THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OFFERED. unit 2

The Customer Experience Offered

A good website will be part of an integrated system that supports the customers from the moment they load the web site to the aftercare they can expect following delivery.

ASOS offers a page with information to help the user through the many problems or fears they may encounter when purchasing something for the first time online. It also offers many ways in which the customer can contact the website.

Although the Help and Contact page is quite long, it is sectioned into categories so that the customer can read the information relevant to their situation.

This website does not have a ‘Feedback’ feature where a customer can type in their information and opinions about the website. This can make potential customers shop elsewhere as they do not know whether to trust the website as they cannot see what other people’s experiences have been like.

The Returns section is easy to find creating good customer care as if a customer is not happy with their product they can return it easily and they do not have to search through the website trying to find how to return it.

THE SITES USABILITY AND ACCESS. unit 2

The Sites Usability And Access

In the design stages of a website, IT experts need to take into account that not everyone finds using computers easy and by putting too much into the homepage or making the menus confusing can make potential customers shop elsewhere.There is an easy drop down list that changes the currency of the prices on the website, this therefore branches to a wider audience as people from different countries can see how much the clothes are in their currency instead of having to get out a calculator and do it themselves. This is located in the top right hand corner of the website.

There is a search box that helps the user find a specific item that they want without having to search through all of the categories and sections. Also, in this search box the user can type in a code to bring up a specific item. (The codes are found in the magazine that is sent to home addresses.) The advantage of having this type of system is that if a customer sees something they really like in a magazine, they do not have to search through all of the pages in one section to find that specific top etc. they can simply type in the code and it will be uploaded.

















The website has a clear structure and has a small menu across the top of the page showing links on how the customer can track their order, log into their account and watch a short video of how to shop if they are new to online shopping.




















There is small menu across the bottom of the page showing links to pages where the customer can find out more information about returns, how to contact the company, the terms and conditions etc.
There is also a main menu on the left hand side of the page labeling the main categories of products that they sell. Once having clicked on a category a new page will appear and areas within that category will be shown.
Some people often find it hard to remember whether the URL has a ‘.com’ or a ‘.co.uk’ at the end of it. However, if a customer types into the URL http://www.asos.com/ and http://www.asos.co.uk/, they will be directed to the same page. This is good as the customer will always be able to find the website.















Overall, I think that ASOS have a layout that isn’t confusing and the fact that they have a ‘Help’ page and a 5 step guide on how to shop will make it easier for people that do not normally shop online. They are easily accessed through searching on any search engine and the URL can either be ‘.com’ or ‘.co.uk’ and the same page gets uploaded.

THE TECHNIQUES USED TO ENGAGE, RETAIN AND ENTICE CUSTOMERS. unit 2

The Techniques Used To Engage, Retain And Entice Customers

As ASOS are an online based website, there are no sales people to persuade a customer to buy goods. There is also no way for a customer to build up a relationship with the vendor helping to ensure that the customer comes back.
Because of this, the website uses special techniques to help retain customers.

ASOS has created a good name for itself and you always hear people recommend their friends to browse the website as they do very good deals and sell a variety of products.
Customers go to web sites for many reasons, so a web site needs to reflect as many of these reasons as possible.

There are banner advertisements to engage the customers and show off their products that are on sale. These can be found on the homepage below the main image.

Also, other products that are on offer are shown in the homepages in their different categories.

To retain the customers, the website has to make sure that the customers become engaged in the pages as quickly as possible because if they are not then they will leave. If the web site is too slow the potential customers will leave before the page has even finished loading.

On ASOS, as soon as a user clicks onto a link the page loads itself up which is good as the website is not loosing customers through the lack of it loading fast.

Other ways of retaining customers is bargains and money off items.

The content of a website should be relevant and up-to-date with its prices and items. Any images should show the latest product, not something that is well out of date. ASOS does this through its blog.ASOS created a blog so that they could constantly update its customers with information on new items available, new offers and deals and celebrity fashion news. This is a brilliant way to engage and retain customers as the customers will want to return to read any updates and keep coming back to read further stories and offers.

Customers can also find a link to the blog in the menu at the bottom of the page.

ASOS is a catchy URL name and is an abbreviation for As Seen On Screen, already the user is potentially persuaded by the name as what they see on screen is exactly what they will get and also implies what they see celebrities wearing on the television is what they can find on this website enticing them to look further and browse to see if there is anything they like.

Conditions Of Purchase. unit 2

Conditions Of Purchase

As ASOS is a reputable company and want to make shopping a fun experience and if any problems occur they want to help the customer in any way possible, they have made it possible to see the conditions of purchase very easily.

Companies are often criticised for making them long and difficult to read, however, ASOS has made it very simple and has labeled each section with a subtitle so that the customer only has to read the sections that are applicable to them or what they want to read.

Every good website should make it clear to the customers how they can return their items that they do not like. And as this is a purely website based company they are more likely to have more requests for returns as the customer cannot try the items on.

The Identification And Authentication Routines The Website Has. unit 2

The Identification And Authentication Routines The Website Has

When a customer enters a transaction website, it is important to identify and authenticate the customer.

Servers on the Web use two basic ways of identification and authentication;

HTTP: This authentication is where the user is asked for a password and an ID to access the server.
Cookies: As described previously, these are placed on the customer’s computer. Many users view cookies with suspicion as they are able to view your actions (what websites you use, how many times you go on them etc.)

After creating an account with ASOS, you will have created a password and should use this password when logging in to your account on this website. It is important not to share your password with anyone else as your account holds details about you including credit card details. If someone who has malicious intent took your details, you may be open to identity theft or fraud.

If a customer has forgotten their password, it gives you the option of typing in your email address and your unique password will be sent to that email address. This is useful as it only sends the forgotten password to an email address that is specified. This stops someone from stealing your password and is a better method than using a secret question such as ‘What is your favourite colour’ etc. as many people might be able to guess this.

THE METHODS USED TO CAPTURE CUSTOMER INFORMATION. unit 2

The Methods Used To Capture Customer Information

Websites use many methods to capture customer information. Overt methods are the obvious methods that the customer knows about; this is done by a customer filling in a form etc and they know what information is being taken about them.
In other cases, information is collected without the customer realising. Methods that do this are called Covert.

Some websites, when taking credit card details, will log the IP address of the computer making the transaction. This is a good security measure that the website takes as if someone has stolen a credit card and starts using it to make transactions online and the person states that their credit card has been stolen, the police can go to ASOS and ask for the IP address of the computer making that transaction. They can then go to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) and ask for the name that that particular computer is under. Then further action can be taken.
Other methods of collecting data involve putting a code on a website that leaves cookies on the user’s computer.

A cookie is a small text file that is stored on your hard disk. It contains information about the user, normally in the form of an identification number. When the user visits the website again the cookie is read and the website can then access a database of information to look up the user’s identity.
Other information is also recorded, such as the number of time you visit the website, what items you look at etc.

THE TYPES OF TRANSACTIONS THAT CAN BE MADE. unit 2

The Types Of Transactons That Can Be Made

A Transactional website is a website where the user purchase items, for example amazon.co.uk, ebay.com and asos.com. Other transactional websites can provide services such as AA with car insurance etc. It is called a transaction website because a transaction is carried out between the customer and the company providing the goods or services.

Every transaction website entails;

· Collecting details from the customer (address, contact details, card details etc.)
· Collecting the payment (a system that is efficient with collecting card payments, however some companies use PayPal – an intermediary between you and the company)

Databases play a vital role in these websites as they store the details of the customers, card details, details of the purchases you have made, details of the products they sell and whether there is any in stock etc.

Tansactions can be as simple as clicking on an image of an item to see if any are in stock. However, there are more complex cases such as when a user is the customer on a website for the first time and has to fill in a form where all their details can be captured.

The next page to appear is where the customer either inputs their account details or creates an account before they can purchase the item.

If the customer does not have an account they click the icon that says Create Your Account. A new page will upload and it will ask the customer to input their details in order for them to purchase their item/s.

The main way of interacting with these pages is to use texts boxes that require information typing into them. The payment method shows another method, called a drop-down menu, where a choice is given (i.e. what credit card they will be using etc.) and the user selects one of these choices.
Just to make the reader feel that they are giving their personal details to a safe website, the website gives an option of the customer viewing a verification that that is the actual website and that they are a safe website.