Puma this summer decided to merge its content and e-commerce sites into one with the "hope that by surrounding product images and buy buttons with stories about the products," it would "encourage people to buy" its products, according to Lucia Moses of DIGIDAY. Puma two years ago was "looking for ways to jumpstart its online sales." At the time, it "had two sites, one devoted to the brand and one for commerce." Each "pointed visitors to the other, but the experiences were inconsistent (not to mention the sites weren’t responsively designed)." Before making its newly combined site, Puma "looked at dozens of sports and retailer sites including those of J. Crew and Kate Spade." The result, which "launched in the U.S. on July 31, is a photo-driven site with sports tabs that include profiles of famous athletes." Apparel and buy buttons "are woven throughout." Tech company Acquia "supplied the technology behind the CMS." The move has "paid off." Puma "remains a dwarf in the online space ... but the big benefit Puma has seen from its now-responsive site has been on the mobile, the device of choice of Puma’s target customer base of 18- to 24-year-olds." This past Black Friday, 3.4% of mobile shoppers on Puma.com "ended up making a purchase," up from 1.6% on Black Friday the year before (DIGIDAY.com, 12/15).
