Comparison of Armani and Dolce Gabbana website - Essay Example

The Armani Collezioni collection includes categories such as Pre-Fall, New Arrivals, Dresses, Jackets/ Coats, Tops, Bottoms, men’s, Beauty and Sale. It gives users the liberty to sign up for an online account which enables them to shop online, making shopping a more personal business. All the sub-categories mentioned above, open into pages that display models dressed up in that particular collection. The user can browse through the collection pages and choose the desired clothing. The collection boasts of nearly 100 new arrivals all available to browse through, ranging from stylish tops to elegant bottoms. When the user picks or chooses the item, another page takes the user to view a larger and elaborate picture of the selected item. Along with the picture, there is a detailed description of the item, leaving the consumer in absolutely no doubt regarding the item he or she has selected. At the bottom of the page, the prices are mentioned by the company and it is directly linked to the users shopping basket. The user also has the option to adjust his/her size and color according to their requirements, making the ordering process more easy and comfortable for the user. The assistance link, present in the right hand corner of the main screen, directs the user to a page that is, in simple words an encyclopedia of information. Everything, from how to contact and who to contact, shipping and billing information to security and privacy details is mentioned on this page. The customer can browse through all the information available or can follow directions to call up customer service, email them or simply have an online conversation with them. Lastly, the search bar on the top right corner of the pages, allows the user to narrow down searches to more preciseness and it eases the shopping process, with the user no having to waste more time browsing. Not only does this allow customers to search for what they are looking for but it also displays related alternatives to further diversify his choice and let him make use of everything of his concern that the company has to offer him. The Dolce and Gabbana online store is an online competitor to the Armani stores. The main page directs the individual, directly to gender specific collection with little time wasted. The webpage is attractive and elegant, a trademark of the company. As one waits, he is diverted to a page that requests the country details so as to provide concrete and assuring details through out the shopping experience. The page is basically divided into apparel section, beach and underwear selection and an accessories collection. Just by pointing the cursor on top of the picture, the customer is offered details of what colors and sizes are available, reducing customer’s chances of ending up with something that they don’t want. As the page directs further, one gets information regarding the clothing, a collection of thumbnails are presented, allowing a more precise picture with the details and prices(discounts & offers) attached. Like the Armani website, this too has a number of features to help the online shopper. The search bar shows results that are not only precise but also detailed. The company offers its users to make an online account, giving the shopping experience a more personal touch. Besides that, it has three sub categories; customer care, wish list and shopping bag. The customer care has countless possibilities and directions to guide the individual to what ever information they require. Incase the individual requires a more personal contact or guidance, they are asked to fill in their details which are than transferred to the customer care representatives who contact you themselves. If made to choose, the preference would without a doubt be Dolce and Gabbana, as it gives a more detailed outline of the product and keeps the browsing more accurate and easier to understand. Also, unlike the small thumbnails in the Armani website, here at dolce we see the collection in a more elaborate and vivid picture along with views from all sides, leaving customer with little or no doubt. The company guarantees a safekeeping of the details of every customer’s choices. As mentioned in the security and privacy reports, the customer is assured of privacy and guaranteed confidentiality whenever they are asked to submit personal details. By competing through online websites ala e-commerce, companies have been able to touch a wider audience and thus make the shopping experience a more professionally assuring task with little effort from the customers. Now all one has to do is chose from the e-store and order it, making his life a lot easier by cutting the costs of travel, effort and energy. However, as the element of physical touch is not a possible through electronic medium, the company and the customer fail to mutually understand the ‘feel’ of the experience. Also, as many customers have the habit of ‘feeling the material before buying’, they can be disappointed if what they’ve ordered is not up to the mark. However needless to say, both the companies mentioned above are giants in the field of fashion and thus have little chances of disappointing the customers. Glossary: Business to business: Amongst separate businesses the term B2B is used to describe collaborations, transactions and all types of interactions between business entities. Interactions that occur within an organization or take place between customers and businesses can be distinguished from B2B. Business to consumer: B2C is used to describe products and services, transactions, strategies developed by businesses to search and target the consumers. Its overall aim is to penetrate consumer markets rather than other businesses. Cyber banking: when banking functions are performed through the internet it is stated as cyber banking. This may include remote banking, online banking and electronic banking. Encryption: Encryption is a process through which written messages ,important data or text messages are transformed into a unreadable form, making it impossible to be read or understood by anyone except the person who knows how to decrypt the message Domain name: these are patterns and series of alphanumeric strings which are separated by periods for example, www.infotech.com. That is known as the address of a computer network and is also the identity of the owner of the address.  Electronic cash: popularly known as electronic money, it is the transaction of money through electric mediums. Examples include credit cards, digital money etc.  Intelligent agents: this is a special type of software designed to help and assist users, also being able to operate on their behalf in performing computer related tasks with little or no repetition. They perform in the sense of a “representative agent”. Micropayments: as from the name, micropayments is referred to the payment of transfer of little amounts of money where in reality making such small payments via regular payment systems is impractical. Random banners: When banners of recently used advertisement on blogs are displayed, it is known as random banners. Push technology: the word push means a style, normally a style of communication based on internet. Such communication is the request for information or transaction that is received by the central server. On the other hand, pull technology is when clients request for information. Spamming: it is the misuse of electronic messaging systems. Viral marketing: This refers to the techniques used in marketing that increase brand awareness through pre existing social networks. Read More