Online clothing retailer Asos is capitalising on features from the latest version of Internet Explorer to increase sales and improve site usability.

The new features are focused on improving search and product monitoring for customers and were introduced in partnership with EMC Consulting in less than three weeks by using agile programming techniques.

“First we wanted to understand how we could benefit from the new tools then deploy it in time for the [Internet Explorer 8] launch, but the features were quite quick and easy to deploy,” said Simon Hamblin, enterprise architect at Asos.

One of the features is web slice, whereby HTML mark-ups are used to represent a "clipping" of any product for sale on Asos’ web site, which shoppers can use to monitor items and be alerted if there has been a change in price or if the product is out of stock.

The retailer also added extra functionality to allow customers to browse its product range even while on a competitor's site by marking a particular word. Asos was also added to Windows Live Search, which enables visual representation on key words or products from its catalogue.

Higher conversion and customer retention rates are the main benefits of the new tools, which provide users with a “window into the Asos world” even if they are not accessing the web site, said Hamblin.

“We are always looking into increasing functionality and do whatever we can to entice customers to our web site, which should in turn generate a positive impact on sales,” he said.

Other customer-facing initiatives at the online firm include the launch of a community shopping channel, Asos Live, forecast to launch in April.