What is it for?
According to research by Chaffey & Chadwick (2016) the role of DX.com is to be a transactional website as its main objective is to be the trading bridge between consumers and the company. The website is used to advertise the company’s latest gadgets and technology to the market as well as offering a platform to be able to sell their goods to the consumer.
Does it offer good user experience?
AIPD by Simeon (1999) outlines that effectiveness of a website is reliant on Attracting, Informing, Positioning and Delivery. DX.com attracts consumers through their brand name which is ‘Deal Extreme’. This has connotations of the best price, best deals and that the brand goes to the nth degree. Furthermore banner advertisements highlight current trends and seasons which makes the content on the webpage seem more current.
Consumers are informed through user friendliness and a simple graphical interface. The website is extremely straightforward and has the outlay of a user-friendly website. It is easy to navigate and you can use the search bar in order locate whatever you may be looking for. On the left there is a drop down section which sub-categorizes the brands offerings as well as suggestions for other products that consumers might be interested in.
Positioning of the brand is mainly distinguished through discounted pricing and a variety of goods. The brand offers technological, sometimes unbranded, goods for a fraction of the price that their branded counterparts may be priced at. They also offer branded goods for cheaper than anywhere else on the market. The brand sources from warehouses in China where they can cut out the middle man and pass the savings on to consumers. Furthermore the depth of stock they supply is endless and they have the ability to order previous products which may not be stocked anymore.
Customer support is key for DX.com as they work in the technological sector as well as the import/export so a lot of their products may come with instructions in a different language or may not work at all therefore they offer support over email and phone as well as a live assistant. Customer service is key for a technological brand as the return rate can be quite high. Also a brand like DX.com rely on word of mouth advertising especially B2B as they don’t advertise due to low margins for a lot of their portfolio of products.
Improvement?
Even though the website is easy to understand it seems cluttered in presentation which could lead to a larger bounce rate. It’s easy to search for something like a games controller however if you wanted to find a specific replacement part for it then you would have to know either the parts name or its product code which can turn daunting if you aren’t an expert. Through sub-sectioning their sections further they can index certain aspects in order to make the customer experience even smoother and increase conversion rates.
Webcredible (2017) suggest that businesses have on average ‘less than five seconds’ to attract a customer to stay on their page before they leave therefore the design of that website and it’s aesthetical feel is incredibly important in reducing bounce rates and increasing conversions. Experts ‘consider that first impression’ is vital in the image that is envisaged by consumers once they enter a site. It is important to leave a lasting impression on consumers in order to see more conversions but also to see repeat custom.
References:
Chaffey & Chadwick, E (2016) Digital Marketing, 6th ed., Loughborough University: Pearson.
Simeon, Roblyn (1999) ‘Evaluating Domestic and International Web-Site Strategies’, Internet Research, 9(4), pp. p297-308.
Webcredible (2017) Web Design Aesthetics, Available at: https://www.webcredible.com/blog/web-design-aesthetics/ (Accessed: 31st October 2017).