Borders Direct LLC, the e-commerce platform of Borders Group Inc., has selected e-commerce services firm Allurent to enhance the existing Magic Shelf feature of its upcoming e-commerce site, set to launch in the first quarter of 2008.
Borders’ Magic Shelf is intended to be an online version of the in-store shopping experience. The site includes three-dimensional wooden shelves of books, CD and DVD covers displayed as they would be in a store.
Currently, visitors to the site can click on a book in this virtual store for details of the book. Allurent will build this feature out, so that as a visitor to the site hovers over a title, details on the book will pop up and customers will be able to put the book into a shopping cart.
The Allurent platform will also aid in the development of personal profiles, as a customer’s browsing and purchase habits will trigger product recommendations in the Picked for You section.
The Magic Shelf will also include an improved search capability and improved navigation.
The upcoming Borders.com, including the Magic Shelf, is currently being piloted on a beta site, which can be viewed at http://beta.BordersStores.com.
