Analyzing Chubbies Shorts E-Commerce Website Optimization

Chubbies is an American apparel manufacturer and on line retailer specializing in men’s shorts. Chubbies Shorts was formed in 2011 by a group of four Stanford University graduates who are focused on changing fashion standards in the men’s shorts segment (Mandapat, 2014). Since the brands introduction the company’s shorts have become a fashion icon. These “short shorts” have developed a popular following on numerous college campuses because of their flair, fun, and carefree appeal (Kovalesky, 2014). The company’s products are differentiated in style as each pair of shorts comes only with a 5 inch seam creating a tightfitting look. The style has an ironic appeal since recent men’s fashion trends have not been focused on revealing men’s legs or thighs. Chubbies fashion template is marketed as the anti-cargo short which provides freedom and comfort in menswear (Colao, 2014)

Since Chubbies is an exclusive on line e-commerce retailer with no brick and mortar locations it is critical the brand performs effectively across the digital environment.  One of the key factors in e-commerce retailing is obviously to be found by consumers in the right place at the right moment when they are ready to make a purchase. There are several methods businesses can use to achieve this objective, but one of the key factors is simply ranking higher than your competitors on Google and other top search engines. In short  getting found, is often equated to getting clicks, and improved clicks often equate to increased sales (Kilbourn, 2013).

Website Analytics

Chubbies focuses almost exclusively in social media based marketing for its brand and products. As a result much of the retailers’ website analytics are focused on website user acquisition through the social referral channel. With its primary focus on Facebook , YouTube, Instagram and Twitter these referral sources are analyzed based on specific campaigns, posts or targeted user generated activity (Domanska, 2014). On Facebook Chubbies has over 1.1 million likes and makes use of the platform to engage directly with its consumers and target audience. Chubbies Facebook page also features a direct link to its website at the top of its profile where consumers can directly access the brands on line clothing store.

As an exclusive e-commerce retailer the website shopping experience is a critical factor to the sales success of the organization. Understanding and analyzing the customer experience provides an opportunity to measure activity and evolve and develop the site based on the actions of its users. Audience analytics also include an opportunity to understand the activity surrounding new and returning visitors. Metrics such as session period activity, bounce rate, pages per session and average session duration provide insight on the depth of engagement. Other key metrics include user behaviors surrounding the navigation of the site and how site users are viewing the different product lines the organization sells (Kaushik, 2010).

On the product page there are several areas to navigate including different product views. Metrics are important here as well. Understanding which product shots are most popular can provide Chubbies with insight on how to position its different clothing lines from a visual perspective. In this example (Fig. 3) understanding image popularity can drive product presentation strategy not only for its website but through its external marketing activities as well.

Since the individual product pages contain links to Chubbies other product lines understanding the click through metrics as they relate to different product types can also provide the brand with insight on how to position its different product lines both internally on its website and through its external marketing (Chubbies Shorts, 2016). One example is understanding shirt and shorts purchase combinations and featuring those products jointly when it makes sense.   

Fig. 3

On Page Optimization

As the brand looks to increase awareness and visibility one of the key areas Chubbies can control is its on page website optimization. These strategies are essential in positioning the website, and include a number of areas such as keyword optimization, site structure and even its URL (website name) all play a key role in optimizing the website for search engine results.   

Keywords

Chubbies Shorts has made judicious use of keywords on its website. By utilizing 332 unique keywords and creating an overall package of just under 750  keywords and the brand has crafted a good search engine strategy (Website Analyzer, 2016). The site does however have a low text to code ratio. This is primarily driven by the large number of visuals including images and product shots in the site content.

(Website Analyzer, 2016)

Site Structure

The format of the site is laid out effectively as the primary site navigation is located at the top of the page, there is also no flash content located on the site pages. Both of these are search engine friendly attributes and assist in ease of indexing the site (Fleischner, 2016).  The site is also well optimized for mobile and tablet as responsive design is incorporated into the site framework (Website Analyzer, 2016).  Meta Tags and Titles are both present on the site which enables the major search engines to understand the name of the websites pages along with the primary theme of the pages (Fig 4). 

Fig. 4

Data Collection and Deeper Engagement

The content of a page is what makes it worthy of a search result position. It is what the user came to see and is thus extremely important to the search engines. As such, it is important to create good content. So what is good content? From an SEO perspective, all good content has two attributes. Good content must supply a demand and must be linkable. Content pages are the heart of websites and are almost always the reason visitors come to a site (Fleischner, 2016). Ideal content pages should be very specific to a given topic. Chubbies Shorts has done well in content creation through its images and unique content. Chubbies has also created a great deal of offsite content primarily directed through its social media marketing strategy. While this improves off page optimization and the opportunity for increased inbound referrals, it also does not contribute directly to the SEO for Chubbiesshorts.com. Since the site currently the site ranks 46 out of 100 in domain authority the overall score indicates room for improvement.

Moving forward the brand would be served well by creating and posting additional relevant content on its website. One suggestion to offer here and particularly in the spirit of keeping its brand persona, perhaps Chubbies could develop a clever way to get its followers and customers to create customer reviews or tell their stories directly on its site in an effort to create that additional content. Creating a sound strategy to create fresh original content on its website could assist in raising its overall search position and complement its already strong social media marketing presence. 

Works Cited

Chubbies Shorts. (2016). The Mount Crushmores. Retrieved from Chubbies Shorts: https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/products/mens-mount-rushmore-patriotic-american-shorts?coll=d-originals&position=4

Colao, J. (2014, May 6). Meet The Stanford Bros Conquering Men's Shorts: Inside The Frat-Empire Of Chubbies. Retrieved June 2016, from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2014/05/06/meet-the-stanford-bros-conquering-mens-shorts-inside-the-frat-empire-of-chubbies/

Domanska, A. (2014, July 4). Chubbies: Dominating $200 Billion Millennial ‘Mericas Market. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from Industry Leader Magazine: http://www.industryleadersmagazine.com/chubbies-dominating-200-billion-millennial-the-mericas-market/

Fleischner, M. H. (2016). SEO made simple. Middletown: Simple Solution Media.

Kaushik, A. (2010). Web analytics 2.0. Indianapolis: Wiley.

Kilbourn, C. (2013, August). The Ultimate Guide to SEO for E-commerce Websites. Retrieved from Kissmetrics: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/seo-for-ecommerce-websites/

Kovalesky, B. (2014, April 30). Chubbies Shorts is on a mission to own the men’s shorts market and define the ‘weekend lifestyle’. Retrieved June 2016, from Startup Beat: http://startupbeat.com/2014/04/30/chubbies-shorts-qa-id3770/

Mandapat, H. (2014, June 27). Retail customer spotlight: 3 men’s fashion brands that get customer service right. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from Desk: http://www.desk.com/blog/retail-customer-spotlight-3-mens-fashion-brands-that-get-customer-service-right/

Website Analyzer. (2016). www.chubbiesshorts.com. Retrieved from Website Analyzer: https://www.site-analyzer.com/en/analysis/841007/https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/