The layout is simplistic, but easy to navigate as for the headings and search option. The website is convenient, customised to the target market, and accessible on either desktop or mobile users.
Public Desire is an international online footwear company, which sells a range of unique styles. In a competitive online playing field, fashion e-retailers such as Missguided and Prettylittlething had successfully built an online brand reputation; with loyal customers and a competitive advantage against new entrants, there would be high barriers to entry for new firms to enter the market, with a similar target audience. However, Public desire, established in 2014, discovered a potential gap in the market. There were few online retailers that sold affordable, stylish footwear (Sutherland, 2018) for the price conscious consumer.
The Website
Chaffey and Ellis Chadwick, 2016.
Public desire has a transactional website, as the banner “up to 50% Off Everything” on the landing page encourages users to explore the different categories and convert from a user to a customer by securely purchasing the footwear. Both, Public Desire and Missguided have a display of different promotional offers, which are attractive to the target market, with a 10% discount for students via UNIDAYS.
However, EGO shoes offer 15% student discount and 10% to email subscribed users. As for the large selection of the same product for a lower price, consumers are likely to search the web for the best price, and promotional offers that suit their needs. According to Punj (2011), it is important for marketers to understand how “beliefs and consumption values influence purchase behaviour” so online retailers can add value to the consumer through web customisation.
All three websites have links to their social media platforms. Different digital channels can be used to attract different audiences and allows marketers to manage and generate leads. Social media has given e-customers a platform to communicate their interests and concerns, so it is important for marketers to monitor and respond to online communications faster than competition (Chaffey and Smith, 2010).
Ideal Personas:
Public desire’s target market is females, age 18-30. The styles are designed for e-customers who favour online shopping and make impulse purchases following new trends/styles. The audience are seeking value for money, discounted products. Below are two ideal personas associated with the brand:
Touch-points: 
Once Sarah has searched for the website on Google, the website visibility on the search engine (SEO) means it is easy to discover. According to SimilarWeb (2018), 53.6% of users find the website through online search, in comparison to EGO shoes which is discovered by 41.82% of users by search (See appendix 1). Once she adds the desired item into the basket, she securely makes a payment and purchases the item. Sarah decides to follow the company on Instagram and subscribes to their marketing emails for post-sale interaction.
Moreover, after discovery of the brand through online advertising, Lisa reads online reviews of the brand on her desktop (see appendix 2) as her purchasing behaviour is greatly influenced by electronic word of mouth. As for the positive reviews, she adds the shoes to her basket and purchases the footwear. After the payment is secured, she agrees to create an online account which means she can track her order, easily return unwanted items and make faster transactions on return.
Appendix 1:
Appendix 2:
References:
Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2016). Digital Marketing. 6th ed. Harlow: Pearson.
Chaffey, D. and Smith, P.R. (2013). E-customers in e-marketing excellence: planning and optimizing your digital marketing. 4th Ed. Abingdon: Routledge
Punj, G. (2011). Effects of Consumer Beliefs on Online Purchase Behaviour: The Influence of Demographic Characteristics and Consumption Values. Journal of Interactive Marketing. 25(3). Pages 134-144.
SimilarWeb (2018). Traffic Sources on Desktop. (online). Available at: https://www.similarweb.com/website/publicdesire.com?competitors=ego.co.uk. (Accessed: 01/12/2018).
Sutherland, E. (2018). Public Desire debuts clothing range. Drapers. (online) 22 October. Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/news/public-desire-debuts-clothing-range/7032601.article. (Accessed: 13/12/2018)
