You've Got Questions, We've Got a Web Site
Written: Nov 03 '02 (Updated Nov 06 '02)
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Busy malls, poorly trained sales people, and the hassle of seasonal shopping have driven people to the web. However, sometimes shopping on the web presents problems and difficulties even worse than driving to the local mall. While most web sites are informative, easy to use, and generally make shopping online a relaxing and worry-free task, there are those which are poorly designed, confusing and have no redeeming value over that snot-nosed little sales clerk whose "sir" and "ma'am" responses are dripping with sarcasm.
Many companies rely on their web site to advertise products, present information, and bring in revenue. Such web sites are usually supplemented by weekly and monthly flyers and adverts, and usually some sort of yearly catalog. RadioShack is making a fairly significant change. Next year they will no longer offer their 400 plus page catalog as they have for the past few decades. Instead, all their products will be displayed solely on the web and in stores. This means that people who commonly reference the catalog for, prices, product info, and cross-referencing will no longer be able to do so in print. So, how does RadioShack.com measure up?
DISADVANTAGES
First let's cover the most obvious advantages and disadvantages in removing the printed catalog. It's obviously a disadvantage to remove a large catalog chock full of products from a potential customer's home. The impetus to open a catalog and browse is far stronger than to turn the computer on and log on to the Internet--especially if you have a slow connection.
Having worked at RadioShack I'm well aware that the the customer base has a significant following in the elderly age...if you get my drift. Realistically, few of the people in that age bracket have either the means or knowledge to adroitly browse the web in order to find the answer to even the simplest of questions--they just aren't web savvy.
ADVANTAGES
On the bright side, it's nice to be able to receive up-to-date pricing information. Often, prices listed in catalogs are outdated within months. New products cannot be added after printing either, so a catalog is conceivably out of date as soon as new products appear. Neither can catalogs reflect sale prices, special offers and promotions, or confirm availability of said items. The web can do all this.
LET'S TAKE IT FOR A SPIN
First thing I tried, since it seems to be such a common request in the store, was finding a battery for my cordless telephone. From the home page all I had to do was click on the "Batteries & Adaptors" link followed by "Cordless" under the "phone" heading on the next page. From there I chose my namebrand. That's where it started to get tricky. It displayed a bunch of batteries, but I had no idea which one was mine. So, I clicked on the "Battery Finder" link on the left hand column. This led me through a simple step-by-step process to determine the correct battery for my make and model cordless phone. The resulting information was a large picture of my battery so that I could physically identify that it was a match, a stock number, a price, and an indication as to whether or not it was available in stores. I could also chose to "Buy It Now" by ordering online with a credit card. Not too hard; total time spent: three minutes. That beats driving to the store, especially if they don't have it in stock.
Next I thought it would be interesting to research a new cell phone. I had a particular model in mind: the Samsung SCH-A310 for Verizon. Where to find it.... Well this was almost too easy. The phone happened to be on sale and was displayed in a large advertisement on the home page. I decided to look for another model. One would think there would be a giant neon link inviting you to peruse their cell phones, but it was noxiously hidden under the "Telephones" link followed by the "Phones" link followed by "Verizon." I was almost tired enough to just stop there. Especially since they have a large banner on the right of the page explaining why RadioShack is the best place to solve your wireless needs. But I pressed on and discovered a page full of thumbnail images of phones and model numbers. Clicking on a particular phone revealed a larger, more detailed image and a fair amount of specs. Some were listed as bullets, while others were written out in sentence form. The non-conformity was a bit annoying. Slightly more annoying, while Sprint phones included prices, Verizon phones didn't. Instead they directed me to the store for details.
While these two scenarios weren't what you'd call a completely scientific study of RadioShack's web site, they certainly game me an idea of its capabilities and ease of use. I felt the web site was set up fairly intuitively.
PROS AND CONS
Here are some more unique features that I felt were worthwhile to mention:
Thumbs down to the What's On Sale link. Three items listed just aren't enough to pique my interest.
Two thumbs up to the genius who included the Product Manuals link. Whether you need to re-program your old remote, find the voltage on a power supply for your digital camera, or figure out how to fix the settings on your VCR, just about any manual for any product is available in a downloadable PDF format...FREE. Even a manual for discontinued watch! Even more impressive are the "how-to" help files and tutorials available for topics like taking pics with a digital camera, scanning techniques, and programming radio scanners.
Two thumbs up....your you-know-what for the Gift Finder. This worthless link helps you chose a gift based on four criteria: purpose, age group, price range, and sex (male or female). The sex discriminator returns virtually the same results. Their idea of male and female might as well be uni-sex. The "purpose" and "age group" fields are just about as useless. The only real helpful field is price range...barely.
The Rebate Center was somewhat more redeeming. I know I've lost rebate forms after leaving stores, and lost who-knows-how-many-dollars in rebates at the same time. Print it out and send it in. But it's also a good tool to help decide what to purchase. Rebates download in PDF format in full color. Someone dump the color--I don't need to waste my color ink cartridge on a mail-in rebate.
Thumbs down to the self-aggrandizing Cool Things link. My definition of cool is not the same as yours. With a mundane range of products including speakers, metal detectors, and air purifiers, this list of "cool" things has chilled my eagerness to buy.
A double blessing on the Store Locator link. If all else fails I can find the nearest store, its telephone number, distance, and even detailed directions and colored maps to get there.
CONCLUSION
While RadioShack.com has a number of useful features, it need some serious improvement if they plan on replacing their catalog with a digital maze of information. They need to reorganize the content into a format that is easier to navigate. They need to replace useless links with one-step shortcuts to the most popular items and develop more logical search engines. 3-D rotating flash animations wouldn't be a bad idea for product demonstration, along with more useful technical info on each product.
It's a given that just about everything in life is in an evolving state, and RadioShack.com is no exception. While I look forward to improvements that will make online shopping easier and more enjoyable, I think that this web site is headed in the right direction and has a good start.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Location: USA
Reviews written: 82
Trusted by: 24 members
About Me: Traveler and writer, I've visited 19 countries on four continents.
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