Almost one year ago, I discussed the number of reasons why Gap, Inc. should integrate all of their brands online. Today, they’ve taken the first steps to doing exactly this. They’ve announced upgrades to their website that integrates their brand websites into one shopping session. Now, the customer is able to shop all four brands (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Piperlime) using one shopping cart, one checkout process, and one shipping method. Kudos to Gap for making it easier for the user to shop their brands all at once.
I would still like Gap to recommend products across brands – Sell me a pair of Old Navy shorts with my Gap hoodie. I would still like to see them blog about new fashion items and offer ways to mix and match items across brands. But an integrated shopping and checkout experience is a positive step forward for this retailer.
