I’m a sucker for containers of all kinds, so this Tasty Trio Tiffin Box on ModCloth caught my eye. I’m not, however, a huge fan of bright colors–ModCloth calls this set “bold breakfast”–but as far as colors go, these are nice rich hues. What’s the Tiffin Box for? Carrying food. You’ll already know this if you’re familier with the word “tiffin,” and if you aren’t, you’d know soon enough.
The introduction: 4 pings
Within two sentences, I know there are three containers made of melamine designed for carrying food. The site also suggests two uses for the product right off the bat. So why am I docking it a ping? Because of the exclamation point. Hardline, maybe, but I really don’t like exclamation points, and it interrupts this otherwise smooth copy. With words like “yummy” and “chic,” the first sentence doesn’t need any more dressing up.
Informative copy: 4 pings
Information abounds: The main description tells us most of the important details, and the “Details” tab text reiterates those, as well as adding things like materials, cleaning, and detailed measurements. Their measurements are thorough: we have diameter, total heights with and without the bracket, and height of each canister.
This is a case where reading the reviews adds a lot of value. The third reviewer talks about what she puts in her tiffin–salads, fruit, and rice cakes. That rice cake is golden: it’s something consumers can look at and compare other food items to so they have a better sense of what will fit in these containers.
However, I want to know from the retailer what kind of food the canisters will hold. I’m guessing nothing too liquidy, but I’d probably try anyway without an appropriate warning. That reviewer uses it for fruit, which can get juicy, so maybe liquids work better than I think?
Effective images: 5 pings
ModCloth did everything right here: pictures from multiple angles, all the pieces spread out, food in the canisters, and even a “shown for scale” image with a tennis ball. I’d rather use space for some those images than for any more commentary.
What I’m buying: 5 pings
Though it doesn’t need repeating by now because the text and pictures are so clear, one of the detail bullets lists what comes in the box–three canisters, one lid, and one bracket. Perfect.
Design: 5 pings
The design of this page really pulls everything together. Each image has a mouseover enlargement effect. Clicking a new image changes it within the page, instead of popping up a larger image gallery–these are all over the web, and they’re good, but ModCloth’s solution is better.
I also want to point out the tabs right below the product description. Ever feel like retailers are trying to hide shipping prices from you? Return policies? Ways to figure out what the h*!l is going on with your order? I do. These “full disclosure” pop-up windows make me happy. There are no fewer than three locations to find shipping prices and return policies without leaving this page. And the “Customer Care” window (pictured below) directs readers to pretty much everything they might want to know.
Final score: 5 pings
Okay, it’s closer to 4-1/2 pings, but we’re not mathematically precise here.
The further I got into writing this post, the more I liked the page, particularly its design and usability. The frowny face drawn onto the “shown for scale” tennis ball doesn’t hurt, either.
See the full page
