Online Marketing Plan, The Afterthought

Wowza, assignment C is a lot of work but it is definitely beneficial. I’ve done a few marketing plans in my undergrad days and a couple after I graduated, but they are nothing like this online marketing plan. First thing I notice is the empathies on web navigation; rather it is for a social media post, direct email or webpage click-through. The plan needs to be written in a way that mixes the proper communication, target marketing and customers’ experience into one form. This is very different with a traditional marketing plan, where these focuses are usually separated by different functions; mass media for communication, then target specific market with promotions and distributions and finally ensure customer satisfaction through direct selling.

Another area that is different is definitely analytics. Online marketing requires the support of immediate reporting, where changes needs to be made as quick as possible to fit certain market. Metrics (ex. bounce rate, dwell-time, etc) need to be in place, and must be monitored constantly. One benefit from such metrics is on measuring conversion; one can almost pin point exactly what is resonating and motivating to buy/act with the target marketing. This is something that traditional marketing cannot accomplish economically.

Other than metrics and easy navigation (aka web or post design), some of the other must have for online marketing include SEO, online advocates or network, a genuine email list, and proper content development.

Image from http://www.eseade.edu.ar

By the way, I found a video that gives a good Coles Notes version of online marketing plan! Check it out!

Me and my mobile. Assignment B

My phone is just as important in my day as my pants.  Maybe more so...... 

When and Why do I use my mobile?

Depending on the time of day and my activity will determine my phone use.  When I am doing chores including feeding animals and hauling water my phone is tucked neatly into my cover-alls to avoid damage.  I will carry my phone but avoid using it when I am working with my horses.  One time a seemingly trained horse darted out from underneath while I was surfing Facebook.  lesson learned.

I will use my phone often during down time at work or boredom situations.  I will also use my phone more when I am travelling or eating alone.  I it is my theory that if I am on my phone I am not alone. I do not use my handheld while driving in traffic I have bluetooth. Wait do that count as using my mobile? 

What do I do with my phone?

I do not have one specific use for my phone.  I am most likely to surf social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.  I check my email 5-10 per day depending on how bored I am and I will check Facebook the same. My previous job and any time I travel especially in the winter I will frequent weather forecast apps, highway condition apps  I do not check my phone first thing in the morning or at night.  I first need coffee and I have a laptop. 

Shopping from my mobile device has been a hit and miss function for me.  I have not found the experience to be as pleasing as using a laptop or the store front.  If I am going to use a mobile device to buy it will be my Ipad. 

I travel and even live away from home 4-5 days per week.  My family and I rely on Facetime and Skype to stay in contact.  We can talk and text all day but it gives me a chance to say goodnight to my son and even kiss the screen. 

I have used U-tube on occasion but not enough to remember my username and password.  It was used predominantly for showcasing the horses I had trained and needed to sell.  I will watch U-tube videos but less likely on my Iphone but will watch on my Ipad on Wifi.

Pinterest is a platform I will use sporadically.  I never have enough follow through or time to take on any of those projects. 

Am I an Addict? 

Yes I am!! Am I any different from most of society? Nope.  I make an effort to disconnect to make sure my family has face time with me. I follow rules of etiquette despite what my mother-in-law says about me.  I am very conscious of what I post on Facebook.  I do not make large announcements unless it is already public knowledge, I do not post pictures or say things that can come back to haunt me.  I find this is really important. 

Do I need help? 

Depends who you ask! My aging family members chide me for being so connected but if anything I feel the need to keep up.  I see a world that has changed and we need to be adopting the technology and accepting it into our lives to stay current.  Knowing when to disconnect and remember the faces of those you love is important to stay in balance. 

Email Marketing, Metrics, and Analytics

Follow Crystal's board Email Marketing Metrics #EXSM5513 on Pinterest.

Module 3 assignment: Online shopping

Rickis.com

Ricki’s sells women’s clothing and accessories. They have a great website for online shopping or research before heading to the store. The layout and feel of the website is clean, yet has all the key information you need such as detailed photos, customer ratings, and links to social media. Even with all the information, the site never feels disorganized or cluttered but is very easy to navigate. A new great feature is “drop a hint”, which lets you email a photo of the product you like (to your spouse for example), including your size and colour. There is nothing I dislike on this website. 

The search function is easy, although simplistic. For example you cannot search for a “black sweater”, but only “sweater”, and then narrow down your results. However, narrowing down the search results is very easy with categories such as colour, size and price.

Adding items to a shopping cart is as easy as it can be, and any discounts are calculated immediately, so I know right away how much I am paying. The online store is also connected to actual stores, as I can check availability, and pick up or exchange my online orders at a store. 

Ann Taylor.com

Ann Taylor also sells women’s clothing and accessories. Overall this website is excellent with easy navigation and great photos of each product. The search function is easy and is more advanced than on the Ricki’s website: I can search for blue pants or short skirts, for example. It is also easy to narrow down the search results by categories such as size and colour. It is very easy to add items to the cart; all you have to do is select your size.

This site is great for online shopping, and integrates the physical aspect by including a “find in store” function. Other helpful features include suggestions for other items I might like.

A huge drawback to this site is that you have to check-out before you know the shipping costs, which can be substantial to Canada, and has made me to abandon my cart a couple of times.

Toys R Us

Toys R Us sells toys, games, bikes, baby accessories etc. This is an example of a website I would not use if there was another toy store with these prices and selection. The search function is cumbersome as there is too much detail. This may work well if you know exactly what you are looking for, but not if you are browsing for options. For example, to narrow the search by price, I have to choose from categories such as “$10 - $14” or “$15 - $19” (and I cannot choose both at once). Additionally, items that are sold out are still prominent in search results, which can make adding items to cart a bit annoying, as you notice on the product detail page that it is not even available. 

Toys R Us is a great example of how a company has not integrated the online and store shopping. I tried to order a doll house for a store pick-up, but could not as that store did not have the item in stock (shouldn’t this item be shipped from a warehouse to the store?) Overall, this website is too cluttered and browsing is very difficult. 

Hotels.ca

I use hotels.ca to book my hotel accommodations. The search function is quite easy with categories such as amenities and neighbourhood, but I do not like how I have to pick exact dates for my stay and cannot browse for best deals by dates. I like how I can pick the price range from any values I want, and not specific ranges like on the Toys R Us website. Seeing all the hotels on a map is a very helpful feature, as is easily accessing all the guest ratings for the hotel.

Adding to a cart/reserving a room is not difficult, but could be even more straightforward by eliminating a few clicks to confirm the booking. I do not like how I have to have an account specifically for this website, but at least I get every tenth night free. 

Amazon.ca

Amazon sells anything from books and DVDs to toys and appliances. Considering Amazon’s roots, this website is surprisingly bad. I find myself on this site quite often as their selection is so wide, but do not end up buying a lot, as the experience is horrible.

Searching for products is not that easy, and I find the search brings up irrelevant items. I cannot narrow down the search for example by price, and the multiple product departments are just confusing. For example candles are listed under 28 different departments. 

The shopping cart is very user friendly and provides all the necessary information such as discounts before the check-out. 

There are some excellent features on this site, however, including knowing right away when you could receive the product. Overall, this website is just too cluttered for me to browse and stay for longer periods of time.

5 Top Shopping Sites - 'Charge It!'

by Crystal Armstrong

Online & Mobile Marketing, #EXSM5513

ECommerce, For Most of Us, It's Just Called 'Shopping Online'

I am an online 'Power Shopper' meaning, that I like to access a website, search, find and get out quick. Search-ability, visual impact, continuity, a clean layout and no wait times mean a lot to a consumer profile such as mine and this criteria is rarely met in a 'Bricks and Mortar' store - hence my preference for e-commerce as a rule.

The following stores are ones I frequent regularly for purchases and are popular in my social network. How do you feel about them - do you agree with my synopsis?

The products available:

Beyond the Rack is an online discount store whose main purpose is to provide access to designer goods at up to 80% Off retail pricing. It offers everything from clothes (Men/Women/Children), shoes, accessories, costume jewelry and limited home decor/goods.

How easy/difficult it is to search 

This site is very easy to search, providing fantastic visual displays of products, multiple views in some case and search options including category, gender, size, price and type. 

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Adding to the cart is quite easy - at the touch of a button and you have the option to 'edit cart' at any time but, items are only ' cashed or held' for a limited time in members carts and will time out if you do not process you sale at the end of the countdown.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

 I enjoy the ease of shopping, sorting/searching and cash out that this site provides. Even the timed cash-out feature is a bit of thrill but, should the item time-out and not be redeemed by another consumer, you are sent a reminder email on items you are interested in to re-ignite your cash-out (great after sale follow up)

Things I don't like:

This site absolutely required membership to view and shop before you buy! This annoys me as a consumer as I like the option to decide if I like the club before I commit to membership. Shipping times can also be an issue in addition to some quality concerns by online users (yes, I have had this occasionally myself but the return process is quite good)

Overall rating: Although it is a winner in my world, ratings site Reseller ratings show a consumer rating of 2.1/10 with over 21,058 consumers weighing in. Looks like there is some room for improvement on this ecommerce site across the board.

The products available:

Joss & Main is a member only online shopping site for designer home, furniture, decor accents and lifestyle accessories. The brand categories are curated, themed, highly visual and limited-time offerings with a finite supply, creating a feeling of urgency in buyers. In other words, Chintz & Company quality but with ease of shopping, no attitude and great prices'

How easy/difficult it is to search 

You don't really 'search' per say on this site. You visually feast on attractive images, click the 'Shop Now' and see what takes your fancy by clicking on single items by category/price and availability.

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Adding to the cart is quite easy - at the touch of a button and you have the option to 'edit cart' at any time but, items are only ' cashed or held' for a limited time in members carts and will time out if you do not process you sale at the end of the countdown.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

 I enjoy the ease of shopping, sorting/searching and cash out that this site provides. Even the timed cash-out feature is a bit of thrill but, should the item time-out and not be redeemed by another consumer, you are sent a reminder email on items you are interested in to re-ignite your cash-out (great after sale follow up)

Things I don't like:

This site absolutely required membership to view and shop before you even view the site! A true Fail in my world but, the items are so good, I committed anyway! Membership pays seems to be their mantra and it seems to be working!

Overall rating: This is a highly rated ecommerce site who is obviously doing it right with luxe item service. Ratings site Reseller ratings rate it 8.44/10 with over 8,312 reviews.

The products available:

This American e-commerce company, the largest of it's kind in this country, originally started as an online bookstore, but has since diversified to include electronics, clothing, household items and has separate websites for countries spanning the globe.

How easy/difficult it is to search 

If you can think of a way to search, this site has it! Category, name, author, item and a built in ratings system complete with intuitive suggestions of 'add on' items like ' other shoppers who purchased this item also viewed' and finally, upon signing in, it recalls search histories.

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Very easy shopping options with 'Add to cart' options and allows you to continue shopping or cash out with ease. Editing cart is also simple and if you do not cash out at this time, it saves you purchases allowing you to come back and commit later.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

Shipping is often free which is a plus but, the site has grown so large that it is getting ugly and confusing to look at and there are so many search tabs that it is also detracting from the experience to a degree. 

I do like the intuitive suggestions and often buy them - Success to them. The reviews however are a little irregular at times so, I take those with a grain of salt but, do read them.

Overall rating: I do trust and rely on this site for all sorts of purchases but.  the customer experience has deteriorated as they have grown bigger. Ratings site Reseller ratings rate it 5.45/10 with over 27.021 reviews with most consumers agreeing that consumer access to assistance post purchase has decreased.

The products available:

Toys for children and adults.

How easy/difficult it is to search 

Great search options: search bar, name, make, gender, age, category, learning, theme - this site also allows segregation by price, gift and top selections by popularity.

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Very easy shopping options with 'Add to cart' options and allows you to continue shopping or cash out with ease. Editing cart is also simple and if you do not cash out at this time, it saves you purchases allowing you to come back and commit later.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

This is one of the best sites I use - 'Child's play' on all fronts: cash out, shipping, shopping searching and returns/tracking. 

With the Christmas season upon us, the 'up sell' banners are distracting and overwhelming in my opinion but, every consumer is different.

Overall rating: I do trust and rely on this site completely and have had nothing but good experiences.

The products available:

A travel site offering discounting flights, hotels, vacation packages/experiences and car rentals.

How easy/difficult it is to search 

Very easy to search by need, category, deals, location and dates and searches across multiple hotel/costs airline and travel sites to get you the best deals available for travel quickly and efficiently. It also has a search bar to allow search by ratings or specific name of hotels/airlines or by rating.

How easy/difficult it is to add things to cart

Very easy to add things to cart but, careful attention must be paid to ensure you are fully aware of constraints, cancellations and times.

Any features you liked and the ones that you felt detracted from the experience.

I love that it is a 'one shop stop'. my experiences are always good and the customer service is awesome! 

I always verify ratings with Trip Advisor to see the consensus of real photos/ratings of properties/resorts before I go as there are many sponsors on this site. Other than that, I have no issues.

Overall rating: I have had a great experience with them and always book my travel through this site.  After service is also wonderful and changes can be made online or with one call. Great service and highly recomended.


What are your favorite or 'most hated' ecommerce sites and why do they rate in your mind? Send us a note in the comment section of this blog and follow us for more exciting ecommerce updates here or on twitter: @getsocialmkt1

Keep Shopping!

Module 2 Assignment - Website Design

I do a lot of online shopping. I'd much rather shop from the convenience of my home (with a cat on my lap) than deal with crowds, driving, parking, picking the slowest checkout lane known to humankind, and all of those delightful experiences.

Without further ado, here are my reviews of five sites that I use for shopping:

ThinkGeek
This is a really fun website that has a ton unique products. This zombie head cookie jar currently adorns my kitchen counter and it's super rad. Fun products aside, they have a pretty nifty website set up.

• There are a wide range of products available which can be searched via search bar OR browsed via categories (products are also listed in multiple categories, if appropriate). It is very easy to search by keyword (e.g. 'zombie') and the search bar has an auto-complete function. As soon as you type in 'zo', all of the products that contain 'zo' in their name appear.
• It is very easy to add an item to your cart, however I dislike that after adding an item, I am taken directly to my shopping cart. If I want to shop more, let me! Don't make it harder for me to give you my sweet, sweet money. Also, at the bottom of each product page are a few suggestions for other products that you might enjoy.
• For a checkout, it's pretty painless and I really like the control that you have when you checkout. You can decide on the shipping company that you want to use (or avoid...DHL, I'm looking at you). Also, it's very easy to enter a coupon or discount code.
• I really like that with each purchase you can accrue ThinkGeek points and redeem them on a future transaction for swag. Other greats features include: on each product page they feature 'customer action shots'; there are multiple photos of the product; the details of the item are very clear; and, at the bottom of each product page is a 'Wanna Chat about it?' option, which gives you multiple avenues to connect with ThinkGeek.

Anthropologie

I love pretty, pretty dresses, and Anthro pretty much takes the cake for selling the prettiest dresses. If dresses were cocaine, Anthro would be my dealer. 

Anthro has recently undergone a website redevelopment, which was very much needed. I'll be basing my feedback on the current site.

• The overarching categories used are appropriate, as are the sub-categories. You can browse the categories and find what you're looking for quite easily, or you can use their search bar. The location of the search bar is at the top left of the page, which is an irritant. Even a seasoned Anthro shopper like myself has trouble finding it when I need to use it, because it's in the header and there's no differentiating colour to draw the eye there. On the upside, once you find the damn thing, you can type in something like 'red dress' and BOOM, there they are. You can also shop by designer, or what's new.
• To look at an item you can either do a 'Quick View' (a pop up appears) and you can view the product (there are usually a minimum of three photos) and add to your cart, or you can go to the product page to view the details, reviews, etc. and add to your cart. The product page includes suggested accessories that you may want to also add to your purchase, as well as a size guide. Some products are 'online exclusives', however I've seen them in store. Don't lie and make me order it online, if it's not actually going to be available in store.
• A couple of things make me cranky about shopping on the Anthro website: 

1. The checkout process is quick, although if an item isn't in stock, I don't find out until I've already hit the 'submit payment' button. Why did you let me get excited about buying something so pretty and then telling me after I've tried to give you my money that you don't have it?!? Bad Anthro! Then, just when I thought that I was finished shopping, I'm not. I have to go back and see if there's something else that I want. If not, I'm probably not going to make my purchase as shipping to Canada is pricey and I want to make it worth my while.
2. It's sometimes hard to find the 'contact us' information. It's in the footer of the website, but if I have a question, I'd like your information to be more visible.
3. The company is based in the US, so more visible information/FAQ for international shoppers would be great. 

Sephora

The Sephora website has a very clean design--the categories and sub-categories are appropriate and the layout is very intuitive. Even though the search bar is in the top left of the screen, it's very noticeable. The search function is interactive. As soon as you start typing, suggestions of what you might be looking for pop up. 

• You're able to do a 'Quick Look' and add the product to your cart or wishlist with the click of a button and then continue browsing products.
• If you visit the product page, they suggest other items that you might like. One thing that I've never liked is that to view a larger picture I can only use a magnifying glass to zoom in on small areas of the photo. Grumble, grumble.
• What Sephora does right: Lets me enter my postal code on the product page and I can find out if it's in stock at my nearest Sephora store; three free samples with each purchase; multiple different bonus samples that you can add to your cart if you spend at least $35.
• Shipping is free if you spend $75 and although it's shipped from the US, the cost of the item is displayed in CDN and all duties and additional taxes are included in the cost. No surprise fees--hooray!
• The only main issue that I really have is the lack of details on the product pages. As someone with skin sensitivities, it's important to know the ingredients of the product. Sure, it's good to know the size and other various things, but if I can't confirm that the product doesn't contain eye of newt or unicorn tears, I'm less likely to buy it.

MBNA eMall

If you're looking for an irksome website, look no more, you've found one of the best! It has it all--multiple web pages to navigate through, many hoops to jump through, and so many unnecessary clicks! What's that, you've been browsing for a while? Oops, better log in again!

• To access this site, I need to log into MBNA. To do this, I click 'Log In' three times (on three separate pages) before my MBNA page shows up. It's a crap shoot as whether MBNA will let me log in, or will just decide that its dealing with technical issues. In human terms, the MBNA website is an emo teenager, full of so much angst and hate. 
• If I manage to log in, I then click on 'My Account'. Then 'Rewards'. Then you have to click about five more buttons to get to eMall. I'd be able to tell you the exact number of click, but ha, I can't log in right now due to 'technical issues'. I tried to click 'Contact Us' to trouble shoot the issue, but double ha, I got a 404 error. Sigh.
• Once you're able to access this magical eMall the search function is good and lets you search for retailers that participate, however it's not intuitive and doesn't offer other suggestions. The categories are well chosen though, and retailers are cross-categorized if they sell multiple items.

If the MBNA/MBNA eMall website wasn't such a Charlie Foxtrot (NSFW definition) right this VERY second, I would perhaps be more positive in my review. However, overall feedback would be if you want me to use your website, make it easy. If I need to log in, let me do so on a consistent basis. If I need to contact you, let me. Don't give me a 404 error and make me angry. If I need to have your website open while I shop to get the benefits of using your site (i.e. cash back), let me know when I've been inactive before you log me out automatically and make me go through the whole process again. *Pops Tums to quell the rage induced stomachache*

!ndigo
I love books. Browsing for them, picking up the ones that catch my eye and reading what they're about. But for buying books, online is the cat's meow. In the last year, !ndigo has revamped their website and it's really streamlined the shopping experience.

• The categories are broad, albeit there are many, many smaller sub-categories. You can also browse specialty categories, like 'Award Winners', 'Bestsellers', 'New This Week', etc.
• I find it really hard to browse for books online. There are millions and millions of books that I might love, but how do I find them? The search bar (which is HUGE) is great for pulling up the item that I'm looking for (and also other similarly spelled titles or authors) and once I find a book that I love, I'll check out the 'Other books you might enjoy' or 'People who shopped for this also bought this:' and get lost for hours.
• It's easy to add items to my cart and to view my cart without leaving the product page that I'm on. Yay for that! Although it would be nice to be able to add an item to my cart directly from the search page. Currently you have to visit the product page and then add it to your cart. If I know I want it, let me add it without having to make an extra click. I swear, you won't regret it, !ndigo.
• Also nice is that I can check to see if an item is in store locally. Sometimes I just can't wait a few extra days to get my paws on a new book and want it immediately! With the website, I can enter my postal code and find out which stores in the city have what I want on hand.
• Checking out is easy. You can chose to do a guest check out if you don't want to commit to an account. Right there on the checkout page is their phone number. Need help with your order? Give us a call, we'll help you give us your money!
• The only thing that I don't like is that !ndigo automatically adds premium shipping to your cart, even if you qualify for free shipping. Just like Gretchen trying to make 'Fetch' happen in Mean Girls, stop trying to make premium shipping happen, !ndigo. Sometimes it passes by my cursory glance at the shopping cart and then I have to go back (irritated, of course) and select the free shipping.

After reviewing these websites, my advice to any business wanting to improve their customers shopping experience would be:

1. Keep your site clean and clear. I want to find your products as easily as possible and I want to give you my money. Let me. Please make it easy for me to do so.
2. Let me find your shipping information, product details and contact information easily. If I have to hunt for it and use Google-Fu, I'm probably going to be lazy and go elsewhere.
3. Don't make me create an account if I don't want to. If I can't find out how much shipping is until I create an account, I'm going to bolt.
4. Make sure that I can use your website in different browsers. For the love of all that is holy, if I can't use your site efficiently on Chrome (I'm looking at you, FreePeople.com) or on my iPad (Facebook Messenger comes to mind), I'm not going to buy from you.
5. I appreciate seeing other items that are similar, or that other users have purchased. I also like seeing product reviews and product details. Don't make me guess, give me as much information as possible.
6. Lastly, if I need to log in to access your site or services, don't have a sh*tty website that's prone to working only some of the time. Don't have 404 error pages that are linked from your home page. FFS, you're a company--have someone review your site on a regular basis to circumvent missing pages. And don't make me jump through hoops unnecessarily. Do I really need to make three or four clicks to add something to my cart? To quote Grumpy Cat, 'No.'

Online Shipping Before Black Friday

It is so painful to do this activity without actually buying anything, especially around the time of the Black Friday Sale!
   -Gary

ThinkGeek.com

•  Product: pop culture inspired items, geek toys and gadgets, collectables, and T-shirts and Apparels
• Search: search bar is great and located at the upper-middle part of the site, self-populating result as user type in words, extremely accurate.
• Add to Cart: They have the BUY NOW button in a bright orange color, the only orange button on the website. Once the button is click, it brings the user to the shopping cart. Perhaps a “add to cart” without bring the user to the cart is a better choice, but I’m ok with it (for now!)
• Features that I like: The rotating banner is a good feature, shows me all the current deals on the site. The site separates the catalogues of items into both “Shop by Category” (Home & Office, Geek toys etc.) and “Shop by Interest” (Star Wars, The Big Bang Theory etc.). It makes it very easy to narrow down my choice. The site encourage user to send them picture using the item, and in turn they will post it on their website – Show Off All Your Geeky Glory. They also motivate user to post picture via social media platform with a chance to win a $100 certificate.

BestBuy.ca

• Product: Home and portable electronics, video games and consoles, Furniture and recreational toys
• Search: search bar is located at the top left corner, self-populating result as user type in words. Categories are organized in both product type and brands.
• Add to Cart: They do have an “Add to Cart” function, so user can continue on the same page clicking that button.
• Features that I like: The “We also recommend” is a good feature located under the description of the current product; sometimes I will end up purchase a few more things from there and I don’t have to look through the website for it/them. The categories are done very well, once the user mouse over a product type, it populate the screen with some examples (usually 5 items) of that particular category. BestBuy, being that they are also a retail store, has an online inventory system. It can inform me that I can also make the purchase in-store if needed. It also has an area of customer review with a 5 star system.

SuperdryStore.ca

• Product: wearable items such as jackets, tops, bottoms, shoes, accessories
• Search: search bar is located at the top right corner, self-populating result WITH PICTURES as user type in words, and it show examples of Men’s and Women’s items. Categories are organized in Men’s, Women and NEW IN (or new items).
• Add to Cart: They do have an “Add to Bag” function, so user can continue on the same page clicking that button. Once you click that button, the top right corner will flash with a window for a few second with the option to view bad and checkout before it disappears.
• Features that I like: As a clothing-focused e-store, I like how all the colors are displayed for each item. They also have multiple pictures (far shot, close up, front, back) available on each color, along with a enlarge picture function. They also have a video for most of their item; a model displaying “the look” in motion. They also have an area that suggests complimentary pieces that goes along with the current selected item near the bottom. A recently view function at the bottom is also a good feature; it allows me to go back and revisit something I previously selected.

EBgames.ca

• Product: Video games and related items
• Search: search bar is located at the top left corner, self-populating result with small images as user type in words. Categories are organized by game consoles and platforms.
• Add to Cart: There are two types of buttons, both of which are in Red color. First one is the “Buy Now” button, which is located under each game that got displayed on the main screen due to its popularity at the time. This particular button brings the use to the selected item page with more product description. This is also where the second Red button located, called the “Add to Cart”. This button fills the cart at the top right corner once it’s clicked without leaving this description page.
• Features that I like: This site has an area early on for their best sellers. And also, the item descriptions and additional information are extremely detailed, telling the user exactly what they expect to experience after the purchase. Video games are natural packaged in a very colorful case, so the website chooses to go with a simply White background to ease the contrast of each video game.

IKEA.com/ca

• Product: Furniture, Appliances and home accessories
• Search: search bar is located at the very top, self-populating result as user type in words. Categories are organized room type – Kitchen, living room, bathroom etc.
• Add to Cart: There is “Save to list” button, once clicked it will show a smaller window telling a user that the product is added to the shopping list. In that same window, it gives the user an option to register (or log on to) an account to save the list for later.
• Features that I like: Subcategories shows the number item available under that particular category. Items are shown in their respective titles and a large enough pictures. Product information is extremely detailed. Along with the downloadable Assembly instructions, users can plan ahead without the actual purchase.

Digital window shopper

Posted by: Shannon Nicolson

I'm glued to my iPhone. I'm one of the 55% who sleeps with it. I also wake up to it...which is likely the only time I'm not fond of its buzzing, glowing screen. I haven't picked up a newspaper or walked into a bank in years. But I don't shop online. I'm tactile. I need to see and feel my potential purchases and like compare it to others before making the commitment to part with my money. In fact, my daughter knows I've made a decision when I absentmindedly shake the item.

Instead, I digital window shop - searching online for inspiration and the best deals before I hop in the car. Here are some of my top picks.

Escapes.ca

I love to travel. I love travel deals even more. There are many travel sites, most offering comparable deals, but my favourite booking destination is escapes.ca.

• offers a wide selection of flight, hotel, individual and group package deals
• pre-set search options based on departure or arrival city, last minute deals, or vacation style take the work out of finding the perfect vacation
• clean, user-friendly interface
• book online from each trip selection, can also read hotel features and reviews

Escapes best feature is the ability to book with a live agent over the phone who can offer additional insight on a particular destination or hotel at no additional charge. There's added assurance that an agent is available to help if travel plans go awry or there's an issue while outside Canada.

Escapes is a Canadian company so transactions are completed in Canadian dollars and follow Canadian rules and regulations.

Pinterest

My inspiration station.

• easy to search broad categories, or drill down with keywords
• can save or "pin" ideas for later
• most pins do not link directly to the store that offer the product or can be found in Canada

Google*

If Pinterest is my inspiration, Google is my enabler.

• connects me to retailer websites so I can search through product lines and compare prices
• image search is another tool to match my inspiration to retailers. Thanks, Target, I'm coming to you for that vintage-look red toaster 
• product reviews to ensure my soon-to-be toaster performs well

* I recently learned about Google Shopping.  I must check this out!

TD Bank Mobile app

I may not shop for fun stuff, but have no problem paying the credit card online.

• can check balance, pay bills, transfer between accounts or send e-transfers to others
• deposit cheques by photo
• simple, user-friendly interface 
• options are limited to the most common banking transactions. Users must go to the TD website for more functions or information

Netflix Canada

TV and movies on the go? Okay!

• subscribe once and forget it
• automatic monthly credit card payments
• apps for smartphones, tablets, and gaming consoles
• scroll through interest-based catalogues or search by name
• lacks new content, especially compared to the US version

Health warning: may cause binge-watching addiction and severe withdrawals while waiting for the next season to arrive. Yes, I'm talking about you, Frank Underwood!

As much as I resist online shopping in the traditional sense, the digital experience creeps into so many areas of our lives that we may not even realize we're doing it. These five sites have made my life easier, I hope you find them helpful too.

5 Favourite Online Shopping Sites Compared and Contrasted

1.Anthropologie

Products Available?

• Clothing
• Shoes
• Accessories
• House & Home
• Gifts
• BHLDN Weddings (clothing, shoes, accessories)

How Easy/Difficult it is to search?

• Easy to search for items. The search bottom is clearly indicated on the top left of the page.
• Though it might stand out better if it was in a brighter colour instead of the same colour used for other text on the page.
• List of products available are clearly labeled near the top of the page. I can hover my cursor directly over the word ‘clothing’, if that is what I am looking for, and it shows me the different types of clothing that I can click on (dresses, pants, jackets, etc.).

How easy/difficult it is to add items to the cart?

• Easy to add items to the cart, which they call the ‘Add To Basket’. The button is prominently displayed beside each item that you click on, just below the choices for colour, size, and quantity.

Features I Liked? Why?

• Like their Wish List feature as I use that to list items that I may like to buy in the near future and this way I can go through the list at a future date and decided whether I will in fact purchase those items or not.
• Attractive visual site with lots of nice images and videos.
• Reviews by other buyers on the items they have bought. On the side of each review the reviewer can list their age range, height and body type. I like this feature as it allows me to find out what clothing might work for my age range, height and body type. The reviewers can also post images of themselves wearing the item, again a very useful visual guide to whether that item might work for me or other potential buyers

Features I Disliked? Why?

• Sometimes items are displayed as available but after typing in my credit card number, a message pops up saying that the item is no longer available. I have since discovered that this means that the item is no longer available in Canada, but it is still being displayed on the website as it is available in the USA. To purchase this item you are then required to call up customer service, request that the item be mailed to you in Canada.

2. Amazon

Products Available?

• Books
• Movies
• Electronics
• Clothing
• So much more…

How Easy/Difficult it is to search?

• Easy to search. They have a large search button at the top. Which gives you suggestions of what you might be looking for as you type it in.
• Departments tab if you are not sure what you are looking for but know what type of item you are looking for, for example a laptop.

How easy/difficult it is to add items to the cart?

• One click and it is in the cart.
• But you do need to have an Amazon account to purchase your item.

Features I Liked? Why?

• Like that they have a Wish List for the same reasons listed for Anthropologie.

Features I Disliked? Why?

• Site has so many items that sometimes it can feel overwhelming.
• Shopping experience can also feel a bit impersonal, as it is such a big company.  

3. Victoria’s Secret

Products Available?

• Lingerie
• Clothing
• Swimwear
• Sportswear

How Easy/Difficult it is to search?

• It is pretty easy to search for items. They have a search button though it is quite small.
• List of tabs with all the titles of the items that they sell, if you do not know the exact item you want or just want to browse. You can filter your search by style, size, colour and ways to save.

How easy/difficult it is to add items to the cart?

• Once you click on and item they have a large ‘Add To Bag’ item positioned to the right of the item image and below the size and quantity choices that you have to click.

Features I Liked? Why?

• Live Chat button, as it allows me to ask questions. Though more often than enough there are no agents available which is very frustrating.
• Love List, which I like for the same reasons that I live Anthropologie and Amazon’s Wish Lists. I often will not buy on the first look at something and put the item into the wish list and come back to it again to think about it (Can I afford it now? Maybe I can afford it next month?)

Features I Disliked? Why?

• Images could be better. Sometimes they show an item only from one angle, which I dislike as I would like to know what the item looks like from the back as well as the front, and so on.
• Dislike the Live Chat button for the reasons listed above (I guess I have a love/hate relationship their Live Chat button).

4. Etsy

Products Available?

• Handmade or vintage items, art and supplies

How Easy/Difficult it is to search?

• Very easy to search for items either via the search button at the top or via the category tabs list under the Browse Button (at the top).

How easy/difficult it is to add items to the cart?

• It is very easy to add an item to the cart. The button is a nice bright green button on the item page, to the right of the image and below the selection choices of size, amount, etc.

Features I Liked? Why?

• You can find unique items here that you won’t find elsewhere, created by artisans and/or artists.

Features I Disliked? Why?

• Images of items can vary in quality and amount, as it is dependent on the Etsy seller’s ability to market their item.

5.Ticketmaster

Products Available?

• Tickets for:
• Concerts
• Sports
• Arts
• Theatre
• Broadway shows
• Family events

How Easy/Difficult it is to search?

Easy to search as you can search by:

• exact band/show/team
• category (music, sports, arts & theatre and family)
• city/area
• venue

How easy/difficult it is to add items to the cart?

• Very easy to add items to the cart.
• Though you do have to have an account.

Features I Liked? Why?

• Amount and variety of shows/events that they have available.
• Can add info to my account so Ticketmaster knows what bands/singers I like.
• Send me email alerts to let me know in advance if my favourite bands are going to play my city (this is part of the options they allow you on your account).

Features I Disliked? Why?

• More often than not you cannot get tickets to the shows/events you want as they sell out in seconds as bots “steal” many of the tickets and then sell them later on other sites, including sites owned by Ticketmaster! Very frustrating. It causes many people to distrust Ticketmaster.