What: 
Constructing a distinctive e-commerce site in a crowded market.

When: 1998

Project Challenge: 
As the online bookstore market becomes increasingly crowded, it is difficult to stand out among the competition. Canadian brick and mortar booksellers, Indigo, asked Funny Garbage (FG) to create an exceptionally accessible online store devoted to books and music that would be distinct in design and user experience.

How did we do it?
We produced an easy-to-use e-commerce site with a fresh online identity, bringing the feeling of a favorite bookstore to the web. The site design was also integrated into Indigo’s proprietary database engine to maintain a sense of cohesiveness across the entire business.

Equally challenging was the development of unique content ideas to enhance the user experience and add depth to the site. FG built “on@indigo,” a high-bandwidth channel featuring in store readings and other live performances, as well as a calendar of related events. Another innovation was “Listmaker,” which allows the user to keep track of items of interest and to create public, semi-public and private wish lists.

After the initial success of the book site, FG produced unique music and gift sites to complement Indigo’s strong in store presence in those areas. The result is a strong balance between intelligent graphics, useful content and secure purchase paths that ensures a comfortable experience for customers.