iamserio.us

I was just perusing my favorite online computer retailer, Newegg.com and I was greeted with a pleasant surprise. The main page loaded up just the way it normally does, but when I clicked the details on a laptop, the site greeted me with a brand new set of navigation menus and a spiced up UI.

I also took note that I had been bounced to a www2 prefix instead of the normal www. When I went back to the main page, it too had transformed.

I must say that it’s about time this retailer took a look at its front end and said “Hey, this looks like 1999 took a dump on our website.” The choice to go with a soft cream instead of solid white for the background is a major plus and the beveled lines on the navigation menus look really classy too.

In regards to other things changed on the site, each item now has a rating below the image thumbnail that tells you how well it’s liked by those who bought it. Next to this rating is a glyph that, when clicked, allows you to add the item to your shopping cart (Without even looking at the specs and details? Impulse shoppers beware!)

Once you click a thumbnail to view an image more closely, you’ll notice that the detailed view has received an overhaul as well. The sections are defined with color blocks (finally) so discerning what it is you’re actually looking at has become a lot easier.

After looking at a few items, you’ll notice that the sidebar of the navigation menu has accrued a list of the things you’ve just looked at. This is unassailably cool. For those of us who are slaves to our five button mice, relying solely on your browser’s history isn’t always the best idea. Now that Newegg caches these things on the fly, you can zip on back to another item to compare it without having to search all over again.

Finally, make sure you take advantage of Newegg’s “New Newegg Launch Specials”. I’m sure there are some deals to be had there.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 20th, 2005 at 9:24 PM and is filed under Internet.