The aim of this report is to explore if Primark's current website is adding any value to their brand and why they have chosen to go online. Has Primark mirrored its offline success online?

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Harpreet Dhillon – P03291843

Primark                                                         E-Marketing: Assignment- Part 1

http://www.primark.co.uk

        

Introduction

The aim of this report is to explore if Primark’s current website is adding any value to their brand and why they have chosen to go online.  Has Primark mirrored its offline success online?

1. Critiques of the Website

In order to critically analyse the current website of the high street retail outlet, Primark, it must firstly be established what kind of website it actually is. Primark’s website must be categorised into one of the three distinct styles created by Dann and Dann (2004).

It may be:

  1. Information publishing (content provision/interactive brochure)
  2. Transactional sites
  3. Mass customisation

Dann and Dann (2004) have described the information publishing site as: “At web site at its most basic, where the content is the experience and the emphasis is on the provision of information.” Primark’s site is very simple and holds mainly information.

Whereas, a transactional site consists of a category of sites, that exist for the purpose of exchange of some sort e.g. buying and selling.  Primarks’s site does have some transactional activities, the employment application form; however this is a very small amount of transactional activity.

Mass customisation has been defined as “A web site where the content and experience are tailored to the individual user based on their established user heritage and other information...”  This is practically not existent as there is nothing that could appeal to the individual user as it holds mainly corporate information.

Therefore it seems that Primark’s website best fits the Information/content publishing style.

To evaluate whether the site has effective design, three key areas can be looked into. (E-marketing, lecture 5, 4/11/05)

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  1. Effectiveness:
  • Can users complete their tasks correctly and completely?

The site is simple and straightforward to use and fairly visually appealing as the whole site is neutral and plain.  The clear toolbar across the top enables the user to find exactly what they are looking for allowing easy navigation.

  1. Productivity – efficiency:
  • Are tasks completed in an acceptable length of time?

There is little transactional activity present although the employment application form seems to be straightforward and easy to use.  Again as it is mainly an information site, there are little tasks to be completed ...

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