Here's what it's like to shop online from Zara -- and how it compares to the in-store experience and The Iconic

Zara launched its online store in Australia last week.

The site has the potential to be better than The Iconic.

The retailer allows customers to pick up their order to avoid shipping costs.

We put the new store to the test.

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Zara launched its online store in Australia last week.

The new offering has the potential to challenge its biggest rival, The Iconic, for its spot as number one online retailer in the country.

We decided to put the new site to the test to see what it’s like to use, and whether The Iconic should be concerned.

Here’s how it went.

OK here’s the item that I am buying: a black velvet nautical-style hat for $29.95

After selecting the item I was directed to the shopping basket

And then asked how I wanted it delivered…

For this experiment we chose the option of picking it up in store — something that is not offered by The Iconic.

What my contact details were…

How I wanted to pay…

Because I am picking it up in store, there are no excess charges.

And it was done

A few seconds later I received the email confirmation. The process took no longer than a couple of minutes

The next afternoon an email came through announcing that my order had been dispatched to the store I had selected

Along with a bar code I needed to take with me to process the pick up

The following day I received a text and email, telling me the order was ready to picked up

The following Monday I went to pick up the order at 2.45pm from the store on Pitt Street in Sydney

It was an off peak shopping time and there weren’t as many people in the store as I normally have to contend with

There was only one person in front of me so I didn’t have to wait long to be served. Here’s a look at the line after me

The shop assistant scanned my e-ticket and left to retrieve my parcel.

She was back in a couple of minutes with the parcel and a device to scan the bar code of parcel

Unfortunately there was a small hiccup with the scanner and she was unable to get it to work. She ducked away to get some help.

While I waited I had a look around. No other shoppers appeared to be picking up parcels

It wasn’t long before she was back and asked for my signature, after which she gave me the parcel.

Here it is! The whole process took less than 10 minutes

First impression: Seems like a lot of packaging for a hat.

Let’s take a look inside

The packaging is exquisite. Much nicer than The Iconic

And the product looks exactly like the picture on the website

Same price, same product, and speedy service. It was overall a very positive experience

Would I do it again? Absolutely.

READ MORE: Zara has launched its Australian online store — here’s its biggest advantage over The Iconic

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