The Walmart Online Store...Exemplary Model of Web-Site Business (Look for Black Friday Sales!)
Written: Nov 04 '06 (Updated Nov 09 '06)
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Not always a fan of Walmart and its practices, I must admit that their online shopping experience is actually quite good. Despite any fears that ordering online from such a company could result in delays or lost shipments, my most recent opportunity to spend money on the site has turned out very well. Walmart is of course, best known for their physical stores. They offer constant discounts, always trying to undercut the competition in order to attract more and more customers. That same business principal, to a certain extent, has also transferred over to how they interact online. It's not the same overall though, because on the site you don't see discounts all over the place, and the virtual store seems to be far more organized and tamed down than any Walmart I have ever been in. It is also far less busy, with no long lines and kids running all over the place, but I digress.
The site is pretty easy to navigate, as there aren't a lot of graphics or interactive elements to get in the way of the shopping trip. It is really a great way to do business in my opinion, because anyone can log on, find something to purchase, and complete the transaction in only a matter of moments. They provide a lot of in-depth search engines that allow you to get directly to the product you are looking for, and once you do, you are presented an entire page dedicated to that product. There you find the cost, specifications, a nice detailed picture (or several), warranty information, and basically anything else you could think of needing in order to make the purchasing decision. Accompanying that product are links to similar products if you aren't completely sure what you want to buy. This really comes in handy if you are looking for something like a digital camera or television, where many different companies make similar functioning devices.
Working your way through the site, you can add anything you want to your shopping cart using their handy buttons. When you decide to view your cart, or head to the check out page, you are given a detailed description of what you are purchasing, as well as the expected shipping time. Every item has the ability to be gift-wrapped, and they put it as an option for any purchase that you make. So, if you want to use the site to send holiday or birthday gifts they try to cater to your needs. Using the site to buy several DVD's and DVD sets, it was easy to add exactly what was wanted to the cart, and proceed to the checkout. This is where the shipping charges are estimated based on the item's size, weight, and shipping method with which you want to go. It automatically figures out the cost based on the lowest-cost shipping method, to make sure you aren't being charged too much. That method gets the products out to you in 7 to 10 days according to the site, but if you need to receive your package quicker, they have plenty of options to upgrade. I normally use my online ordering far in advance, so that if I get what I need a week later, it is expected and set into my own plans. For the purchase that was slightly over $104.00, the shipping charge came out to only $4.85. That is not bad at all in my opinion, and far less than I have paid for smaller and lighter items.
The promise of the Walmart site, is that no matter what the cost of your order, you will receive your products within at least 7 to 10 days. That is a very quick turn-around, and one that I would continuously hang my hat on if I was running a web-site. Placing our order on a Tuesday, I received it the following Thursday, meaning they got it delivered right in the middle of their estimate. I assume that the order was processed the day after it was placed, so you can see the shipment did get here pretty fast. If I had needed it sooner, I feel very safe knowing that the site does try to hit its own deadlines. The shipment came in perfect condition, wrapped tightly in bubbled envelope, and enclosed was a handy invoice that went over the costs of the purchase, as well as how to exchange, return by mail, or return in person any of the items that I had received. I think this is a great customer service step, because I think it shows they care about the end-user of their products, and thus will probably have me continue to be a willing customer. The movies and TV seasons that were ordered came at a great price, with very minimal shipping charges, so I think this site is a great one to check out if you are looking for inexpensive purchases around the holidays. The site was extremely easy to use, with page refresh rates being instantaneous and everything always presented very clearly. This is a great web-site as far as I am concerned, and something that other sites should model themselves after.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? DVD's, television seasons
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