Old Navy - Review of Online Shopping Website (DCX131)

Old Navy – www.oldnavy.com


I wasn’t too keen on online shopping before. After experiencing my first online shopping experience, it was really fun and exciting that I decided to do it again once in a while for items I may need. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages to shopping online, but I would not go into that for now as I have this one site to review on and that is, Old Navy. Old Navy is an American clothing store which cannot be found in Singapore. It is also one of the Gap Inc. Brands, alongside Gap, Banana Republic and Piperlime.

Homepage

As you can see above, that’s the homepage of the website. From the homepage alone, you could clearly tell that this is a clothing store. The main picture of the adults and children wearing a certain trend of clothing here is good as it catches the eyes of the visitor first. This is a positive point where it grabs the attention of the visitor to give an idea of what type of clothing they have for the current season and it makes visitors curious, wanting to check out the other styles too. The homepage also states the starting price of the clothing there to get people interested as their prices are mostly quite reasonable there.

Target audience

Aside from that, you can also see who this store is specifically targeting by the navigation bar at the top of the page e.g. Women, Men, Boys, Baby Boys and Baby Girls etc. This also gives a clear overview of what you can find in this online shopping website so as not to waste time should you want to look for something else.

Navigation / Links

Apart from the navigation bar at the top, the main table on the left of the main picture there provides links directly to the different sections available. This is for easy accessibility to the pages you would wish to look at.

Other links can also be found at the bottom of the homepage, such as clothing that are “On Trend”, even sweepstakes where consumers can participate in to win prizes and lots more. The e-mail updates feature is also there for visitors to sign up. There are also links to the other online stores under Gap Inc. Brands which can be seen at the bottom of the page. It also provides a clearer linkage to these other sites at the top of the page as well.

Search and Content

At the top, right-hand corner of the main content of the homepage is the search function. You can type in a word of what you would like to search on and under which category would you like the search to look into. For example, I searched on “jeans”. Here’s how the results look like:

The search function is quite specific. Not only the normal types of jeans for bottom-wear are shown in the results, but denim skirts or clothing of the jeans / denim material are also included. At the left side of the page, there are links of the different items in the search results organised accordingly, by department, by colour or by price. This makes it easier for you to look for what you want specifically and also a lot faster.

The items are shown in a thumbnail format, with the item’s name, and price and even special notices. Discounted prices are also shown. When clicking on an item, you will be directed to the item’s page with full details about it such as the colour, size, fabric type and how to care for it as well as more details of the item itself.

Visitors can also zoom on the picture by just moving the cursor over the item. The zoomed version will pop up on the right side of the main picture there. There are also other angles available but only to certain types of clothing which may have designs on the back or sides.

Authentication

Old Navy is an authentic online shopping website. When a member wants to sign in, the website will be secured, and at the bottom of the web browser the person will be able to see confirmation of authenticity “Authenticated by Equifax”. Also, clicking the “About Gap Inc.” link at the bottom of the homepage brings you to basically information telling consumers who was the one who started Gap Inc., how it was started, where its first shop was opened, their purpose and values etcetera, and they are very well recognised as well by having won many different awards.

There is also a “Contact Us” link where you may go to should you wish to have them clarify your doubts about their products.

Accessibility

For accessibility, this site is very good. The links are good and they are very accessible on each page you go to as well. In terms of purchasing, it is necessary to be a member to purchase and signing up for membership is free. The process is simple where you would need to provide your e-mail address for the first step. Subsequent steps include keying in important personal information such as address, credit card number and such for Old Navy to access in order to process the orders made.

In terms of language, accessibility would be poor because this website is only in English. Foreign-speaking people would have difficulties browsing this website if they prefer to know details of a certain type of clothing.

However, Old Navy is attempting to modify and make changes to cater to more visitors by making the website more accessible.

Design

Old Navy has a very simple and organised design. Outlook-wise, it’s simple and pretty basic, with just faded stamps of the Old Navy logo on the background.

Organisation-wise, I think it is excellent. It is very useful to have the clothes categorised accordingly.

Under the categories itself, there are further sub-categories. For example as can be seen on the left image here, under Tees & Polos, there are further categories such as Short-Sleeve, Polos, Long-Sleeve etc. This gives makes browsing easy for the visitor.

Unique Feature

One of the unique features of Old Navy that I think is excellent is that it has the section called “What’s Now, What’s Next”. The link can be found at the bottom part of the homepage. This is where visitors or members of the website can go to and see what are the upcoming styles and trends of clothing that will be sold. The styles are different each month, so I think it is really interesting that visitors can know what styles to expect next month.

Forms of Payment

There are quite a number of payment modes. However they do not accept Paypal, Cheques or Money Order. Most of the payment methods are by cards.

Privacy Policy

Old Navy may share personal among the other Gap Inc. Brands if the member decides to purchase items from these different stores in one order. Personal information may also be shared with service providers who manage customer information and perform services such as communications with customers, promotions, conducting surveys etcetera. However, Old Navy does not authorise the service providers to make any other unrelated usage or disclosure of a customer’s personal information.

Redress

Old Navy merchandise can be returned within 90 days of original purchase date. For Old Navy swimwear returns, there must be the original price tags and hygienic liner intact.

Overall Rating = 4/5

Although the fact that Old Navy does not have excellent accessibility since it only is available in English, at least it is improving to cater to more visitors. The losing point was that Old Navy didn’t have enough payment methods. Besides this, I think the website is pretty much great to shop at and easy as well!

Reviews of DCX130 Sites

1. Washington Apples

http://www.bestapples.com/index.shtml

I'm sure alot of us have heard of Washington Apples. They are crunchy, juicy and delicious! Well here is the site of these apples. In here, not only do they present information about Washington Apples itself, but they also give further information on healthy living, recipes, and even meeting the grower of these apples! You can also buy Washington Apples merchandise here!

Students and teachers alike can benefit alot from this site, pertaining to the topic of apples. Here, you can find the nutrition facts of a Washington Apple. You can find quite alot of information zooming in on apples that relate to Food and Nutrition.

Students can also learn about the different varieties of apples here, and this would be interesting for them to know about in Food and Nutrition, where they would be able to choose different types of apples when shopping for apples as a consumer.

Methods on how to prepare apples are also shown here. Coring, peeling, cutting into chunks or sticks, are all different ways of preparing apples whether for further cooking or just snacking on them.

Also, here, the site provides important terms that are associated with apples that teachers can use to inform students with.

Last but not least, there is also a "Teacher's Corner" for teachers to use some of the resources as well as get some ideas on making fun activities for the classroom. Although some of the activities of this particular teacher's corner is more inclined towards students of younger age (below Sec 3 and 4), it could still be a fun activity for Food and Nutrition students.

Overall, I think that this site is quite a useful and interesting one, albeit focusing only on apples.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

2. Learning Seed
http://www.learningseed.com/

This site actually sells lots of resources pertaining to topics mainly on Food and Nutrition. As a teacher, I am able to find a wealth of resources that would be useful in my teaching of the subject. I can choose to purchase some of these items if I want to, and thus add on to my collection of resources.

Also, this site is easy to navigate as they allow me to browse categories by subject. As such, I am able to zoom in when searching for a particular item in a subject that I may want to look for. (For example, if i click on "Food and Nutrition" I will be brought to a page where resources are listed such as a video on Germs and Viruses: A Self-Defense Guide )

In this site, there is also a section on Life Skills which have resource items that include kitchen safety, sewing seams, etc. I find it very useful to have these resources categorised neatly. On the other hand though, I find it a bit troublesome as I would have to purchase any item I may want first online, and receiving it would take quite awhile. Thus the resources here are not available for immediate use.

Some of these resources include in DVD format (videos) which I can use to show students so that they would be more excited to learn visually.

Purchasing the items would require me to have an account and log in, but even so, the site does not ship to Singapore. =(

Moreover, I feel that this is a very useful website for me as a teacher to build on my resources on teaching Food and Nutrition.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Burgers...

Ode To Nike Sculpture Looks Delicious


A Swedish designer/illustrator named Olle Hemmendorff created this visual ode to Nike by using the greatest damn sandwich in the history of the world as inspiration: the hamburger. Olle and seven other designers were commissioned by Nike to come up with a design that would have people salivating over sweatshop created products and this is what they came up with.

'In the tradition of material innovation of AM 90, I constructed a running shoe using the most powerful, most durable and most delicious material known to man: hamburger.’

The design is the “Air Max 90” and it’s a brilliant piece of artwork until some rabid vegetarian-sweatshop-hating-hippie decides to eat the sculpture in protest of Nike’s questionable production ways. We can totally envision a ketchup touting protester.

Source: machochip.com

"the most powerful, most durable and most delicious material known to man: hamburger"
Is this true? Well in my opinion, the world is fast growing into a fast food society and hamburgers are part of it. And so, anyone who loves hambergers and looks at this hamburger shoe would probably get hungry. I admit, it did trigger my appetite abit. Haha. However I don't think it's the most powerful, most durable and most delicious. If it's powerful it won't cause you to gain weight even if you eat lots of it. If it's durable, well, it probably won't go stale, and if it's the most delicious, people who think so probably haven't tried Singapore style chilli crab!

I like the last paragraph, it's a tongue-in-cheek way of saying things. =D

Besides anything else, this hamburger shoe is a quite a show of creativity from the designer.

What do you think?

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Since we are on the topic of burgers, let's all enjoy this video...

Voilà! Cheeseburger in a can anyone?

More cheeseburger in a can + powdered red wine?? - http://youtube.com/watch?v=k9u42zDPU7s

FreePeople.com - A Review

Hello everyone! Once in awhile I like to do some online shopping and to me, it is always interesting to discover new shopping sites that have beautiful and interesting things to offer. One of those sites is Free People.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

1. Homepage

When you first enter, you will be greeted by a very lovely and aesthetically pleasing homepage.

The background design, colours, layout and font is enough to attract me to further explore the site. Just by looking at this, one is able to know the product that this website sells. Also, you do not see it here but the pictures actually change (animation) but it does not require any plug-ins to install that may deter visitors from further exploring the site. There are links that provide easy navigation to different parts of the site at the top and bottom of the page, as well as a search bar at the top right-hand corner.

Rating: 5/5

2. Authenticity

There is a "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page so that doubtful visitors can contact the owners of this website should they have any queries.

However, it is a reliable site since it is a big company and many people have bought from them before.

Rating: 4/5
(no other forms of authenticity verification)

3. Accessibility

Signing up is necessary if one wants to purchase anything from the site, as well as adding items to their "wishlist", which will be explained later. To sign up only takes less than a minute, where only my e-mail address and a password is required.

The site is only available in English, probably due to the fact that the site only ships to USA, Canada and the UK. However, it does not take into account that there is a French-speaking area of Canada, where the people may be more comfortable with the French language.

Rating: 4/5
(lack of other languages)

4. Navigation & Design

On every page, there are links that can immediately bring you directly to another category within the site. These links are placed in a neat manner and it is not hard to find. Sub-links can also be found under the main links, e.g. under apparel: tops, bottoms, tunics, skirts, etc.

If you are lazy to browse through the different categories one by one, just go to the search bar and type in the keyword of the item you are searching for! A search for "dress" resulted in this:
The search results are even grouped into different sections of department, category, colour, prices and sizes! That's how well-organised this site is. It also states how many items are found in each description of each section. Navigation through the website itself is pretty straightforward and flawless, I could go through it with my eyes closed. (Not really, but you get my point! haha.)
As mentioned earlier, the background is very artistic. I think it goes well with its name of “Free People” – it depicts freedom to express yourself. The colour scheme used are in my opinion very sweet. (pastel colours)

Rating: 5/5

5. Content

Categories on the site include: What’s New, Trends, Apparels, Accessories, Intimates, Shoes, “We The Free”, Outfits, Shop Catalog.

Under trends, I can look at current and seasonal trends as laid out by Free People and get inspired on creating my own styles. Under outfits, I am able to view an entire outfit designed by the people at Free People if I do not know how to pair different clothings with shoes and other accesories.
Unique Features

Products are arranged in a way that pictures are on the left, while their descriptions are on the right. I find this a hassle because I would have to match what I see to the words on the right. I find it easier if each of the descriptions were put together with each picture.

If you do not have time to click on the product to see the detailed description, you can just click on "images | availabilty" under the descriptions.

When clicking on "images", a pop-up will appear so you can see the different views of the item.

When clicking on "availability", you can see information on stock availability and detailed information on when new stock comes in. (This earns plus points! especially for impatient people like me.)

If you have time to see more of the item, clicking on its picture will bring you to this page:

I like the fact that there are alot of things that you can do here. Firstly, a short description of the product is given, together with some fabric information. There is also a size measurement for easy estimation of my size. I can view other similar items. There are also links to the other products that the model in the picture is wearing. I can even read reviews and see the ratings for the product from other people who have bought it.

If I want to tell my friends about the item, I can click on the "email a friend" link. Last but not least, I can add the item to my wishlist! This would bring me to this page:

This is where every single item I would want to buy is "bookmarked" into this page. Others are also able to view my wishlist if I allow the function.

Rating: 4.5/5
(placement of pictures and descriptions a hassle)

6. Forms of Payment

There are many ways of paying for your purchases, mostly through cards. Payment through PayPal and cheque is not available.

Rating: 3.5/5
(absence of PayPal and cheque)

7. Security

Security when making purchases is highly important and as such, Free People has employed security measures to prevent any identity thefts.

Rating: 4/5
(there is only one way of technology that contributes to the security of the site)

8. Redress

"Free People will gladly accept unworn, unwashed or defective merchandise for return or exchange within 30 days from the shipping date." This is very useful when doing online shopping when one may buy the wrong size. There is even free shipping if a customer wants to exchange their purchased item with another of the same item in a different size or colour.

Rating: 4/5

Overall Rating

I would give this site a 4.5/5 as I did not find or encounter much difficulties while browsing through this site, and would definitely recommend it to others! (Provided you don't mind the pretty hefty price tags! =D hehe.)

Print screens credits to freepeople.com

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 (: (: (: (:

Cool Animation Videos

This video is really creative and cool, I really like it. They are "cooking" a dish using unlikely "ingredients". Watch and see:

This is nice as well:



You can check out other very interesting animation videos at PES's Website.