This blog will analyse the functionality of the Zara UK clothing site from a consumer’s perspective. The site itself is an online platform for individuals to purchase Fast Fashion garments. The target consumer is usually within the age range 18 – 40 years, with a mid-range income. As part of his/ her occupation, fashion trends usually demonstrate a high importance.

Customer Profile
The consumer is a single working mum, with 2 children of primary school age. They work as a marketing assistant in a trendy advertising company which is a mid-level paid role.
A day in the life of the consumer begins by dropping off the children at school, and arriving at work for 9am. They finish work at 3pm and pick up the children from school and take to various after-school activities leaving time to catch up of household chores and prepare dinner. After picking up the children from after school activities, they ensure children are fed and bathed. After the children go to bed at approx. 8pm which allows the consumer to scroll through social media, watch reality TV and scroll through online shopping (usually fashion) platforms.
According to the 2009 BSM Media survey, 71% of mums use the Internet to get product information (Linder & LaMotta, 2009). Online shopping, especially for this consumer whos job role requires her to remain on trend, is an essential tool for the single working mother who doesn’t have the time to browse high street stores. The online shopping experience needs to be as streamlined and user-friendly as possible, ensuring that she can find products quickly and easily. She generally frequents sites such as ASOS, BooHoo and Topshop, however for this study will focus on Zara as an online purchaser. The main objectives of this study are to analyse the functionality and user-friendliness of the buying experience, the home delivery options and speed/ frequency of delivery, and the speed/ easiness of their returns policy.

Following Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick (2016) analysis of the Effectiveness of Websites, I will evaluate the functionality of https://www.zara.com/uk/ under the following subject headings: Positioning, Informing, Attracting and Delivery, as shown on the diagram.

Positioning
In terms of discounted price, bar seasonal sales, the brand doesn’t offer any discount on their garments. Products are priced in line with other fast fashion sites, however competitors generally offer a student discount, usually 10% off. The brand does differentiate slightly from other ‘high street’ brands, as Zara follows high fashion trends more closely than say New Look, therefore products appear to be more expensive than the price paid. There is also a wide variety of products advertised on the site for both male and female consumers, however nothing is custom made. The fast fashion model works purely on convenience; products from the site can be purchased with next day delivery providing the order is placed before 7pm. Products can even be delivered on the same day if you’re situated in London and orders are placed before 2pm which works well for the working mother. Items can also be delivered to a store located nearby or multiple pick up points depending on the consumer’s requirements.

Informing
The site isn’t the most user-friendly for a first time visitor. When scrolling through the page, the links on the left hand side disappear whilst scrolling, and the bar at the bottom of the page remains dominant throughout. This is clearly an attempt to encourage visitors to sign up to the brand’s mailing list, however does cause frustration as a user and is something I’d recommend changing to make the experience more pleasurable. Advertisements on the opening site page alternate between collections for both genders, however the first to appear is the Zara Woman A/W campaign which suggests that more products are sold to women rather than men.

In regards to information displayed on the site, there is little. Delivery information can be easily found during the checkout process. This requires users to semi-commit to purchasing before delivery prices are displayed. The search bar at the top of the site page is only useful if you are searching for a specific product/ style. There is obvious point in which the user can ask questions relating to the purchasing process from the main site page. Again, the mailing list bar dominates the section of the page focused on enquires, with users struggling to even reach the ‘Contact Us’ feature before they are cut off. In terms of the visual appeal of the site, colours are minimalistic, mainly monotone, drawing the users attention to photographs of models wearing the latest collections. With the current Autumn/Winter collection’s colour scheme following the same monotone approach, I can’t help but feel the site could use atleast a small amount of colour to draw customers in.

Attracting
The brand’s name ‘Zara’ suggests that the target market is females, which is suited to the customer profile. With the ‘New In’ section the site located at the top of the page, outfit recommendations draw attention to the latest collection. This encourages multiple purchases as users wish to ‘complete’ the look. Advertisements are singularly the own brand; there are no pop up adds relating to any other even similar brands at any point, which is refreshing as a user focus is purely on shopping the site. The opening page shows a video of models wearing the new collection. This is more engaging than simply a photograph as it enables the user to associate these clothes with functionality and imagine themselves wearing the garments as the model has done.

Delivery
The site’s download time is extremely fast, especially considering the amount of content. Photographs of products load within 30 seconds of visiting the page. Information of payment options is not apparent until the user has already semi-commited to checkout. However once you have reached the checkout point, the store informs you that they accept multiple payment methods; Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Zara Gift Card and Paypal, which covers all platforms for online payment. The site itself feels secure, and after purchase an email receipt is send to your email address to confirm the order. This provides the user with a sense of security, as it is clear the site has received the order and an estimated delivery date is given. Another email is sent confirming dispatch and tracking information is included, which again makes the user feel confident in their decision to purchase. Information regarding the returns policy is finally provided at this point, if the user scrolls to the bottom of the page, a link is provided. There is also a ‘chat’ button in the bottom right corner if the user was to have any queries about purchasing. Although there was no information clearly provided before the checkout point, it is reassuring to know that in the time of purchase, customer support can be given if required.

References
Linder, M & LaMotta, L (2009) ‘How to market to the modern mom‘, Forbes [online], Available at: https://www.forbes.com/2009/01/08/mother-marketing-gm-ent-sales-cx_ml_0108marketingtomom.html#ddb966277689 [Accessed: 26 Oct 18]

Chaffey & Ellis Chadwick (2016) ‘Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice’, Pearson: London. (page 24)

* This is a student blog *