Each month we will be bringing you a review of an online shopping experience we’ve had personally with a NZ/Australian online women’s clothing retailer. We’ll share with you how their site performed, how easy it was to browse and find what we were looking for, and the interaction between the company and us, the shopper.
This month we are reviewing: Birdsnest (http://www.birdsnest.com.au/)
I’ve been aware of the Birdsnest website for a few years now, but have never bought anything from them online –being based in Australia made it seem too risky if the item didn’t turn out ok.
Birdsnest is primarily an online fashion store with the office (and I think one bricks and mortar store) based in Cooma, NSW, Australia.
Birdsnest makes the purchasing process as easy as possible by adding tips and shopping recommendations. The site really goes the extra mile to add value to online shopping. I really love the outfit inspirations and body shaping guides – tons of useful information.
Overall Results
I have to say I’m blown away by my shopping experience with Birdsnest. Finding items was easy (and on special!) and delivery was amazing. Best experience I’ve encountered so far, as an avid online shopper. You can tell the Birdsnest ‘birds’ are passionate about women finding their own style and this enthusiasm flows on through to just about everything from the website to the packaging.
The Website
I found the Birdsnest website easy to use and FUN!. I’d never thought I’d say that about online shopping. So many retailers’ sites nowadays are very ‘stock-standard’ and oh so similar and just a teeny bit boring. Not the Birdsnest site. I bet this company is great fun to be part of.
One issue I find with sites that offer a large inventory, is that you probably only skim the surface of what is available online. Birdsnest make it super easy when searching the inventory; by offering menu options that pretty much cater for any body shape, occasion, colour, brand and personality.
I could have stayed browsing the Outfits page for hours. Here’s where they have put together outfit examples complete with accessories to complete your look. Great for getting ideas and saving items to your wishlist.
The prices on the site are in AUD which isn’t that clearly denoted, although when you get to the checkout, it states the total amount of the payment and that it is in AUD.
The sign in process was easy and straight-forward. I only purchased one item, and credit card processing and payment worked fine.
The website is optimised for mobile viewing, and looks great on mobile devices.
Customer Service
Although we didn’t test the customer service this time around, it was evident in the customer care throughout the process.
Every step of the purchasing process was carefully outlined and emails were friendly and useful.
Product
I was really happy with the item that I purchased online. I ordered the Gypsy River dress, as I find it hard to buy dresses with sleeves! My dilemma might be solved though as the Birdsnest girls have thought about this too and have a ‘preference section’, that includes options like ‘cover your arms’ or ‘skim your waist’..
Reading the customer reviews will also help you in determining fit, but the 12 in this particular item was pretty much spot on.
Along with a description tab, each item has additional helpful information, such as ‘Will this suit me’ and Sizing Guides. A very impressive amount of information was provided to assist with the buying decision.
I took advantage of a flash sale of a 20% DISCOUNT off, which I learnt about through the FindingFashion.co.nz website. The dress was originally $159.95, down to $59.95. I got it for $43.60 – which must have been 20% discount and the 10% Australian GST deducted (nice to see this being deducted, several other Australian retailers don’t do this on their websites!). Plus $12.95 postage = AU$56.55.
The bank then converted it at .9221. Total cost was NZ$61.33. Plus the bank kindly added a $1.29 fee on top of that. Still a reasonable price for a maxi dress with sleeves.
Delivery
Shipping was stated as a very reasonable AU$12.95 (about normal range for Australian retailers sending to NZ).
“Parcels take 3-7 days to reach New Zealand and may be subject to import taxes or duties.”
So I ordered on 10th December and it arrived 16th December – so about four business days, well within their estimated timeframe.
The packaging was indeed something to behold. It really did feel like Christmas had come early! The birds certainly make a lasting impression with their amazing packaging. First off the outer courier bag was cool enough – lots of interesting designs and writing printed on there. Then inside was another red drawstring bag containing the dress, a free catalogue, rewards information postcard and get this… A PERSONALISED HAND WRITTEN NOTE, which made me feel super special and removed any doubt that indeed I had I’d made a great choice. Wow… just outstanding customer dedication!
Returns
The confirmation emails received clearly outlined the returns process.
“Our Online Returns Process makes it as easy as possible for you to return items that aren’t quite right – and we currently have an offer where the first time you use it, it’s free (until December 31, 2015)! We also have a 365 day No Hassle Returns Policy – so you can shop worry-free, and return hassle-free, on us! “
But as usual I’m guessing this doesn’t apply to international customers. For NZ customers, the cost to airmail a package back to Australia is roughly $10-$15 – so depending on the item cost, it may not be worthwhile. But at least you have a generous return time-frame (365 days) unlike some other retailers who expect returns within weeks (even if sending from NZ).
Luckily the dress did fit perfectly, so I didn’t need to use the returns process.
Summary
So all in all, I would rate Birdsnest as an excellent online shopping experience. The website is modern and fun and although its packed with information is easy to use and the payment process is simple. Fast delivery and the AMAZING packaging really gave it the WOW factor. I can’t recommend highly enough the online shopping experience with Birdsnest. I will be back!