 | Content (0-4): 3 |
 | 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): 17 |
Scoring system explained – click here | |
Website of the week – Air Canada Duty Free Boutique
Air Canada is Canada’s national flag carrier and the largest full-service airline and provider of scheduled passenger services in the Canadian market, the Canada-US transborder market and in the international market to and from Canada. The airline provides direct passenger service to over 170 destinations on five continents, together with its regional airline partner, Jazz.
Previously we reviewed the online duty free catalogue that was available on the airline’s website. The catalogue gave passengers a pre-flight preview of the duty free selection but did not offer a pre-order service. The airline has since launched a dedicated duty free website – Air Canada Duty Free Boutique – which allows passengers to browse through an extensive catalogue, pre-order duty free merchandise and receive them directly in their seats, onboard an Air Canada-operated flight to eligible international destinations.
This week we review the pre-order website – a much welcomed value-adding service.
STYLE
Air Canada’s duty free pre-order website shares the same colour theme and a similar design as the airline’s main website – shades of blue against a white backdrop with the striking red Air Canada maple leaf logo.
The website has a professional looking design and colour theme and a neat, straightforward layout.
The home page features an eye-catching advertisement banner that alternates between three advertisements. The product categories menu panel is found on the left and “˜New Arrivals’ are featured below the advertisement banner.
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The website has a professional looking design and colour theme and a neat, straightforward layout |
CONTENT AND USABILITY
One thing that impressed us is how the airline makes the website welcoming and user-friendly by providing helpful explanatory messages at various points on the site to guide the visitor along.
The phrase “products delivered directly to your seat onboard!” featured on the header section of the website reminds travellers of the convenience to be enjoyed and entices them to make use of the pre-order service.
A message below says: “Travelling to one of these international destinations anytime after November 24? You are eligible to pre-order your duty-free merchandise now!”
This is a simple yet thoughtful gesture by the airline which makes it very easy for the passenger to determine whether they are eligible to pre-order. The location of the message – at the top of the page – also serves as a reminder to passengers to check their eligibility before they proceed to place their orders.
Pre-ordering online must be done 96 hours before the scheduled departing time and the date stated on the message is updated daily according to the time the passenger visits the website. Clicking on the “˜international destinations’ link in the message will conveniently display a list of the eligible destinations.
There are a total of nine product categories namely Women’s Fragrances, Men’s & Women’s Fragrances, Men’s Fragrances, Cosmetics, Jewellery, Watches, Accessories, Canadian Collection and Liquor & Tobacco.
Eight products are displayed per page, in a neat grid of two products per row. Once again, a guiding message at the top of the page tells visitors to “˜Click on the images below for more information about the product.’
The brand name, product name, price in Canadian dollars and product image are displayed in a neat, consistent format in the two by four grid. Clicking on each product will lead to the individual product details page with product description and the option to add item to shopping cart. The product image on the product details page can be clicked on to display a pop-up window of an enlarged, close-up view of the product. New items and duty free exclusives are labelled accordingly.
We were impressed with the enlarged view – of good quality and generously-sized – which allows customers to examine product details up-close.
Once again, to make browsing much easier for customers, the total number of items under each category is stated to provide an overview for customers. Customers are also given the option to browse the items page by page or view all items on one page.
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Products are displayed in a neat grid; The shopping cart icon is located at the top right |
Perfumes are rigorously categorised into the three categories of Women’s Fragrances, Men’s & Women’s Fragrances and Men’s Fragrances. Customers can expect a total of 30 skus across the three categories from big brands such as Lancôme, Chanel, Givenchy, Christian Dior, Burberry, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and Ralph Lauren.
Female passengers have a good range of 20 beauty and cosmetic products to choose from under the Cosmetics category, such as skincare from L’Occitane and La Prairie and cosmetics from L’Oréal and Yves Saint Laurent. A variety of travel retail exclusives and value packs are offered as well.
16 items ranging from necklaces to earrings and bracelets are offered under Jewellery. Brands featured include Misaki, Pierre Cardin, Swarovski, Carlo Gioielliere and Thomas Sabo.
A total of ten men’s and ladies’ timepieces can be found under Watches. Price points range from CAD$55 (US$43.80) for a Roots Evidence athletic watch to CAD$199 (US$158.40) for a Hugo Boss Men’s stainless steel watch. Under the Watches category, a boxed section with general information on “˜Water Resistant Depth’ for watches is provided for the customer’s reference, which is a nice touch.
The Accessories category features a wide range of 18 items such as key chains, luggage tags, electronic handheld games, sunglasses, global adaptor plug and even “˜All Natural Liquid Oxygen Drops’ to revitalize travellers with jetlag or fatigue. Chocolates from Godiva and Toblerone, although a little out of place, are also found under Accessories.
We like the Canadian Collection category which offers products with a local flavour and gifts and collectibles unique to Air Canada. Aircraft models and toysets, a Canadian Moose plush, Maple Cream Chocolates, Canadian maple syrup and Icewine chocolate truffles are a sample of the items available.
Liquor & Tobacco offers five types of cigarettes and 11 types of liquor. Cigarettes from Marlboro, Du Maurier and Player’s are offered. Liquor from popular brands such as Bombay Sapphire, Absolut Vodka, Jack Daniel’s, Baileys, Inniskillin and Johnnie Walker are available.
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A complete product profile: Brand, price, description and close-up image view |
Noteworthy features
Shopping cart: The website comes with a nifty shopping cart feature that can be accessed via the shopping cart icon at the top right of the website. The number of items in the cart will be displayed beside the icon as well.
Items are summarised in a neat table on the shopping cart page. Here, customers can update the shopping cart by changing the item quantity or removing the item before proceeding to check out.
Helpful reminders on the minimum spending amount and maximum spending limit is displayed alongside the item summary.
Increasing spending limit: Travellers get to enjoy an increased spending limit of CAD$1000 (US$796.19), which is twice the amount allowed onboard, when they shop online. Travellers are also guaranteed to get the items they want when they shop online as item availability onboard are sometimes subject to space constraints.
Search tool: The site also has a time-saving search tool which can locate items by brand name or keyword.
Information
We are also impressed with the site’s comprehensive provision of information.
Besides a FAQ section on the pre-order website which answers common queries, the duty free section of the airline’s main website features a general duty free page introducing the airline’s duty free offer (both online catalogue and pre-order website), purchasing and payment options and security reminders relating to LAGs.
An information page for the airline’s pre-order service can also be found on the main website, covering important information on pre-order benefits, procedures, conditions and payment details.
Information on the airline’s duty free operator – DFASS Canada – is also provided, along with full customer service contact details for queries or returns/refunds. We like the friendly tone adopted: “Air Canada Duty Free Customer Service is ready to assist you.”
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The shopping cart: a convenient shopper’s tool |
NAVIGATION
Navigating the website was straightforward and easy. Visitors can return to the homepage at anytime by clicking on the “˜Home’ link at the top of the page or the header section with the Air Canada logo.
Useful features like the product categories menu panel, search tool and shopping cart are fixed in place and conveniently accessible at all times.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Air Canada’s Duty Free Boutique is a professional and all-rounded pre-order website that scores well in all aspects, from design and layout to usability and product offer. The site offers a respectable product range and a comprehensive information system. The neat, consistent layout, good image provision and robust navigation system makes browsing a pleasant experience, while the user-friendly touches – helpful messages, explanatory notes, reminders and search tool – demonstrate the website’s dedication to customer service.
What we like:
o Pre-order service
o Professional design and neat, consistent layout
o User-friendly features
o Comprehensive information provision
o Close-up product images
What needs adding/improving:
o Currency converter
o Inappropriate category allocation for certain items
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.
PREVIOUS WEBSITES OF THE WEEK
Website of the week: Czech Airlines Sky Shop – 13/11/08
Website of the week: Ukraine International Airlines – 06/11/08
Website of the Week: US Airways Duty Free – 02/10/08
Website of the Week: Thai Airways Inflight Duty Free – 25/09/08
