Shopping on line requires effective websites

Even though it was created to help scientists compare data and share research, the Internet has become a bigger, broader world that lets those logged in do everything from research to game playing to shopping. And a lot of shopping at that.

Statistics prove that more and more people spend time shopping on line. One of things that drive us to internet shopping is the ease with which we viewers can make purchases. If I don’t want to make a special trip to the mall, park, walk and purchase, I want to be able to look at a website and find what I need.

Some websites excapsulate great products but in a formula that makes navigation difficult. Others are beautiful to look at, but don’t sell quality products. Others don’t seem to have a central theme or convey their message evenly.

And example of a website that seems to pull it all together is that of Victoria Secret. The online counterpart to the popular women’s lingerie store, serves its primary function-marketing undergarments to young women of a reasonable income-extremely well. Utilizing seductive graphics, other design elements and a readily accessible organizational format, it achieves its purpose.

Clearly, the website’s graphics and other design elements are intended to a.) coalesce to form an aesthetically pleasing website and b.) make the product look good so as to appeal to the target demographic. In its aim, the site succeeds on both accounts. The first and most emphasized graphic the buyer encounters is featured on the homepage. Obviously, it is intended to be seen, and moreover, admired. The young, undeniably attractive woman in the picture is not simply wearing a bathing suit but rather the company’s product and to say the least, she makes it look desirable. This advertisement, just as all advertisements, promotes a false promise. It seemingly says, “You can look like her, too,” The women viewing this page and the enviable model on it, will want to buy the product because the elements of the photograph showcase the model who wears it as being desirable and seductive. The image appeals to the buyers’ notion of sexuality, a powerful component of any woman’s personality. In short, the model personifies everything a woman wants to be in terms of her sexuality, making the graphic an irrefutably effective one. The same is true of the other graphics on the page; they capture the sexuality of the product and in turn appeal to the buyer’s desires as a sexual being.

As for the other design elements, they too play into the characterization and marketability of the product. The color scheme of the website is pink, a color which signifies femininity. The background color is white, a simple color which allows for a bold contrast. Also, the texts employed are large and feature easily readable fonts so as to not impede the buyers shopping experience. Utilized only sparsely, the text is not intended to compete with what is being sold. There are few words on the page so as not to detract the buyer’s attention from the appealing images of the product. Unfortunately, one design element which fails to impress is the websites formatted size, which is too large to fit conveniently on one screen and requires scrolling. Added work on the buyers part, scrolling is undesirable. It requires more effort from the buyer to view the products, a requisite seldom appreciated. All in all, the design elements work together brilliantly in their efforts to appeal to the buyer, a minor flaw aside.

The readily accessibility nature of the site also makes it an effective marketing and sales tool. The page is exceedingly easy to operate, making it ideal for even the most electronically challenged of shoppers. The navigation menu is located at the top of the screen, allowing for easy navigation. Moreover, the contents of each page are further broken down in a convenient side bar. The page’s organizational format adheres to a simple yet sophisticated style-a style which yields all control to the user. Arranged in web design, readers are able to easily browse through each page at their leisure. This style of design allows the user access to all pages and does not require the user to return to the homepage or any other previous page to access other content. However, should one wish to return to the homepage, it is as simple as a click of the mouse. One need only click the Victoria’s Secret logo located atop the navigation menu. Another convenient feature of the page is the search bar which can be found opposite the Victoria’s Secret logo. This makes it so the buyer can easily locate desired content. All of these features mentioned culminate to form an easily workable and readily accessible website, a website which is so easily navigable it functions as a great marketing tool. After all, frustrating the buyer does not sell the product. Making it so the buyer can find the product for which they are looking with ease, conversely, can. In that respect, this website is a marked success.

Clearly, the primary concern of a website affiliated with a store, such as victoriassecret.com, is the successful marketing of its product- a goal which this particular site fulfills almost flawlessly. All of the sites elements from its alluring graphics to its other design elements to its easy to navigate format communicate the designers had but one interest in mind-the potential buyer. In essence, that is what makes this website so effective, its single-minded focus on marketability and efficiency. As far as websites are concerned, this one is stellar as it achieves its goal without question.