GEN2243 Good/Bad Website Smackdown

 

Good / Bad Website Smackdown

The internet is full of commercial websites that sell discounted products.  People often turn to the internet using their phone, tablet, or personal computer to quickly search for the best price for the product they are looking to purchase.  When time is a factor, with regards to obtaining the item, customers often use the internet to price search and compare, then physically go to the commercial retailers to purchase the desired item.  This can alleviate shipping costs and wait times for the product to be shipped to your home.  When purchasing the product quickly is the main goal, people often search the websites of the stores they know are local. 

Two local commercial retailers in our area that sell discounted products are Ollie’s and Walmart.  They both sell many name brand items at a lower price point than other commercial retailers.   They both have physical “brick and mortar” locations to visit in person.  They both advertise products you can physically see, touch, and purchase once you are at each retail location.  And most importantly to this blog, they both have websites that advertise items they sell.  

Ollie’s and Walmart websites at first glance

According to Bill Widmer in his internet article titled “What Makes a Good Website: A Quick Guide to Website Design” there are many factors that heavily impact the website users opinion and desire to continue to use the website after they decide to go to a particular site.  Using the Ollie’s and Walmart websites as examples I found that both websites load fairly quickly on phones, tablets, and personal computers.  According to Widmer, over 51% of website traffic is currently completed using a cell phone.  Using the “mobile-friendly” website test https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly I tested both the Ollie’s and Walmart websites.  Both sites scored a green check mark that indicate they are usable on mobile devices.  This test alone does not paint a full picture.  Aesthetics is a major factor in a customer’s desire to stick around and continue to browse the site.  I felt the Ollie’s website color scheme is alarming and made me feel uneasy with the bright yellow background and bright red lettering.  Walmart’s soothing blue and white lettering with its current Easter color tones made me feel calm and willing to continue to browse and shop the site.   The Ollie’s website layout is what I would describe as “gimmicky” (gimmicky definition: using something that is not serious or of real value to attract people's attention or interest temporarily, especially to make them buy something; Cambridge Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/gimmicky).  The Walmart’s website seems more sincere.  The images and fonts on the Walmart website conveyed more of a “I have a great product that you would enjoying purchasing and owning.”   Both websites have a search function but Ollie’s search bar is nearly unusable.  For example, I saw that Ollies was advertising memory foam mattresses.  I clicked on the advertisement and it brought me to a page that stated they are 40% off.  The picture of the product was not great and it gave very little detail.  I then went to the Walmart website to search for mattresses.  The Walmart website returned multiple results having great product descriptions and photographs.  I went back to the Ollie’s website to search for the mattress ad again and typed it in the search function for the website.  Nothing returned.  I then tried to search for several other products I know they sell and was met with the same results.  The Ollie’s search function does not seem to be linked with any actual products.  This is a show stopper in my opinion.  Why would any shopper want to use the Ollie’s website knowing their search function does nothing to help the customer find the product they are looking to purchase? The only way to find information on a product Ollie’s is selling is to see a specific ad on the main page and click on it.   

 

Bottom Line

Although both Ollie’s and Walmart have a “brick and mortar” store that sell many of the same items at discounted prices and they both have an internet presence, Ollie’s is clearly inferior when it comes to website design and functionality.  Outside of this blog research project, I will likely never visit the Ollie’s website again.  In contrast, I will likely browse the Walmart site more often having seen what it has to offer.