Site review: Clarks
Having seemingly taken its time to get its online strategy together, shoe retailer Clarks finally launched its first transactional website at the end of last year.
I had previously highlighted Clarks as an example of a company that was failing to make to most of the web by not offering its product range online, so I've been having a look at the new site from a user experience perspective...
Argos launches a separate entertainment site
Argos has decided to launch a standalone site selling just CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, though confusingly, DVDs can still be purchased through the main website.
WHSmith announced a similar move a few weeks ago, moving its entertainment range to a separate site after already reducing the number of DVDs, CDs etc sold in its stores. Like the new Argos site, it was designed and operated by The Hut, which also took over the Zavvi website recently.
I've been seeing how the new site shapes up...
Site review: BBC mobile
The BBC has just launched the beta version of its new mobile site which, like the web version, allows users to personalise the content they view.
It's a welcome development, as the current BBC mobile site is a little basic, and the new version provides access to more of the corporation's content. I've been taking a look at the new version...
Site review: The Book Depository
UK online book retailer Book Depository launched a new version of its site recently, aiming to make it 'best in class, in e-commerce terms'.
It's a pureplay e-tailer, and has certainly been performing well recently, with sales of more than £40m in the last twelve months, an impressive 160% increase on the previous year, and enough to make the Sunday Times' Fast Track 100 list.
I've been taking a closer look at the site...
Site review: Fly.com
Having paid a reported $1.8m just for the domain name, TravelZoo has launched a comparison site for airline tickets, Fly.com, this week.
Providing an excellent user experience on travel websites is vital, given the complexity of the product on offer in terms of different flight options and the quantity of results, so how does Fly.com measure up?
Site review: Spotify
Swedish startup Spotify launched its online music streaming service in public beta a few months ago, looking to compete with established music sites like Last.fm.
Offering either subscription or ad supported version of its service, Spotify offers the artist and related tracks radio that is a feature of Last.fm, but has also provided a good range of tracks that can be listened to on-demand.
Site review: thomascook.com
Travel operator Thomas Cook introduced a number of improvements before Christmas, including an improved holiday search function, and the addition of more multimedia content.
Since I had written a post last year listing ten different problems with the Thomas Cook website which were affecting the user experience, it seems only fair to give credit for some of the improvements that have been made since then.
Site review: BookArmy beta
BookArmy, a literary recommendation website, is the latest social media project from publisher Harper Collins. It was originally planned for an official launch this year, but that has been delayed, and the site is now in private beta.
Harper Collins' other social media site, Authonomy, provides a way for the publisher to outsource its slush pile by having aspiring writers publish part of their work online and have it rated by others, in the hope that the cream rises to the top. BookArmy aims to be a recommendation engine for book lovers, having them rate the books they already love, and recommend others to them.
I've been trying out the new site to see how it looks so far...
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
