Swell.com is an online surf and skate retailer based in San Juan Capistrano. They primarily sell apparel but also have some hard goods. We’re interested in them because they have an excellent web presence.
Their home page is a familar surf website design, very similar to surf retailers like Ron Jon Surf Shop and other online retailers that cater to the same demographic. The design is comfortable, not challenging or edgy like skate shop Web design. The design doesn’t get in the way.
What we really like is the content, which not only has the traditional departments for “Guys,” “Girls,” and “Gear,” but also includes a Team section for their sponsored surfers, a blog, a side scrolling lookbook, and a digital catalog.
The company also has a social media presence, including a Twitter account, @swelldotcom, and a Facebook page with nearly 1,500 fans.
You can be certain that all of that content is not cheap, but would you expect a low-budget site to be able to buy the domain name “swell.com”? In March, the company, Swell Commerce, leased 34,000 square feet of office space for $1.6M over five years, so we can probably assume they aren’t a typical independent retailer. Even so, Swell.com’s website is worth studying.
