

Examples of storytelling in eCommerce (2)

Images | Screenshots from sites linked.