The Ecco site is designed so that content renders the same across multiple types of devices. Ecco is working with Demandware on this initiative.

“Responsive Web design is an emerging industry design standard where one site is created and adapts to different screen resolutions on a variety of devices,” said Gary Lombardo, solutions marketing lead at Demandware, Burlington, MA.

“The benefits are many, including less implementation costs, greater consistency of content, device-specific user experience, and improved SEO,” he said.

“There are different approaches to implementing responsive web design. At Demandware, we make it easy through a reference application that our customers can use for implementation of their Web site. The reference application incorporates responsive Web design principles, in addition to best practices in creating commerce interactions — all while being full configurable to the needs of the specific retailer and brand.”

Ecco shoes can be found in 4,000 branded locations in 90 countries

Shop on mobile
Consumers can access the site by typing http://us.shop.ecco.com/ into their mobile browsers.

Promotions – including online-only offers and free shipping – are clearly placed on the homepage of the site.

Consumers can shop the brand’s collection through a drop-down menu prominently placed at the top of the page. From there, products are broken down by category to help find specific items quickly.

Product pages include multiple pictures of the product as well as tabs to let consumers share content via Twitter, Facebook, Google + and Pinterest.

Furthermore, the site includes a store locator where users can enter their ZIP code or state to find a nearby store.

Per Demandware, Ecco will also use mobile to ramp up its multichannel marketing in the future.

For example, consumers will be able to shop online and pick-up orders in-store. Additionally, in-store tablets will let consumers access exclusive merchandise.

The company has plans to use Demandware’s platform to expand to other markets, including Canada.

The site on an iPad

Mobile-savvy brands
As brands increasingly invest in mobile, updating a mobile site is a big priority for retailers.

Mobile commerce continues to grow, and smart brands use the medium to drive sales on both mobile phones and tablets.

To help develop for multiple platforms, many marketers are relying on responsive Web sites that change content in real-time across PC, tablet and smartphones.

Although the technology has its challenges, it has a high value attached to it for SEO purposes and also works for brands that already have a strong amount of traffic being accessed via a mobile device.

“I see [mobile] becoming an increasingly important part of their strategy,” Mr. Lombardo said.

“Much of the focus will be on the store, meaning that bricks-and-mortar retailers will start to integrate digital experiences, particularly those driven from mobile-devices, into their stores,” he said.

“These would be focused around solving specific retailer problems that they haven’t been able to solve practically in the past. Examples would include endless aisle, clienteling, guided selling and mobile point-of-sale. These help solve a variety of retailer challenges with a high rate of return, such as capturing lost sales, lowering costs through reduced need to carry inventory and dedicate space to fixed registers, among others. Retailers will also continue to push the envelope on experiences on consumer-held devices, including richer experiences on their mobile-optimized Web sites and native apps.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York