Live from Beijing!

PPG.cn is another one of my favorite “unique to China” websites.  It falls in the general category of e-commerce sites, and is somewhat similar to American sites such as LandsEnd.com.  It sells shirts, ties, and slacks for men.  The user interface is clean and uncluttered, making excellent use of Ajax to quickly change images based on the colors you pick.

However, the interesting thing about PPG is not its website.  Instead, it’s the whole idea behind it.  They have figured out what young professional men want from an online clothing site: fast, easy, good prices, no hassle.  It’s amazing to me that no one has copied this approach in the US. 

Here’s how it works:

·         When you place your first order, you register to use the site.  From then on, it keeps track of everything you buy.

·         Once you decide to buy something, you give it your address and tell it when you want to have your stuff delivered.  Typically deliveries are made that afternoon if you order in the morning, or the next day.

·         Importantly, when the courier arrives with your clothes, he waits for you to try them on.  If you like how they look, you pay the courier.  If you don’t, you hand the clothes back, and tell the courier whether you want replacements or you’re just not interested.

·         With each order, you receive a coupon for a discount on your next order.  The coupon expires at a relatively early date, so it feels like it’s burning a hole in your pocket.

·         If you haven’t ordered anything in a while, you usually get a message on your cell phone telling you about a special price on the same style shirt you already bought, but in a different color.  In other words, the system knows what kind of shirts you like, and assumes you might be interested in one of a slightly different color at a much better price.

·         In addition, the site makes it very easy to mix and match ties, shirts, and pants so that you pretty much always look good.

·         Finally, the prices are what you would pay for the same items at a midtier department store, including shipping.  In other words, the stuff that isn’t incredibly cheap, but it’s also not especially expensive.  Rest of all, you’re not paying a premium for the much better service and absolutely no hassle.

Because the site recognizes that men typically don’t really like to shop, and because it’s so easy to use, PPG has become incredibly popular among all of the men in my office.  They know they need to buy work clothes, but they simply couldn’t be bothered to traipse around to different stores trying to find, chinos, work shirts, and attractive ties.

My only beef with PPG?  They haven’t opened a US version yet.

P.S.  A friend recently told me about a local PPG competitor called vancl.com.  On the surface, it looks practically identical, proving again that there’s no such thing as a good idea to camp immediately be copied.  However, PPG has already earned my loyalty with its database of my previous purchases and its clever use of incremental coupons delivered by cell phone.  Once again, it’s not the website that is so unique — it’s the deep understanding of the target male audience, brilliantly executed.