E-commerce: Sell by Collections

Collection selling for an apparel merchant would include offering entire outfits on one screen on your Web site, similar to what you do in your catalog, said Burke.

He suggested that catalogers try sorting merchandise in new and innovative ways. For example, let customers shop by:

¥ activity (sport or hobby);
¥ event (work apparel or evening wear);
¥ theme (movies from the 1950s);
¥ by room (dorms, kids, kitchens);
¥ by brand names; or
¥ by style (southwestern, modern, traditional).