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Evaluating Websites
The paper looks at the values of selling and buying using online platforms, especially an organizational website. It shows how when making a purchase of jeans, it is essential to choose an online avenue that presents all critical features with the intention of improving buyer experience. Thus, the analysis focuses on the websites of Victoria’s Secret, GAP, J. Crew, and Levi that all feature jeans as one of the company’s products. Among the four, Levi stands out because of its features aimed at elevating consumer experience. Knowing possible merits and demerits associated with online transactions enable both buyers and sellers to make necessary preparations that would facilitate their purchases and sales, respectively.
Identifying the Retailers and Why
In the production and retailing of jeans, companies such as Victoria’s Secret, GAP, J. Crew, and Levi have made tremendous strides in securing a significant portion of the market, thanks to their advanced technologies, effective marketing techniques, and appealing quality. Victoria’s Secret is an American apparel shop based in Reynoldsburg. It focuses on selling and marketing beauty products, clothing and lingerie. Victoria’s Secret is suitable for this analysis because it has in the recent past paid close attention to ways of improving consumer experience, including introducing more avenues through which buyers can interact with workers at the company. GAP, on the other hand, is a renowned American multinational company dealing with clothing and accessories. GAP is suitable in this case because other than being an influential operator in the sector, the company appreciates the value of meeting customer needs, which include making real time responses to customers’ inquiries. As a result, GAP has continued to widen its influence across the globe. J. Crew, an American multinational retailer, also focuses on strengthening the brand, and making it more appealing to consumers across the globe. The chief reason why J. Crew fits in this analysis is that it values the importance of embracing modern forms of operations as a way of gaining competitive advantage and securing a larger share of the market. In addition, J. Crew increasingly improves its services, thus showing its dedication to become more influential. Levi is also an influential player in the clothing manufacturing sector. The American clothing firm has earned much fame for its appealing jeans and other related products. Other than the impressive quality, Levi qualifies to be part of this analysis because its resilience to improve customer experience and satisfaction.
Experience of Buying over the Internet Compared to Shopping in a Local Store
The experience of shopping for jeans online is likely to be different from making a similar purchase from a local store. An experience one gets by purchasing jeans from an online platform is that of an elevated shopping experience. Because technology is at play when purchases over the Internet, buyers get the impression that making purchases has changed over the years. The experience make buyers feel that they have the knowledge to use technological apparatus to buy a product of their choice. The other experience associated with making online purchases is that of little movement. Buyers get the jeans that they want from the comfort of their home or office and wait for the delivery. This is not the case with shopping at a local store where a buyer must physically access the store before making their purchase. Thus, it could be argued that the experience associated with online buying is faster, convenient, and satisfying.
Comparing Retail Offerings of the Product
Buying over the Internet offers more appealing experience as opposed to making purchases from a local store. One of the evident merits of making purchases over the Internet compared to shopping in a local store is that the purchaser decreases their chances of encountering crowds that usually delay the buying process. As a result, a buyer can conveniently buy what they need without having to spend much time. Indeed, having to deal with crowds in local stores has been a shopping hurdle for a long time, and the COVID-19 crisis has made the issue even more problematic. The other benefit that comes with shopping over the Internet as opposed to a local store is the convenience associated with the process. When it comes to shopping over the Internet compared to in-store shopping, the convenience associated with online transactions evidently stands out. A shopping plan or list that one might have needed the whole day of moving from one point to the other can now be performed in one place thanks to Internet shopping avenues. The convenience associated with the process is what appeals to many people. Buyers can use the time they save to perform other equally essential activities, thus being able to do a lot within a short time. Another reason why more purchasers are appealed to online avenues is that the approach presents more variety compared with brick-and-mortar stores. The key concern for those in physical stores is that they have to focus on using wisely the limited shelf space. However, this is not a problem with online shopping that eliminates these constraints. When purchasing online, what one needs to do is to click on where particular products are situation and choose what one wants.
Various other factors would compel customers to make purchases of the jeans over online avenues compared to physical stores. When buying via the Internet, it is possible to acquire more information about a particular product that would determine whether a customer makes a purchase or not. For instance, it is possible to get a brief description of the product, including but not limited to the nature of the item, its use, possible date of delivery, manufacturer, price, and discount among other information. However, this is not possible when making purchases on physical stores where the purchaser mostly interacts with the seller who in many instances determine the information to tell a customer. Another merit for making purchases of the jeans through online is that the process is void of the sales pressure associated with brick-and-mortar stores. Whereas sales representatives can offer vital information, expertise, and knowledge, they can also make some experiences associated with in-shopping stressful for buyers. It is the reason why some consumers choose to eliminate the pressure entirely by depending on online shopping platforms where they are not in a hurry and do not feel forced into making certain purchases by someone seeking to generate more commission from every sale and may not be really committed to addressing consumers’ needs and queries.
However, that does not mean that the approach does not have its demerits, or that shopping in store is entirely inappropriate. A possible limitation with online purchases is that it is difficult to try on or test a good considering that some items are appropriate to purchase if the buyer can check them out to verify their condition and quality. In addition, online buying deprives buyers of instant gratification because they have to wait for the product to arrive, something that could take days or even weeks. However, with in-shop buying, there is no waiting for one’s order to arrive. A customer immediately have what they require and there are no additional costs such as that of shipping. In addition, for buyers who like to quickly pull out certain items from the shopping list, it may be satisfying to visit the physical store and leave with the order. Despite the possible constraints associated with online buying, the approach is increasingly becoming the focus for many corporations, big or small.
The Selected Website
I would use the website by Levi to make a purchase of the selected product because of various compelling reasons. One of the reasons I would use the Levi’s website is that it includes catchy images. All the other websites display the various products but what makes Levi to stand out is the large and conspicuous images that constantly change. In addition, for every product displayed on the website, the company include a lot of valuable information that may help buyers to make the decision on whether to buy or not. Such information is helpful, especially for customers who are making their first purchase and are not sure of what to expect. In addition, I select Levi as the most suitable avenue because it offers the chance for buyers to make payments via the platform, thus simplifying the transaction. The fact that buyers can also contact the customer care department directly, thus offering the chance to make necessary inquiries. Above all, I choose to use Levi’s website for shopping because it is user-friendly in the way it offers guidance on what to do and the steps to follow. Nonetheless, that does not imply that the other websites are inferior and not likely to facilitate consumers’ experience. It is only that the features in Levi’s website are more pronounced thus making it the most suitable one in this case.
Conclusion
The essay examines why various organizations are increasingly focusing on making sales over the Internet as opposed to in-shop buying. Victoria’s Secret, GAP, J. Crew, and Levi are some of the companies that have already invested significantly on selling and interacting with buyers over online platforms. They use the approach because of the merits associated with the approach. The analysis reveals that online transactions save buyers the stress associated with visiting physical stores including having to struggle with large crowds and uncooperative salespeople. Besides, buying over the Internet allows buyers to choose from a wide variety of products and to get more information about a particular product. However, the paper stresses the need to watch out for the possible limitations associated with online buying and also try to understand the merits of in-shop buying. After examining the websites keenly, I choose to shop through Levi’s website because of the superior and appealing features associated with the Internet platform. The images are appealing, buyers have the chance to contact customer care, and also have a chance to pay for their goods thus simplifying the process and increasing customer experience.