Robert W. Bly
����������� A confession: I am not the target prospect for www.bluenile.com, an online marketer of jewelry, because I don�t like or wear jewelry (my wife is not a jewelry �nut� either, and I have two sons and one nephew, and no daughters or nieces). I�m going to try hard to make sure that doesn�t color my review of their site.
����������� Let me admit to another prejudice before I start: I don�t like complicated, busy, crammed Web sites. And that�s one reason why I was so dazzled by www.bluenile.com: it�s a model of effective simplicity for online marketing.
����������� 1. Brand Preference � A.
Clearly supports and builds brand preference, encourages return visits.
����������� When you click on www.bluenile.com, you are immediately served a pop-up window with an irresistible offer: in return for entering your e-mail address, sex, age, zip code, and marital status, you are entered into a sweepstakes to win a diamond with an appraised value of $5,000.
����������� There is a check box where you can opt in to receive offers and announcements by e-mail, but this is already checked off. So you�d have to uncheck it to get off their list.
����������� The home page is cleanly and clearly laid out; in fact, it�s almost a little too stark. One could argue a jewelry site should be more elegant in design. But I don�t: the jewelry shopper is well-served here.
����������� At
the top is a banner with the
����������� Copy under and to the right of the banner positions the site more effectively: �As the largest online retailer of certified diamonds and fine jewelry, we offer outstanding quality, selection, and value.� Interestingly, they make no mention of saving money or time by buying online vs. going to a local jeweler.
����������� From there, the home page has pictures of jewelry and product descriptions that are hyperlinked to pages showing and describing those products. Simple and basic, but sensible; I wouldn�t do it any other way.
����������� There are also three additional value-added links on the home page:
����������� * �How to Choose a Diamond Ring� is a useful, informative guide to purchasing a diamond ring.
� ��������� * �Build Your Own Diamond Ring� lets you customize and then order a ring online with the stone and setting you select.
����������� * �Diamonds� searches for diamonds based on cut, color, clarity, carat weight, and price.
����������� 2. Strategic Intent or
Purpose � A. Clearly indicates the action to be taken.
����������� The mission of the Web site � to help the consumer shop for and buy a diamond or other jewelry online � is crystal clear. The entire site is designed to make the transaction as easy and painless as possible.
����������� Most of the hyperlinks on the home page go to specific products, so you can see what stones and jewelry are available. These pages are augmented by a useful but not overwhelming choice of some helpful content and functionality � mainly tips on buying diamonds, product searches, and interactive jewelry design.
����������� 3. Content
Webification � B. Some use of Web-based communication technology.
����������� To me, the site uses Web-based technology judiciously and appropriately.
����������� Sure,
you could think of features to add: links to other Web sites on diamonds; a
bulletin board for jewelry buyers to share experiences; the ability to get
questions answered via e-mail by a
����������� But it�s all unnecessary. The site is not an information resource; it is a place to conveniently buy diamonds and jewelry online. And it fulfills that mission brilliantly.
����������� 4. Relationship
building � B. Content personalization devices are present.
����������� The major personalization feature is �Build Your Own Diamond Ring,� which allows the consumer to mix and match stones and settings to personal preference, rather than buy a ring �off the shelf.� There�s not much other personalization, nor is it needed.
����������� One neat idea would be a tool where I could enter the names and dates of major events (birthday, anniversary) for friends and family. Then, when it is my assistant�s birthday, www.bluenile.com could send me an e-mail reminder with a gift suggestion.
����������� The Web site does allow you to enter your e-mail address to receive reminders of major holidays, but it is not customizable to your personal list of gift recipients.
����������� 5. Community building � F. No community
involvement devices.
����������� �A site for people with a strong interest in diamonds as collectibles, investments, or gems would be a good candidate for a bulletin board or other community-building device.
����������� But www.bluenile.com is a pure shopping site. Yes, www.amazon.com is also a shopping site, and it has the community-involvement device of allowing customers to post product reviews.
����������� Could
www.bluenile.com do the same? Of course. Is the lack of such a product review feature
sorely felt by the jewelry shopper visiting
����������� 6. Persistent navigation � A. Does an
excellent job at letting users fulfill goals.
����������� It�s
fun and easy to shop for jewelry on
����������� Navigation
isn�t perfect: there are some valuable content pages you can�t easily find from
the home page, and that are only brought to your attention once you�re on other
pages within the site (e.g., a page explaining how to read independent diamond
grading reports). I might expand the menu of choices on the home page to make
more of these content pages easier to find when you first log onto the site.������
����������� 7. User task depth �
A. User was able to complete all four tasks.
����������� On
a commerce site, the major tasks the user wants to complete include (a)
shopping for and finding products, (b) learning more details about products,
(c) completing a purchase, and (d) handling customer service-related activities
such as reporting a problem with delivery or canceling or returning an order.
The
����������� 8. Affordance � A. Links and buttons
clearly do what they �afford.�
����������� All links, buttons, and menu choices are clearly labeled. When you click on them, you get exactly what you would expect.
����������� 9. Labeling and
language � A. Audience centric, has good representation of key words and
phrases.
����������� The language throughout is well suited to the target audience: the consumer buying jewelry. Jargon and technical terms are avoided. Everything is simple, easy to follow, and crystal clear.
����������� 10. Readability
(content density) � A. Uncluttered, adequate white space, column width, type size,
and face.
����������� The page layouts are nearly perfect. Adequate use of white space creates a clean, uncluttered look and makes the images � photos of jewelry � stand out. You never feel overwhelmed by the text or graphics, and so are inclined to spend more time browsing and shopping � a very pleasant experience.
����������� 11. Organization (marketing quadrants) � A.
Marketing quadrants are appropriately exploited, navigation OK.
����������� The home page is divided into classical marketing quadrants. There is a horizontal series of standard buttons hyperlinked to major menu choices (e.g., jewelry, watches and accessories) along the top of the home page under the banner. That�s the first quadrant.
����������� The second quadrant is the series of menu items in the left column, which are headings (e.g., diamonds, earrings) that are underlined to indicate a hyperlink. There is some redundancy between these two quadrants.
����������� The third quadrant is the main home page space, which has photos and lists of items (products, consumer information, tools), again underlined to indicate a hyperlink.
����������� The fourth quadrant is a horizontal series of items at the bottom of the home page, mainly to do with customer service (returns, financing).
����������� 12. Content freshness � F. The update
schedule is infrequent or unclear.
����������� It�s not clear how often the selection of products on the Web site is updated, which items on the site are new, or where to find new items.
����������� 13. Load time � B. Under 25 seconds on 56K for text�low graphic load.
����������� When
tested using the Web Page Analyzer at www.websiteoptimization.com, the
www.bluenile.com Web site took 17.51
seconds to download at 56K. That means it�s a pretty fast downloading site, not
burdened by overuse of graphics.�����������
����������� 14. Aesthetics � A.
Supports the purpose of the site, is consistent with user mental model.
����������� The design fully complements the function and mission of the site: showcase and sell high-quality diamond and other jewelry online.
����������� Conclusion � overall grade: B+.
����������� Using
the Mequoda Scorecard, I rated
����������� About the author:
����������� Robert W. Bly, a freelance copywriter specializing in direct marketing, is the author of 60 books including The Online Copywriter�s Handbook (McGraw-Hill). His e-mail address is rwbly@bly.com and his Web site is www.bly.com.
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