Website Evaluation - Branding, Transactional facilities & social networking (www.desigual.com

Content Page

I. LIST OF FIGURES

1. INTRODUCTION

2. THE COMPANY DESIGUAL

3. METHODOLOGY AND GOAL OF THE REPORT

4. BRANDING
4.1. The Brand's Logo
4.2. Currency news
4.3. Colours and graphics
4.4. SHAPES
4.5. Layout & Combination of images
4.6. RELATIONSHIP FEATURES

5. TRANSACTIONAL FACILITIES

6. SOCIAL NETWORKING

7. CONCLUSION

II. APPENDIX

III. REFERENCES

I. List of Figures

Figure 1: Desigual Start Page (www.desigual.com) + Women & Men - Wear

Figure 2: Social Media Platforms, Blog and Videos

Figure 3: Desigual Blog

Figure 4: Menu bar top & buttom

Figure 5: Chosen garment 2D-view

Figure 6: Chosen garment 3D-video-view

Figure 7: Recommended Size Chart by Benchmarking H&M

Figure 8: Augmented Reality Dressing Room by Zugara

Figure 9: Disintermediation of a consumer distribution channel showing (a) the original situation, (b) disintermediation omitting the wholesaler and (c) disintermediation omitting both wholesaler and retailer. 13

Figure 10: Social Networking on Desigual

Figure 11: Social Networking Ranking at www.socialnetworkingwatch.com

Figure 12: Desigual Facebook profile (http://www.facebook.com/Desigual#!/Desigual?v=info)

Figure 13: Desigual Twitter Profile (http://twitter.com/Desigual)

Figure 14: Desigual flickrprofile (http://www.flickr.com/photos/desigual-barcelona/)

Figure 15: Desigual Youtube profile (http://www.youtube.com/user/webdesigual)

Figure 16: Swot Analysis

Figure 17: Reality Virtuality Continuum by Dr. T. Alt

Figure 18: Desigual Mailing

1. Introduction

In 2000 Chamberlin et al. predicted that the World Wide Web will transform the human society by making all kinds of information everywhere instantly available. By having a look at the development ten years later, the fact that there were more than 800 million people routinely using the Internet in 2008 (Devezas et.al., 2008) makes it obvious that the WWW indeed transformed our society. Therefore it also transforms economy and business.

This business, this assignment deals with, is offering fashion online. E-Business according to Chaffey (2009), are businesses that transform the key elements of their business processes through the application of internet technologies. Especially in the market of fashion it is important to be available 24 hours and 7 days per week for online-shopping. This helps to improve the competitiveness and the daily business apart of the offline-stores.

2. Methodology and goal of the report

Regarding to Roughani (2010) branding is psychological and can make or break a business even if it is online or offline. The goal of the following report are an evaluation of the DESIGUAL website with the focus on the branding, social network and transactional facilities. This report is structured into five parts. First of all a general introduction about the brand Desigual which website will be analysed with the given criteria’s. The second part will be an analysis of the online. This section is followed by an evaluation of the transactional facilities. Furthermore the use of social network platforms and its support of brand awareness are discussed. A conclusion completes this work. Recommendations are given in and for each sub-point as well as a summery at the end.

3. The Company Desigual

According to the Chaffey (2009) and the BrandNewWorld (2004) survey showed that online branding appears to be more important. Especially for clothing and accessories (22%). The young Swiss Thomas Meyer made up the brand Desigual in 1984. Desigual means unequal and convey keywords like Positivism, Commitment, Tolerance, Constant Improvement, Innovation and Fun. Desigual's first slogan was:

“Desigual is not the same. ”

Which chances later on in:

“We dress people, not bodies.”

With a staff of 1700 employees from 30 different nations and 65 countries Desigual established to a well-known colourful brand in the market of fashion and glamour.

4. Branding

Branding definition by Leslie de Chernatony and Malcolm McDonald in their classic 1992 book, Creating powerful brands, defines a brand as: "an identifiable product or service augmented in such a way that the buyer or user perceives relevant unique added values which match their needs most closely. Furthermore, its success results from being able to sustain these added values in the face of competition"

According to Rowley (2004) in a rapidly developing market, it is important to adopt the brand building to the growth of the market. This offers the customer a continued growth of the brand. In recent years specific trends have emerged. In the era of the Internet and WEB 2.0 there is a highly relevance of online branding. Because of this online branding is gaining more and more important and transforms the simple distribution channel in a virtual shopping window. Therefore new ways have been created to publish a brand and communicate interactively with the customer. The monologue of the brands is over and it uses certain elements to communicate the brand value and brand message to customers. These elements are listed in the following report and transferred to the DESIGUAL website.

4.1. The Brand's Logo

The Desigual Logo, a word mark (Logo Design Source, 2005) is visible at every page of the website.

Illustration not visible in this excerpt

Figure 1: Desigual Start Page (www.desigual.com) + Women & Men - Wear

This allows the visitor to memorize the brand. The advantage is that customers or visitors remember the brand name much easier. It is striking that the word logo Desigual is positioned very discreet on the homepage which the brand communication not too intrusive.

At this point there are no recommendations. The brand logo is positioned very well. To make it much more conspicuous would probably destroy and bug the layout of the page. To show the brand logo of Desigual helps the brand to fix the logo in the customers mind.

To get deeper in the Logo Design it is striking that the letter "s” in the word Desigual is reflected on the horizontal axis. This incorporates a Wordmake into a uniquely styled font treatment and makes it memorable.

4.2. Currency News

In a fast paced world, how can be found especially on the Internet, currency on a website communicates liveliness, dynamics and an up-to-dateness. If users get always up-to-date they are motivated to come back again (Rowley, 2004).

Desigual offers in its website current information like social media platforms and a brand blog which will discussed in part six of this report. (Figure 2) Desigual provides videos of their Campaigns, Catwalks, Woman/Men spots and Accessories spot. These videos presenting the current collections and campaigns where the brand Desigual shows their current fashion and designs. (Figure 2)

Illustration not visible in this excerpt

Figure 2: Social Media Platforms, Blog and Videos

The possibility to see garments in a video or during a catwalk gives a better idea about the cut and appearance. Therefore customers get a better impression of clothing at a moving people instead of a 2D view picture.

Also a brand blog provides information on current events and news about the Culture & trends, Events, Fashion, New openings and Promotions.

Illustration not visible in this excerpt

Figure 3: Desigual Blog

Recommendation for the currency of the Desigual website are: Desigual should organise a casting where regular customers appeal as a model in one of the next videos or pictures on the website. Such a casting would increase the traffic on the website and strength the relationship between the customers and the brand. Desigual would also receive a better image and increase their brand awareness.

4.3. Colours and Graphics

The website clothed itself with the corporate colours - colourful. The website lives by pictures and communicate with the customer using fashion photos and snapshots. There are striking little text blocks which changing their colours after each page reloading. The most often related colours are different shades of grey and black for the basic layout and green, yellow, white, blue and pink colour for the text and shapes. All snapshots and photographs of the models or random people are fully coloured and incorporated by using the mix of the corporate colours. Regarding to Colour Wheel Pro (2007) the used colours stands for something positive like pink - "friendship”, yellow - "happiness” or green - "freshness”. The colourful style of the website looks very playful and highlights the colourful clothes of the brand.

Since Desigual is a colourful fashion label and through the use of different colours in each fully-fashioned scene, it is a very successful colour-structure in the website. Non of the colours distracts or confuse the customer from the actual content of the pages.

4.4. Shapes

The shape of the website were keep simple, clear and angular which made the website look very structured. All page on the website have the same design and construction. Thus makes it very simple for the customer to get along on the website and to achieve the desired objectives.

4.5. Layout & Combination of Images

The design of a website is essential for the success of the product or service. Regarding to Chris McElroy (2006) Websites have to look professional and trustworthy to address the customer or visitor.

As the red circles highlight in Fehler! Verweisquelle konnte nicht gefunden werden. the page layout is well structured. The menu bar on the top of the page consists of small shape flash buttons that are characterised in seven categories. This simple menu system makes it very easy to operate on the website. According to Young (2001) to handle this kind of structure and navigation system is very comfortable. Young states that websites should be structured and organised very simple.

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