Review: www.ae.com

A Review of an online shopping website.

This is my first attempt to do online shopping. so i hope my steps provided are able guide people around too! first, google keywords like "online shopping" or "online sprees". A long list of sites will appear and you can take your pick. the site i chose is .... here!

American Eagle Outfitters at http://www.ae.com/.

(short and sweet, it's easy to remember!)

Next up, to navigate and get access, i signed up for an account. Easy as it takes. Only takes two minutes and voila! (: (+ this scores some points!)

Here's some introduction about the company...
American Eagle Outfitters (in short, A.E)

- is an established retail company based in states.

- targets consumers of such as the older teenagers between 15 to young adults aged around 25 years old who has a lot of buying power these days!

- designs, markets and sells its own brand.

- carries different designs for casual wear, footwear and accessories for both genders.

- has different collections for the various seasons.

this is a screen shot of the website.

about the accessibility and credibility...

The first impression of the home page of A.E gives first time visitors a pleasant experience. (: The language used is in english and hence allows many people especially teenagers and young adults like us to access the site. A.E does not have pop ups that distracts the consumer and does not operate on flash which requires additional plug-ins. Furthermore, it does not have background music which hinders the loading of the site. The navigation of the website is very user friendly because it has a a sitemap that lists all the available links for easy navigation and different categories are sorted out neatly for the convenience of consumers.

A.E is a registered site with its own domain giving credit to the authenticity of the site. Consumer redress is available with some terms and conditions. A list of FAQs (frequently asked question) is available for consumers to find out more. Navigation around A.E is easy as the categories are well listed according to gender specifications between men and women. There is a wide range of clothes and accessories that are popular and in trend and is available in the site.

A.E has links to locate store locally, check out items and make wishlist meeting needs of the consumers. However, the absence of search bar does not allow consumers to navigate around by searching for what they want. They would have to spent some time going through various categories to get what they need. This site has an individual category to show new arrivals, clearance items and web exclusives for those who shop online.

going more in depth...

The content of A.E is very detailed and precise as it provides a good description of the items that are available. Goods are classified according to tops, bottoms, accessories, footwear etc which gives a great variety of choices for consumers to mix and match. It also shows what's in trend nowadays. Photos are made available in many angles as well giving consumers a closer look to have a better idea of what they are buying.

Most of the items are offered a variety of colours in A.E. Consumers can choose from a variety of colours to mix and match their wardrobe. On top of that, there is a mix and match suggestion provided to the most current trends. A.E gives suggestions on stylish mix and match with other clothes and accessories. Consumer can thus make reference to the suggestions available.

Gift cards are available for those who are fussing over what to get as a gift. there are several denominations to the gift cards. the gift cards need not be used in stores. one can use the gift card via online shopping too! if one has to get a gift via the virtual world, gift cards can be send via email too! that's the wonder of technology huh! (+ good marketing strategy here!)

Upon deciding to get a particular garment, all we have to do is click on the design of the desired garment. We will be directed to a page where more details of the garment such as sizes, colour, fibre content, care instructions will be stated. The break down of the fibre content allows consumers who are more concern to be more aware about the fibre content of their garments. Apart from that, the care instructions of the garment is also briefly stated under the description of the garment. This ensures that the garment would be able to sustain a longer "wardrobe-life".

One can do shopping based on the sizes available not having to worry wasting time browsing through and result in not getting anything. (+ consumer centered!) A wide range of sizes are available ranging from petite to plus sizes. Size charts are available and ways to do specific measurements are available too!

Consumer has various ways to pay for their purchased items. Payments can be made via Paypal which is very commonly used in Singapore. It is made secured by VeriSign. Payment can also be done via the use of credit cards. A range of cards are accepted by A.E. Visas and debit cards are accepted. However, A.E does not accept cash on delivery. A.E ships over to a total of 62 countries including Singapore! Shipping fees will be factored in as it is required for international shippings. A&E will take around 3 - 10 business days to get your garments shipped and sent to your door step.

All in all, A.E has an organized and established site for online shoppers. There are many reviews in forums singing good remarks of theservice that is provided. The entire online shopping process is not too complicated as it is guided by the FAQs available.

However, i noticed that there are a few loop holes in which A.E could have included in their site to draw more hearts of the consumers. The site does not state the frequency of restocking. Consumers will not be aware of the availability of their desired garments if the stock runs low. Secondly, express shipping is not available and shopping here is not tax free and no tax is refunded. Although sales is going on, it is not applicable to international shoppers and A.E did not specify the period of the sales.

rating of site: 4/5 (: (: (: (: