Analysis of the Asos Website Using the OCHN Framework

The Online Consumer Hierarchy of Needs Framework (OCHN Framework) determines a hierarchical level of needs must be met by a website in order to ensure that the consumer experience is not marred (Grech, 2011). It is important that businesses recognise these needs as for many, their websites are their primary route to market. The framework is made up of three needs, Structural Firmness, Functional Convenience and Representational Delight, as demonstrated by the diagram below.

                

Source: Valacich, Parboteeah and Wells (2007)

                                                                                                            

Research conducted by Valacich, Parboteeah and Wells (2007) concludes that a basic level of each of the three needs must be met in order, which is considered a “zone of intolerance”. Beyond the zone of intolerance the level at which the three needs must deliver depends on the type of website. Different websites have different purposes and the relative importance of structural firmness, functional convenience and representational delight will depend on the type of website: Utilitarean, Hedonic or a hybrid of the two. Lopez and Ruiz (2011) explain that utilitarian websites are those that are used to complete a particular task or provide a solution to a problem, for example online banking, therefore more emphasis will be placed on the need for structural firmness allowing the task to be completed as quickly and effectively as possible. Hedonic websites are those which are experiential and often used for the purposes of entertainment, for example games or films websites. With this type of website it is more important to have a higher level of representational delight, with more entertaining and visually pleasing aspects.

As a retail website, ASOS is a hybrid website, requiring equal levels of structural firmness, functional convenience and representational delight beyond the zone of intolerance. Some users will be looking to purchase a specific product as quickly and easily as possible, structure and functional convenience. Others however, may have simply have visited the website to browse clothing and read the daily news section and will therefore have a higher requirement for representational delight.

Structural Firmness was found to be the most fundamental need of a website, meaning the site must be structurally sound, provide adequate security and function effectively and error free. Upon first use of the ASOS website (www.asos.com) it effectively met all of these needs. The site is very easy to use and during roughly an hour’s browsing time on both desktop and mobile browser, no errors were encountered. The site also clearly displays a security image at the bottom of the page in order to assure users of the sites authenticity and safety. These factors ensured that nothing arose to cause detriment to my browsing experience.

Functional Convenience was found to be the next level of need, requiring the website to have ease of access, navigation and basic use. Other features which improve ease of use, such as the option to remember passwords, one click ordering and the provision of a help feature make up functional convenience. The retail experience on ASOS is made very easy by the websites design and layout. Navigation is clear and the products are effectively categorised and when viewing a particular item. A good feature is that when viewing a particular item, similar items are suggested, as well as other items to ‘complete the look’, for example when looking at a t-shirt a hoody and pair of jeans will be suggested. Items can be ‘saved for later’ before being placed into the basket, which allows items to be saved and then compared and prioritised later on before the final purchase decision is made.

The final need, Representational Delight refers to a websites design and layout, with interface consistency, use of graphics and aesthetically appealing design. The layout of the ASOS website is based on a plain background, with tiles advertising products and a daily features section down the right hand side of the page, as shown in the screenshot below.

The layout is effective and the tiles are visually pleasing, however the background to the site and navigation panel along the top feel too bare. The additional content along the right hand side is a good feature and offers consumers more incentive to visit the site in order to read these articles.

Conclusions

The ASOS website has been well thought out and upon first use was generally very easy to use and navigate. Good features are integrated into the shopping experience such as suggested items and the ‘complete the look’ option. Having a daily news section is a clever way of adding something to the consumer experience aside from just shopping, which should draw more people to the website, who are then likely to peruse the latest fashion items once they have finished browsing the daily section. The website effectively meets all three of the online consumer hierarchy of needs and as a hybrid website there is a relatively good balance between these three aspects, however further Representational Delight could be achieved if the background of the website was less plain and more aesthetically appealing, improving the site for those using the website for hedonic purposes. Despite this however, my overall experience of the ASOS website is that it is effective and ensures that the consumer experience is pleasant and unrestricted by website issues.

It must be taken into account that the OCHN framework used to analyse this website is now a little outdated, being almost ten years old. With the speed that technology moves, a more accurate analysis of a website could be undertaken with an updated version of the framework.

Works Cited

ASOS (2014) ‘ASOS Homepage’. ASOS (Online) Available at <http://www.asos.com/?hrd=1> [Accessed 14^th February, 2014]

Grech, D. (2011) ‘The Hierarchy of internet needs’. The Malta Independent (Online) Available at <http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-04-28/news/the-hierarchy-of-internet-needs-291391/> [Accessed 14^th February, 2014]

Lopez, I. & Ruiz, S. (2011) ‘Explaining website effectiveness : The hedonic-utilitarian dual mediation hypothesis’. Electronic  Commerce Research and Applications, Vol. 10, p49-58

Valacich, J.S., Parboteeah, D.V. & Wells, J.D. (2007) ‘The Online Consumer’s Hierarchy of Needs’. Communications of the ACM, Vol. 50, Issue 9, p84-90

Tweet for Tat: Kellogg's and Marc Jacobs Pave the Way in the Use of Social Currency

Kellogg's

A couple of years ago Kellogg's tried a different spin on social media marketing by opening the worlds first 'Tweet Shop' in Soho, Central London. The shop didn't accept any traditional currencies, instead customers had to pay with social currency by tweeting something positive about the brand in exchange for the product.

Image Credit: Shanyon (2012)

 Shanyon (2012) explains how Special K's London pop-up, sought tweets with the Twitter hashtag #TweetShop in exchage for a box of their new Special K Cracker Crisps that were being launched into the UK. Tweets were verified by staff on a large monitor that was on display before the product was handed over, which would have made it difficult for anything negative to be said. Sarah Case, brand manager for Special K stated "The value of positive endorsements on social media sites is beyond compare, so we're excited to be the first company to literally use social currency instead of financial currency to launch this new product in our bespoke Special K shop".

Image Credit: Huysman (2012)

Huysman (2012) explains that in order to receive the product, customers must either tweet their own thoughts about the product or choose from a 'menu' of tweets available, as pictured above, effectively promoting the product themselves. Nielson's Global Trust in Advertising Report finds 92% of people are likely to trust a personal recommendation and 70% are likely to trust on online review so this is a great way of spreading positive sentiment about your brand.

Image Credit: Chaney (2012)

Chaney (2012) states that these results bode well for social commerce. Kellogg's Tweet Shop campaign will have encouraged thousands of individuals to tweet their praise of the product, which will have a positive effect on those in their social circles. According to Hall (2012) the initial response to Kellogg's Tweet Shop initiative was overwhelmingly positive and created a huge amount of social buzz for Kellogg's.

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs took a leaf out of Kellogg's book and set up a store in a similar fasion to Kellogg's for three days this February. Mulshine (2014) explains that Marc Jacobs set up a three day Tweet Shop in New York City's Soho district, effectively mirroring Kellogg's effort across the pond a couple of years previously. Like Kellogg's the store used hashtags for currency, in exchange for miniatures of their Daisy line of perfume.

Image Credit: Kelly (2014)

Marc Jacob's had a slight twist compared to Kellogg's which was more encouragement to share photographs, instead of just tweets, with Kelly (2014) explaining that visitor's were encouraged to share Instagram photos with the hashtag #MJDaisyChain, with the best Instagram photo each day winning a handbag. Customers who visit the Tweet Shop can also receive free manicures, take selfies in the Daisy photo booth and check out the new line of Daisy products.


Considering the amount of capital that is spent on advertising campaigns by large corporations nowadays, the Tweet Shop initiative is a great way to get a huge social buzz about your brand going, enable your message to reach a lot of people through the positive sentiments of individuals, and all at a much lower cost than a full scale advertising campaign. By doing something out of the ordinary in city centres they are more likely to encourage curious passers by to come and have a look at what is going on. Expect to see more Tweet Shops and uses of social currency emerging in the near future.


Works Cited

Chaney, P. (2012) "Word of Mouth Still Most Trusted Resource, Says Neilson; Implications For Social Commerce". Digital Intelligence Today (Online) Available at <http://digitalintelligencetoday.com/word-of-mouth-still-most-trusted-resource-says-nielsen-implications-for-social-commerce/>#

Hall, E. (2012) "In London, Kellogg's Swaps Snacks for Tweets to #tweetshop". Advertising Age (Online) Available at <http://adage.com/article/global-news/london-kellogg-s-swaps-snacks-tweets-tweetshop/237448/>

Huysman, M. (2012) "World's First Tweet Shop Open in London". International Business Times (Online) Available at <http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tweet-shop-london-soho-special-k-social-387814>

Kelly, S.M. (2014) "Marc Jacobs Pop-Up Shop Takes Tweets, Instagrams for Payment" Mashable (Online) Available at <http://mashable.com/2014/02/06/marc-jacobs-tweet-store/>

Mulshine, M. (2014) "Tweet For Tat: Marc Jacobs Store Uses Hashtags As Currency". New York Observer. (Online) Available at <http://observer.com/2014/02/tweet-for-tat-marc-jacobs-store-uses-hashtags-as-currency/>

Nielson (2012) "Global Trust in Advertising and Brand Messages" The Nielson Company (Online) Available at <http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/reports/2012/global-trust-in-advertising-and-brand-messages.html>

Shanyon, S. (2012) "Kellogg's Opens Tweet Shop in London, Charms Twitter". Brand Channel (Online) Available at <http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/Kelloggs-Special-K-Tweet-Shop-092712.aspx>

Can High Street Stores Rise to the Challenge Presented by Online Retailers?

The UK high street is facing a huge challenge against which it must cunningly adapt to survive. Penny (2013) explains that the primary culprit is the internet, which is the gateway to e-commerce. Many large British firms have had to close their doors for the final time, or have had their high street presence severely diminished. Woolworths, Blockbuster, Game, Comet, Jessops and HMV are among those affected, as well as numerous independent retailers.

In an article in the Guardian, Tim Lewis cites figures from the British Independent Retailers Association which shows that town centre chains lost 30 stores a week in the first half of 2013. Many independent shops are holding their ground, however their future is uncertain.

Image Credit: The Sun

Although the UK recession has added to the high streets woes, a major factor in these firms struggle is that they have been slow to adapt their strategies in response to the huge step up in competition stemming from online retailers such as Amazon, who's cut throat prices make it difficult for high street stores to remain competitive. Many businesses regard their high street position as their primary source of income, but it is becoming essential to evolve and encompass online retail into their operations as well as the traditional high street route to market. According to BBC News (2013) December 2012's strong growth in online shopping prevented overall retail sales falling, with 17.7% growth in online non-food shopping.

The only successful high street area was department stores, with Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis all reporting sharp rises in December 2012 sales. Department store's appeal comes from their offering a vast variety of products under one roof, much like many online retailers. They have all also benefited from their strong online offerings, particularly John Lewis with their click and collect service.

This highlights the appeal of ease of shopping to British consumers. From my personal experience I am much more likely to order something because of the convenience of purchasing from wherever I happen to be located and the added benefit of a lower price.

Image Credit: The Guardian

According to Lewis (2013) 10% of all UK retailing sales stem from e-commerce and in the past year UK visits to Amazon have increased by 80%. One in seven UK high street shops now remain empty, so what can be done to counter this problem?

Digitalising the High Street

One possible way could be an initiative that was formed in 2012, My High Street which  is an innovative e-commerce network that aims to bring all the independent retailers across the UK together to showcase their high street goods online in a way that is affordable to them. Unlike traditional e-commerce it aims not only to drive online sales, but also to ensure that independent high street retailers have a presence online while showcasing towns as retail destinations, with the intention of bringing in more footfall. The video below shows how MyHigh.St propose to help the high street stay in business.

               


Another scheme is The Open High Street which, according to O'Connell (2012) keeps things much more local than My High Street, allowing local retailers to offer a click and collect or delivery service for their produce. The scheme was successfully piloted in Hereford in 2012, with a very slick pilot website (pictured below) which looked very user friendly and professional. Another advantage is even if you buy goods from different stores, for example the butchers, bakery and greengrocers, there's only a single checkout and delivery charge. There doesn't appear to have been much movement since this pilot which is a shame as it looked to be an excellent scheme.

Pilot Website for The Open High Street

The high street is an integral part of local economies and livelihoods throughout the UK and it would prove disastrous if the decline that we have experienced in recent years continues. With any luck high street retailers will be able to fight back and continue to grace our high streets with their presence, as opposed to the boarded up shops that we have become far too accustomed to.


Works Cited

BBC News (2013) "Online shopping bolsters Christmas sales". BBC News (Online) Available at <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20932684>

Lewis, T. (2013) "Going online can save high street shops". The Guardian (Online) Available at <http://www.theguardian.com/local-government-network/2013/nov/07/high-street-shops-online-independent-retailers>

Penny, G. (2013) "How Retail Has Changed: Online vs The High Street". Fourth Source (Online) Available at <http://www.fourthsource.com/ecommerce/how-retail-has-changed-online-vs-the-high-street-14859>

MyHigh.St (2014) "Homepage" (Online) Available at <http://myhigh.st/>

O'Connell, J. (2012) "Could virtual high streets save local shops?" The Guardian (Online) Available at <http://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/sep/15/virtual-high-streets-local-shops>

The Open High Street (2014) "Homepage" (Online) Available at <http://openhighstreet.com/>

Three Brilliant Social Media Responses

As discussed in yesterday's post, implementing a social media marketing strategy can be a very time consuming process and it can be difficult to determine what angle you should take with to achieve the desired outcome. With so many companies now engaging in social media, it is important to be extremely creative to make sure your brand stands out from the crowd.

Some brands really manage to capture a particular situation and turn it to their advantage. Highlighted below are three of my favourite examples over the past couple of years.

Oreo's Dark Dunking

One of the best examples of capitalising on a social media opportunity was Oreo's clever response to the power going out during the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens superbowl game last year.Within ten minutes of the lights going out, Oreo's marketeers seized their opportunity by designing and tweeting this brilliant ad:

             

             

                        

According to Ives and Parekh (2013) Oreo's tweet recieved 10,000 retweets within the first hour. Millions is spent on advertising for every Superbowl and Oreo's brilliant tweet, which was arguably one of the most memorable adverts that came out of the event, was completely free. All it required was some quick thinking from Oreo's marketing team to take advantage of the situation. This truly shows the power that social media can have when used in the right way.

Bodyform's Rant Reply

According to Stampler (2012) after receiving a long rant on their Facebook wall that complained about the fact that many maxipad adverts created a false world of a happy period, Bodyform responded with this witty, tongue in cheek response, which is one of the best pieces of corporate produced satire I've come across:

                                         Source: Youtube, BodyformChannel

At the time of writing their video had over 5.5 million views. This is a great example of how a relatively mundane, functional product can be brought forward to the spotlight in a very different angle to the usual advertising methods, which really grabs people's attention.

Smart Car's Cr*p Response

Another great example of a company responding to a complaint in a witty, attention grabbing manner is Smart Car's response to Clayton Hove's tweet. Clayton's tweet had lightly mocked the humble Smart Car, implying that it couldn't withstand the force of a bird defecating on it. According to Sam Gibbs from Gizmodo, someone at Smart did the maths and worked out that it would take roughly 4.5 million pigeons to discharge on a Smart Car to crush it. This was communicated back to Clayton using the below infographic.

Source: Wrenn (2012)

This is a great example of how you can bring humour into your Twitter communications, humanising the process of social media marketing and increasing the likelihood of consumers engaging with your brand and feeling positive towards it.

Conclusion

One point that I want to highlight from this post is how beneficial it can be to your brand to try and humanise your social media communication. Many companies simply schedule vast multitudes of tweets to be sent at regular intervals which is effective to a point, but it is important to supplement this with topical and where possible light hearted and humorous communications. Attempting to do something out of the ordinary, if done well, can have a large impact on the social media spectrum and will be poignant in the memories of many, as are the examples highlighted above.

Works Cited

Gibbs, S. (2012) "Smart Shows You Precisely How to Deal With Twitter Trolls Using Poop". Gizmodo (Online) Available at <http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/06/smart-shows-you-precisely-how-to-deal-with-twitter-trolls-using-bird-poop/>

Ives, N. & Parekh, R. (2013) "Marketers Jump on Super Bowl Blackout With Real-Time Twitter Campaigns" Advertising Age (Online) Available at <http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/marketers-jump-super-bowl-blackout-twitter/239575/>

Stampler, L. (2012) "The 7 Best On-The-Fly Corporate Social Media Comebacks Of The Year". Business Insider (Online) Available at <http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-social-media-responses-of-the-year-2012-12?op=1> 

Wrenn, E. (2012) "Twitter user jokes how 'a bird cr*pped on a Smart Car and totalled it'... so firm proves him wrong with maths (and wins legions of fans for their efforts). Daily Mail (Online) Available at <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2162701/Twitter-user-jokes-bird-cr-pped-Smart-Car-totalled--firm-proves-wrong-maths-wins-legions-fans-efforts.html> 

Four Reasons Why Your Company Should Be Using Social Media

Social Media has become a hugely prevalent part of modern society and for many of us is a firmly cemented part of our daily lives. Even if you're not using Facebook or Twitter yourself the chances are a great deal of your peers are.

From a business perspective, social media has broken down the barriers of communication and allows you to engage with prospects and customers in a way that has never previously been possible.

Here are my top four reasons why it is crucial for a business to embrace social media within their marketing and communication strategy.

1. It’s free

In essence it is free to use many of these social mediums. Morrison (2013) explains that time is the main cost. Truly engaging with social media can be a lengthy process and this is where many businesses encounter difficulties. Social media marketing is a medium to long term strategy and you need to be committed to it for it to effectively work as it will have to be monitored on a daily basis. Twitter for instance is entirely free and possibly the fastest way to build a list of prospects, however you need to keep them engaged and informed which takes valuable time. 

           

2. Connect with Customers

Social Media allows companies to really engage with their customers which helps to build trust and loyalty. Many companies use Twitter as a way of answering customer queries which is not only of great use to the customer, it betters the image of your brand as you are seen as easily approachable. Some great examples of companies that have successfully nailed this approach can be found in The Guardian (Coleman, 2012). Barefoot and Szabo (2010) how markets are now conversations, therefore it it crucial for your company to join in and engage in this conversatins.

3. Marketing

Social Media enables  small and medium-sized business to market products and services to a much larger audience in a targeted and more efficient way. If regular content is posted it ensures that your brand will appear in followers news feeds so that they are regularly exposed to your business.

An industry report of over 3,000 businesses, conducted by Michael Stelzner, finds that businesses who have adopted social media into their marketing plans have experienced the following benefits.

4. Managing your Reputation

Regardless of whether or not your company engages with social media, others will be talking about your brand. It is greatly beneficial to discover what your customers think about your products or services and with this in mind you can react accordingly. This is especially beneficial where a customer is dissatisfied and takes to social media to vent their thoughts. Through social media you can respond, alleviate their concerns and ultimately mitigate the damage that could be caused to your brand. A business that engages with a concerned customer and attempts to reach a compromise or solution to the issue will be favoured over a business that does not engage.

Research by Maritz Research and Evolve 24 shows that only 29% of companies respond to customer complaints on Twitter.

   

However the study found that 83% of the complainants that received a reply either liked or loved the fact that the company responded, irrespective of how, when or why the response came. This shows the importance of social media engagement. The mere fact that the company acknowledged the problem and showed it was listening improved customer sentiment in 83% of cases.

Conclusion

While there are many benefits of incorporating social media into your marketing and communication strategy, it must be noted that there are also possible detriments to this tool. Hensel and Dies (2010) explain that bias of opinions on social media sites could be detrimental to your company. Another issue is that in general people are much more likely to voice their opinions when they are negative, as an outlet to vent their frustrations. This can present an inaccurate picture of a company.

Works Cited

Barefoot, D. & Szabo, J. (2010) "Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook". San Francisco: No Starch Press Inc

Coleman, A. (2012) "How social media can benefit small businesses". The Guardian, 14th August 2012 (Online) Available at <http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2012/aug/14/small-business-benefit-social-media> 

Hensel, K. & Deis, M.H. (2010) "Using Social Media to Increase Advertising and Improve Marketing". Entrepreneurial Executive, Vol. 15. p87-97

Maritz Reserch and Evolve 24 (2011) "Twitter Study". (Online) Available at <http://www.maritzresearch.com/~/media/Files/MaritzResearch/e24/ExecutiveSummaryTwitterPoll.ashx> 

Morrison, J. (2013) "5 Reasons why every business needs to embrace social media". Deep Blue Sky (Online) Available at <http://blog.deepbluesky.com/blog/-/5-reasons-why-every-business-needs-to-embrace-social-media_69/>

Stelzner, M.A. (2011) "Social Media Marketing Report: How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Business". (Online) Available at <https://craigkunce.com/~kuncedes/cdt/cdt_samples/oehninger_barbara_sp2012.pdf>

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