Website Analysis Time!!
Analyzing websites can be fun and entertaining. It can also help you as a small business owner or entrepreneur to better understand what you want in a website. Today, we will be doing a SWOT analysis on the websites of some of the biggest brands in society. Let’s get started!
Nike
Strengths: It’s simplicity. If you are looking for a specific product, you can likely get to it in a click or two. It’s interactive features caught my eye, too. Many pictures move once they are scrolled over. Customers are able to customize their shoes very easily on the Nike site. There is a dedicated “customize tab” on the home page. The “edit design” feature is very user friendly. You have the ability to completely customize your shoe, or look for inspiration from their suggestions.
Weaknesses: There are few colors seen on the site. In fact, 99% of it is in black and white. Absence of color can make a site seem bland and unappealing. Clearly, Nike is not loosing any sales because of this, but their website will probably not win any awards either. The layout of Nike’s home page can be confusing, too. Their are few words on the home page. While this can be good in some cases, I felt a little lost on the home screen. Including more text and information can help add substance to the site.
Opportunities: There are many athletes sponsored by Nike. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and LeBron James are some of the many athletes that have increased Nike’s business and profits. I think that Nike would benefit by communicating this on their website. This could include testimonies, pictures, or even videos of their athletes. I also believe that Nike is lacking in term of connecting with their audience. Highlighting some of their community impacts and how they give back to others on their home page could interest customers.
Threats: There are not many threats associated with Nike’s site. No huge data breaches have taken place, so I believe that Nike’s website is trustworthy and credible. As for the business itself, Nike counterfeit products are very common. Many do not want to pay big bucks for the original product, so they resort to buying knock-offs. This is a threat to their business itself because it can take away their future earnings.
Walmart
Strengths: What I love about Walmart’s site is how personalized it is. On the home page, there is an area that says, “Shop online, pick up today.” Listed below this was my local Walmart. Beside that was a “trending” box that showed what the most popular products are at my local Walmart. It is clear that they frequently update their site, as there are many seasonal related items that are being displayed on the home page. Despite the abundance of items Walmart sells, they have divided their departments to help customers find items with greater ease. Their new grocery delivery option will most likely boost their credibility as an e-commerce platform.
Weaknesses: Walmart is very simple, but with this simplicity comes fewer options. Some customers prefer a wide variety to choose from. I was not able to find an employment option either. Maybe it was just hidden under the millions of links on the site, but I think that this is an important thing to have on a site. There have also been problems with Walmart’s shipping processes. Many customers have reported their product taking much longer to ship than what they were initially told.
Opportunities: I think a live chat feat would greatly benefit Walmart. They already have a user feedback option as well as a report issue option that is available whenever a certain product is clicked on. This would increase customer satisfaction and be a relatively simple thing to integrate. Walmart has great visuals on their website, but making some of these interactive would be a great addition.
Threats: Heavy price competition is the main threat that Walmart is facing. Low cost of manufacturing leads to lower prices on products themselves. Because of this, Walmart is forced to move production overseas, competing with others to keep production costs low from providers overseas.
Amazon
Strengths: I have ordered many products from Amazon. Probably too many, in fact. I have always been a fan of Amazon’s shipping. I have never received a product later than expected. Also, I have never experienced any issues with the product itself I received. Amazon offers a disclaimer on many of their products, saying that this item could be sold at a lower price from other sellers. This is very helpful when comparing product pricing.
Weaknesses: While I love Amazon, it always takes me a while to find the exact product I am looking for. There is a wide variety of options in different sizes and at different prices, which can get confusing for those who have a specific product that they are looking for in mind. Also, I have utilized both Amazon’s rental feature and buy back feature many times. It is always difficult for me to find my rentals. I believe that this should be listed on the main web page. Also, it is very difficult to access their buy back option. With this, customers are able to sell their textbook to Amazon and receive a gift card as the payment for it. Considering how much money Amazon could potentially make with this, it is surprising that there is close to zero advertising about this feature.
Opportunities: Amazon has the potential to do great things with their site considering how profitable they are. Their are aspects of their design layout that are great, like their product catalog. However, they could afford to improve their UI/UX design tremendously. Their variety of different fonts and colors is not consistent and makes it confusing for the customer.
Threats: Cybercrime is a major area of consideration for many businesses, especially Amazon. Because they are one of the most profitable companies, they have experienced a fair number of data breaches. Competition from other retailers such as Walmart and Target is also a threat.
Do you have any feedback? Let me know what you think of this analysis below!
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