Wednesday 26 November 2014

Five Favourite Online Shopping Sites Compared


chapters.indigo.ca

Available products: books, e-books, baby and kids books, toys, and keepsakes, home décor, table wear, movies, music, video games, seasonal products, stationary, electronics and electronic accessories, and gift cards.

Product availability is wonderful and if something is not in stock / sold out it is marked; if an item happens to be backordered, one is notified during the checkout process and one has the choice of removing the product or waiting and having the entire order shipped at once.

The shopping cart is really easy to use and one can add and / or remove items with little effort. The shopping cart icon is at the top right of each page, just click and another click to delete or edit. The checkout process is easy and straightforward.

Searching is simple, the search function appears on the top right of each page where a simple search or advanced search can be performed.

The site itself is clean, uncluttered and well laid out. All the categories, specials, etc. are clearly labeled and easily accessible.  In my opinion, I’m not sure what or how they can improve, even their mobile version is just as simple. Service is always amazing, even the time I made a mistake, they contacted me and fixed everything and at no additional cost to me!



morehousefarm.com

Available products: merino wool, knitting patterns, knitting accessories and tools, knitting kits.

Product availability is wonderful and if something is not in stock / sold out it is marked; if an item happens to be backordered, one is notified during the checkout process and one has the choice of removing the product, waiting and having the entire order shipped at once, or having the item shipped separately.

The shopping cart is really easy to use and one can add and / or remove items with little effort. However, the shopping cart icon is not always at the top of each page, and is a nuisance to find. However, the checkout process is easy and straightforward.

Searching is not simple or intuitive as there is absolutely no search function! One must find the correct category and keep clicking to get exactly where one wants to be. In my opinion, this wastes a lot of time.

The site itself is clean, uncluttered and well laid out. All the categories, specials, etc. are clearly labeled and easily accessible. The big detractor is that they do not have an adaptive site nor do they offer an app for mobile users. So, why do I keep purchasing through them? I LOVE their products; the wool is fantastic quality, knitting patterns and kits are all Morehouse Farm originals and completely amazing - especially the Critter Knits - and their service is stellar, not to mention fantastic value for money,  so I’m willing to put up with the inconvenience!


thinkgeek.com

Available products: T-shirts and apparel, toys, electronics and gadgets, home and office décor, tools and outdoor survival, kids clothing, toys and accessories, gift cards, and everything you need to survive a zombie apocalypse!

Product availability is excellent, however if something is not in stock / sold out it is marked; there is the option to mark the item and Think Geek will email you when the product is back in stock – I LOVE this feature.

The shopping cart is really easy to use and one can add and / or remove items with little effort. The shopping cart icon is at the top right of each page, just click and another click to delete or edit. The checkout process is easy and straightforward.

Searching is simple, the search function appears on the top centre of each page where a simple search can be performed.

The site itself is clean, uncluttered and well laid out. All the categories, specials, etc. are clearly labeled and easily accessible. The mobile version is just as simple to use. In my opinion, the only improvement is not technological, at least not on their part, but to stop shipping with FedEx. Think Geek’s service is always stellar. I have encountered only one problem which was when FedEx delivered my order to someone else in error, so when I had not received my package and the tracking information said it was delivered I called FedEx who were not helpful in the slightest – literally told me, “It’s been delivered!” and hung up on me. So I called Think Geek, who replaced my order in full, shipped with UPS and had it to me the NEXT day, all at no charge to me!


blendcreations.com

Available products: jewelry, wallets, coasters
·      Canadian company, all products are original designs, fabulous quality.

Product availability is wonderful and if something is not in stock / sold out it is marked.

The shopping cart is really easy to use and one can add and / or remove items with little effort. The shopping cart icon is at the top right of each page, just click and another click to delete or edit. The checkout process is easy and straightforward.

Searching is simple, the search function appears on the top right of each page where a simple search can be performed.

The site itself is clean, uncluttered and well laid out. All the categories, specials, etc. are clearly labeled and easily accessible.  Unfortunately there is no mobile app and the site is not adaptable. However, as with Morehouse Farm, the products and quality are amazing, the service is stellar and amazing value for money, so I am willing to put up the inconvenience.



thebay.com

Available products: Men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, jewellery, accessories, beauty products and fragrance; kids clothing, shoes, jewellery, toys and games; housewares; small and major appliances; holiday décor, luggage, and gift cards.

Product availability is usually very good and if something is not in stock / sold out it is marked.

The shopping cart is really easy to use and one can add and / or remove items with little effort. The shopping cart icon is at the top right of each page, just click and another click to delete or edit and the checkout process is easy and straightforward.

While there is a search function that appears on the top right of each page where a simple search can be performed it often isn’t as helpful as it could be. For example, on several occasions I have entered a product number into the search bar only to read, “No results for:“ whatever I had entered, yet upon entering the description the correct item comes up with the exact product number I entered.

The site itself is clean, uncluttered and fairly well laid out. All the categories, specials, etc. are clearly labeled and easily accessible however there is room for improvement. The search function needs to be more intuitive and the results accurately reflect products. The customer service is spotty, on the few occasions I have had to contact thebay.com as the result of a missing item or missing shipment, it has been multiple calls and conflicting information from different customer service reps., even when they are reading my order and records. On another occasion, the customer rep. was amazing and everything was fixed in only a few minutes. Again, why do I continue to shop here with spotty customer service, amongst other minor problems? Well, the products and value for money are really very good.

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