Johnny Richardson
GCE Unit
My Website Review of a Commercial Transactional website
ASOS ASOS is a site that provides clothing that is update, in fashion and a lot of it is reasonably priced. However it does range from cheap to top end. For example it has own brand clothing is usually blank and quite cheap from that of Armani which is a very expensive well known brand.
They provide a long range of sizes and items. The website itself is very easy to navigate, with a very clear search bar which responds quickly and when you search something it even shows how many results there are before you have searched and has a list of recommended searches.
Comparison If you compare the site www.ASOS.com to another successful clothing site such as www.Topman.com there are many advantages but also disadvantages. The first thing you notice different about Topman compared to ASOS is the amount of colour there is. The colour on Topman is almost reversed to ASOS with white writing and black background. This is more appealing as it is different to a bland white. A similarity is how they both put their sales out boldly in the middle of the page so it’s the first thing you see on their website. While comparing I went through the process of purchasing a pair of trousers from each site. When putting the items in my shopping bag neither website prompted me to buy now or continue shopping which is quite disappointing as it would make it easier than searching for the symbol which is easier to find on ASOS than on Topman. Topman’s shopping bag is hidden up the top of the page among lots of different icons and buttons. Both websites took me to a checkout so I can review my purchase. It allows to see the price and size of the item as well as the item itself. After Clicking pay now their both again very similar and offer an option for existing customers to login with an email address and password or create a new account. When creating a new account their again similar but both Topman is a shorter and more simplified application than ASOS. In conclusion Topman and ASOS can both take lessons from each other. ASOS could use more colour and appeal in its pages rather than a dull white which does not capture the eye. However Topman could also make their pages a lot less cluttered with lots of buttons and notices. As a customer it would appeal to me to more to use the site Topman depending on my budget as they offer much cheaper clothing rather than ASOS which offer more designer labels at higher prices. However ASOS’s website is much more simple and nicer to navigate through rather with a clear list at the side which can be easily broken down into sections whereas Topman has a lot of different sections which are not all as accurate. Also Topman displays items which they have sold out of, which defeats the object of selling the item. Like a baker advertising iced buns but only having bread.
Advantages to an online company Instant Globalisation – When a company is online it can be viewed in all countries unless the country or the website doesn’t allow it. It instantly increases the customer base by potentially millions. Reduced costs- When a company like ASOS who don’t have any shops to run costs on they can spend more money on purchasing stock and improving their website. 24 hour opening times- A business run online is always open for business; however the time for contacting customer service may take longer. In a shop you just ask a shop assistant, whereas online you have to either wait on a expensive phone line or wait for a reply to an email. Everything in one place – Unlike in a shop, online you can just filter through a search engine. This is an advantage compared to a shop where you have to look through the entire shop to find that item that could be buried at the bottom of a pile.
Disadvantages to an online company Delivery – a disadvantage of ordering online is that you don’t get your order straight away unlike in a shop. Also delivery can come with high costs, most sites deliver for around £4 extra but some are even more than that. Customer service- A second disadvantage to online shopping is how the customer doesn’t get to interact with the staff. If a customer gets problems with the website all they can do is either email and wait for a reply or
Why I used the site? The list of products is broken down nicely with the side bar and if you can’t decide what to get it even has a what’s popular section. The site also has a sell section so members can trade between each other, this is called Marketplace. This makes it easy and simple for me to navigate and use.
I use this site because it allows me to purchase good priced clothes at a low price. I also like to look through to plan what I may buy one day if I ever make enough money. I also like to read the blog to find out what’s happening in the fashion world.
Events such as fashion weeks are constantly updated on the sites blog. The site is also very easy to navigate and always has sales updating which is very helpful for those with less money but like to keep up with the times.
Annotated screen shots 1.Goods on offer This screen shot is what you are shown when you are joining the website. It clearly shows the goods on offer and by clicking it, it takes you straight to a page where all the offers are clearly on offer and all have a reduced price. The vibrant colour reflected from the offers is a strength for the website however it does amplify the dullness of the background. An improvement for the website to undertake would be to implement more colours and make the site more eye-catching. As a customer it is very obvious and I would normally check to see if it had anything I like. However if there was no sale on it would not look a very attractive site.
2.Product descriptions Each product has a clear description of the product itself and also shows a clear description of all the height, weight and the material of the product. However there are no opinions from customers so the only description we have is on the website itself which is trying to sell us the object and would therefore make it look good. An improvement that could be made is to include a rating system or an opinion section so customers can give honest opinions on the product. As a customer I like the fact that it tells you about each product as few sites actually do. Its sort of a Russian roulette after buying it to when it gets delivered. That is one reason is would choose this site over others.
3.Colours and Fonts The colours and fonts used on this website are very plain mostly but the offers are normally very bright and eye catching. For example the above screen shot shows the site mostly in a plain black and white whereas the offers jump out of the screen with bright colours. The font is mostly the same all over using a quite plain but easily readable. The main sections such as Women, Men, Buy & Sell etc. the subsections such as accessories, bags and shorts etc are in a smaller font which is easily seen but for people with bad vision may have troubles seeing it all. As a customer on the site I would be quite disappointed by how the website lacks colour however the font looks very smart in my personal opinion and makes me feel sophisticated just for using it. The only improvement that could be made is too increase the size of some parts for people with lesser vision.
4.Methods of Purchasing
This screenshot shows all the methods of payment available to this website. It includes a variety of credit cards, debit cards and paypal. They are displayed quite boldly underneath the products/product being purchased.
When you have confirmed your purchase you can either log in with previous information or create a new account so next time to purchase you don’t have to retype all of your previous information. After you log in you choose your method of delivery with varying costs on each method. It is quick and works well, the fact you can save your information is not only helpful as you don’t have to refill it out but is also a huge timesaver as it is quite an extensive form. An improvement that could be made is to cut down the form and have the option to automatically log in when you enter the site to help if you forget your email and/or password.
5. Information about terms and conditions of purchasing
At the bottom of the main page you have to option to view the terms and conditions of the website. The terms and conditions include a variety of information such as general information, Privacy policies, Intellectual property, software and content. The site has hidden this information at the very bottom of the sites main page. It could be improved by being more visible nearer the top of the page as the information is quite important. As a customer on the site I would not normally check the terms and conditions unless the website looked unprofessional or dodgy. However when you purchase products you are not prompted to look at the terms and conditions which does need to addressed and amended.
6. Methods used to capture customer information The website has a system of capturing customer information by letting customers create accounts. This allows them to allow them to keep their information already saved without having to bother to put all of their information in again. Also with a history of their sales kept they can use it to sell to marketing companies or to use when setting up their marketing plan for the years to come. An improvement would be to allow customers to write up reviews directly to the site so they don’t have to buy something for the information to be sent. For example if they think they should buy more chino’s to sell as their selection is dry instead of buying every pair so they notice chino’s are selling well and expand that section. The set up is quite simple and easy to set up. It also allows you to save card information. This is a risky thing to do but a lot of people do not mind and it saves time when buying items from the site. However lots of people don’t do this in case their account gets hacked.
7. Techniques to entice and retain customers The site of ASOS is not only a website that allows you to buy clothes but also it keeps you up to date with the latest fashions. Also it will highlight what is the next big thing and normally it will be available on ASOS. This allows ASOS to convince its customers to purchase more off their site. It is quite a good technique to entice customers into buying certain items. It is defiantly one of the many strengths of the website. An improvement that could be made would be to make a forum so customers can come and read or write too each other switching outfit ideas and what’s the next big thing. As a customer it would be good to know what is going to come up in later trends so I can be before everyone has one rather than jumping on the bandwagon when they’ve been and gone into fashion. Also if I see respectable celebrities or ones that I like wearing clothes they look good in it makes me want to buy those clothes to feel like those celebrities.
8. Ease of making a transaction The ease of making a transaction on ASOS is a dependable matter. The first transaction you make it normally a quite lengthy process. You have to fill out all personal details such as name, address and financial information. However once your account is made and activated it is a very quick and simple process making it easier for returning customers. This helps to retain customers. After creating their account for the first time all the customer must do is open the bag with their items and click pay securely. After this they just need to login, enter their card security number and the order is placed. They can also change their preferences on item deliveries but is placed as standard by default. The only improvement I can think of here is instead of just doing it through the site but to take it too the secure pay option some banks have where they take another account on the banks website for example Halifax has secure pay. This is where you enter another password and username specific to that bank.
9. Ease of navigation The sites navigation bars are easy to see and move through. It is split into alphabetical order down the left side of the screen with New in and sale items at the top. Once you enter a section you get a view of the items but you can also filter them down. For example in shoes you can filter it down to all size 12 or all size 10. By doing this it will only take you to areas you find relevant as you would not need to look at size 10 shoes if you are a size 12. Unless shopping for someone else. An improvement which could be made to the navigation is to have more specific sections such as Printed T shirts on the main directory rather than just T-shirts. As a customer I find this very easy to navigate and know exactly where to look for what I want even from just looking quickly. Also if I cannot find it on the sections I can filter the entire website down by using the search bar at the top.
10. Site Structure The website itself is structure like its colour scheme, in a simple but reasonably effective format. The first thing you see is the special offers when you enter, bright vibrant and in the middle of the page so their right in your face when you click on the site. There are relatively few problems with the structure apart from some of the more important information is left at the bottom of the page. This being information like terms and conditions and who to contact if you’ve had trouble with your order. As a customer I like the fact that when I enter the site I can see the main sections and the offers right in front of my eyes. I like the check the offers in case there is anything I want for a cheaper price and if I’m looking for specific items I can use the search bar at the very top of the page. I also like the fact that my bag is quite easy to find at the top right of the page.