Website of the Week Qantas In Sky Shopping www.inskyshopping.com | |
 | Content (0-4): 2 |
 | Pricing (0-2): 2 |
 | Navigation (0-4): 4 |
 | Style/Design (0-4): 3 |
 | Supplementary information (0-2): 2 |
 | Overall incentive to shop (0-4): 3 |
 | Total (0-20): 16 |
Scoring system explained – click here | |
Website of the Week – Qantas In Sky Shopping
Qantas Airways is the national airline of Australia. Based in Sydney, Qantas was founded in the Queensland outback in 1920. Its main hubs are Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport and Melbourne International Airport. Today the airline operates subsidiaries including other airlines, and businesses in specialist markets such as Qantas Holidays and Q Catering.
The In Sky Shopping catalogue (www.inskyshopping.com) is Qantas’s dedicated online duty free shopping portal and it is supported by Alpha Flight Services. The shopping website provides a pre-order function available on Qantas-operated international flights departing from Australia only.
Style
The muted grey background of the home page, with its static product images and black and white text, may initially strike users as dreary but a quick click on the seven product categories shows up a different coloured background for each. The Skincare and Cosmetics section is fittingly coloured a rich plum, while Electronics is turquoise and Toys a dusty pink.
Blending into each coloured background is a single image representative of that category: a pearl necklace under Jewellery, Watches and Accessories and wrapped presents under Gifts, for example.
The site’s unfussy style is underlined by clear and uncluttered product images, as well as a neat-looking product showcase. The use of big rounded fonts for the product category names, coupled with the candy coloured backgrounds, give the site a cheerful feel.
Content and usability
The home page is neatly laid out, and taking centre stage are five products: a Jacob’s Creek St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (A$35), Bvlgari Aqva Pour Homme Marine (A$60), Hugo XY (A$65), L’Occitane Rose Silky Set (A$45) and a TW Steel Ladies Canteen watch (A$650). Prices are boldly indicated in red and the Jacob’s Creek item has a big red sign that says “˜Hot Deal: 2 for A$60)’.
While the prices are clearly stated, the links for the products point to the wrong pages. Clicking on the Bvlgari fragrance brings users to Fragrances for Women page, when the product can only be found in Fragrances for Men. The L’Occitane and Hugo Boss products are linked to Jewellery, Watches and Accessories category while TW Steel watch leads to Electronics.
The Cosmetics and Fragrances category is divided into three further categories: Skincare and cosmetics, Fragrances for Women, and Fragrances for Men. Skincare and cosmetics carries 26 items, neatly presented in rows of three on one single page, so there is no need to click back and forth.
Products are not grouped in any order – alphabetical, by brand or otherwise – and prices listed are in Australian dollars. New products are indicated by the red “˜New on board’ labels. Several products also have recommended retail prices (RRP) stated below the duty free price, such as La Prairie Extrait of Skin Caviar Firming Complex 30ml (A$140, RRP A$180) and the Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Glow Powder (A$55, RRP A$79). Promotions are also indicated (in small red font) above the duty free price: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm 50ml is priced at A$85 for two and Yves Saint Laurent Radiant Touch is retailing at A$95 for two.
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The muted grey background of the home page, with its static product images and black and white text, may initially strike users as dreary but a quick click on the seven product categories shows up a different coloured background for each |
Clicking on the product images opens a separate window displaying a larger image, prices and a short description of the item. The option to order, however, doesn’t appear here but on the original window.
To pre-order, users simply add items to their Shopping Cart and hit the Order Now button. To make any changes, they can opt to Edit Shopping Cart. Users are then directed to My Details, where they enter their contact and flight details and hit Submit.
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The use of big rounded fonts, coupled with the candied colours for each category page, give the site a cheerful feel |
Sixteen products are available under Fragrances for Women, with brand names ranging from classics such as Chanel, Dior and Versace to newer names such as Marc Jacobs and Britney Spears. New products on board include Hermès Kelly Caleche 50ml (A$85), Hugo XX 60ml (A$65, RRP A$89) and Chopard Happy Spirit 50ml (A$60, RRP A$79).
There is a marked disparity in the number of men’s fragrances: six. Only five brands are available: Hugo, Diesel, Bvlgari, Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein. Bvlgari offers an exclusive travel collection of 3x10ml miniatures (A$60). Prices range from A$60 (Calvin Klein Man EDT 50ml) to A$70 (Diesel Fuel for Life He EDP Spray 50ml).
The Jewellery section contains 18 items, from established brands such as Swarovski, Misaki, Hot Diamonds, Toscow and Pierre Cardin. Besides the usual earrings, pendants and necklaces, the selection also comprises Swarovski crystal-set earphones and USB memory sticks (Space Earphones, A$145, and Heart Beat USB Memory Key Pendant, A$260, by Philips/Swarovski). Other interesting Australia-themed items include a koala brooch set in Swarovski crystals (A$50) and Toscow Australian Triplet Opal Pendants (A$30) in koala, boomerang and kangaroo shapes.
The Watches category lists 14 products for both women and men. Women can choose from models such as the Skagen Ladies Rose Gold Plated Watch (A$150, RRP A$185) and the Seksy Ladies Fashion Watch (A$110) which comes with a free heart pendant. Oxygen also offers a range of Jet Set watches with interchangeable straps (A$170). Men can choose among a variety of styles, from rugged (Kenneth Cole Sports Watch, A$115), classic (Raymond Weil Gent’s Traditional, A$700) to multi-functional (Oxygen Men’s Globe Trotter 2 Watch, A$200).
Accessories comprises four items: a Seafolly 100% Silk Sarong (A$85), a B+D Inreader (A$40), a Fossil Chicago Traveller wallet (A$40) and a Fossil Ladies Signature Wallet (A$50).
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The site’s unfussy style is underlined by clear product images, as well as a neat-looking product showcase |
Under Electronics are six products, including a walkie-talkie set (Zero Inc, A$75), foldable travel speakers (Powertraveller, A$45) and an electric shaver (Braun Pocket Go 575, A$40).
Qantas passengers can make significant savings in the Liquor section, which carries seven products. Brands include Jacob’s Creek, Baileys, Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal, Bombay Sapphire and Jim Beam. A 700ml bottle of Jim Beam costs A$20 on board, over +55% cheaper than its RRP of A$44.99. There are also several promotions, whereby passengers can buy Johnnie Walker Black Label 700ml at A$55 for 2 (usual price A$30 each) for example.
Five items are found under Travel Goods, where passengers can find useful items such as a Victorinox Travel Organiser (A$60) and a Travel Pac Universal Travel Adapter (A$35). Also new is the Longchamp Le Pliage Folding Travel Bag (A$145), suitable for both men and women.
Children can find several Qantas-themed playthings in the Toys section, such as the Qantas Rikki Koala stuffed toy (A$25) and the Qantas Fun Plane Airport Set (A$25). There are also watches for both boys and girls from Lego – a pink Clikits Hearts Watch and an orange and black Star Wars Darth Vader Watch (A$35 each). For those aged six and up, there is also Dr Itami’s Deluxe Brain Games by Gamze (A$35).
Other than the product showcase, the In Sky Shopping website also provides plenty of information for users, including dedicated pages on how to shop on the site, a detailed list of terms and conditions, and the criteria for returns and exchange of items. A “˜Things to Know’ page informs passengers of their eligibility to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points and their duty free allowances.
Most useful of all is a comprehensive product index listing all the products in the shopping catalogue by price. Clicking on any of the item names opens up a separate window showing the product image, name, price and description. However, there is no option to pre-order from there; users would need to search for them under the respective categories. In addition, not all the products in the index are found on the website so users would have to order unavailable items onboard.
Overall, the Qantas In Sky Shopping website delivers a pleasant and uncomplicated shopping experience. Its unfussy style and straightforward navigation makes browsing hassle-free, while its candy colours and simple layout are easy on the eye. However, the inaccurate links on the home page serve to confuse. The site would also do well to allow users to “˜add to shopping cart’ in the separate pop-up product windows. A search facility would also help users to find products more easily.
What we like:
– Ability to pre-order
– User-friendly navigation
– Incentives to shop such as special offers
– Comprehensive product information
What needs adding/improving:
– A Sense of Place (especially since it is Australia’s national airline)
– Dual pricing or currency converter
– Improved links
– Search facility
Website of the week scoring system explained:
Content: How wide is the range of items on offer? Are there good quality photos and product descriptions?
Pricing: Are product prices listed? For all products?
Navigation: How easy is the site to use?
Style/Design: How does the site look?
Supplementary information: On allowances, currencies, after-sales service, useful tips and so on.
Overall incentive to shop: This includes tone, promotions, offers, competitions and, importantly, pre-order.
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