 | Content (0-4): 4 |
 | Pricing (0-2): 2 |
 | Navigation (0-4): 2 |
 | Style/Design (0-4): 2 |
 | Supplementary information (0-2): 2 |
 | Overall incentive to shop (0-4): 2 |
 | Total (0-20): 14 |
Scoring system explained – click here | |
Website of the Week – Cathay Pacific
HONG KONG. Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong’s largest airline and flag carrier. Based at Hong Kong International Airport, the airline’s operations include scheduled passenger services to 120 destinations worldwide.
The airline is one of only six worldwide to carry a five-star rating from Skytrax. It was named “Airline of the Year” in 2003 and 2005 by Skytrax and in 2006 by Air Transport World and OAG. It is also a member of the Oneworld global alliance.
This website won the inaugural Travel Retail Website of the Year award run by The Moodie Report in late 2006 – this week we take a glance at the airline’s current online offer.
Style
Cathay Pacific’s duty free shopping website maintains the strict colour scheme adopted by the rest of the airline’s official website. Green, red and white are the signature colours set against a clean white background, carrying the brand image into the online shopping area.
The use of imagery is generally very good; products are well depicted with image enlargements available in most cases. But we think there is room for more animation and interactivity.
Content and usability
The duty free shopping website is located on the left-hand listings menu on the Cathay Pacific home page. Clicking on the “˜Shop/Duty Free’ tab takes you directly to the Cathay Pacific Online Shop welcome page.
This opening page contains a short message welcoming the reader to the online shop; here Cathay Pacific boasts of the “hundreds of attractive products” it carries to “satisfy your shopping desire”.
It is at this point that the airline introduces the two types of online shopping offered by the website: the extensive online pre-order offer and also its Cxcitement Shop – a fully integrated online store that specialises in Cathay Pacific branded items which can be paid for online and delivered to a home address.
Also on the home page are links to a Cxpecials newsletter and to the Fly greener emissions offsetting scheme, both of which were not accessible at the time of writing.
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The website maintains the colour scheme adopted by the rest of the airline’s official website. Green, red and white are the signature colours set against a clean white background. |
A third link with the heading “˜Free Travel Guides’ enables the reader to freely download one of 43 destination guides to various cities. The PDF guides provide extensive details on things to do and see, bars, restaurants, events and other essential travel information – a nice touch from the airline.
The home page also contains a link exclusively for Japanese residents, which gives details of items available for home delivery in that country.
The main pre-order navigation panel features links to the key categories covered within the online shopping guide: Fragrances, Cosmetics, Skincare, Jewellery, Watches and Accessories, Electronics & Toys, CX Collectibles, Confectionery and Wine & Spirits.
The Fragrances section contains both women’s and men’s products, featuring 20 and five skus, respectively. Products are listed in no particular order with each displaying the product name, price in both Hong Kong and US Dollars and a small image thumbnail. There is also a colour-coded chart that identifies when a product is a limited edition or exclusive to travel retail.
When the user clicks on either the product name or the thumbnail image, they are directed to another page displaying a larger product image, a full description, the price and also information detailing the dimensions, weight and volume of the product, where applicable.
Prices of women’s fragrances range from HK$290 (Prestige ET Collection) to HK$790 (Chanel No 5 Parfum). Men’s fragrances range from HK$290 (Acqua di Giò) to HK$390 (Bvlgari Aqva Pour Homme Men).
The Cosmetics section contains 33 items. Listings include a limited-edition set from Dior (Golden Dior Summer Look 2008, HK$400), as well as travel retail exclusives from Lancôme (Trio Color Fever Shine, HK$420), Estée Lauder (World Traveller Lip Case, HK$310) and Dior (Addict High Color Trio, HK$480).
Skincare houses an impressive 45 items from international brands such as Elizabeth Arden, Dior, L’Occitane, Estée Lauder, Shiseido, SKII, Molton Brown, Jurlique, Chanel, LAB, Biotherm, Origins and Shu Uemura. Prices range from HK$180 (Shiseido Global Suncare Stick Foundation) to HK$4030 (La Prairie Cellular Concentrate Pure Gold).
The Jewellery, Watches and Accessories section is an area that could benefit from a more structured approach; this mammoth section contains 10 pages, listing 100 individual products. The sheer number of items on offer and the cramped way in which they are presented (10 per page) might discourage the shopper from browsing. Perhaps it would be better served being split into category-by-category sections.
Despite the presentation issue, the quality of products on offer is consistently high. There are watches from brands such as Police, Aigner, Swatch, Rotary, Folli Follie and Tommy Hilfiger. Prices range from HK$190(Just Sea life Watch) to HK$4480 (Rotary Gents Steel Rectangular Revelation Watch).
Swarovski, Antica Murrina, Links of London, Thomas Sabo, Toscow and Cartier are just some of the brands who have jewellery listings within the section. Prices range from HK$300 (Disney Minnie Necklace) to HK$3,880 (Toscow Gold pearl pendant).
The section also features writing instruments from Chopard, Montblanc and Cartier; leather pocket books from SHT (HK$770); sunglasses from Emporio Armani (HK$1,320); and Bvlgari silk ties (HK$1,200).
The Electronic and Toys section (15 items) contains accessories such as the Lifetrons Slim Foldable Mouse (HK$450), the Powertraveller K2000 Travel Speaker set (HK$610) and Bang & Olufsen EarSet2 earphones (HK$3,300). Despite the title there are no toys to speak of within the section; the Disney MP3 Player from iRiver (HK$500) is the only child-orientated product.
CX Collectibles features a range of Cathay Pacific model airplanes and airline-themed items such as bags and flight attendant uniforms.
Wine & Spirits consists of a range of price points (HK$150-3,900) to suit the shopping needs of a variety of customers. Spirits brands include Glenfiddich (Private Vintage 1975 HK$3,900), Royal Salute (Hundred Cask Collection HK$1,570), Chivas Regal (12yo HK$230), Johnnie Walker (Black Label HK$30), Hennessy (XO HK$750), Rémy Martin (VSOP HK$220) and Mumm (Grand Cru HK$640).
Confectionery brands represented are Toblerone (14pk (HK$150), The Peninsula (Mini Pralines HK$200), Goldkenn (Goldbar HK$150), Fauchon (Chocolate Heart Tin HK$160), Ashmore’s (Strawberry Duo HK$150) and Godiva (Gold Lady Tin HK$230).
An additional Fine Wines in the Air section contains a range of quality red and white wines and a selection of premium Champagne.
Finally, within pre-order is the “˜More’ section, detailing the airline’s “˜Beyond Duty Free collection’. Here Cathay Pacific presents vintage travel accessories from brands such as Rolex, Hermès and Louis Vuitton.
Highlights of “˜Beyond Duty Free’ include the Rolex Explorer II Steve McQueen (HK$195,000) and a Louis Vuitton monogram hand-stitched trunk (HK$101,400).
The “˜More’ section also includes a “˜Best Picks’ selection, where the airline showcases products from across its various categories. The assortment is refreshed quarterly, and items currently highlighted are the Rotary Gents Rose Revelation watch (HK$4480), Disney’s Minnie Mirror (HK$360) and the Fauchon Heart tin (HK$160).
The pre-order site also contains a “˜Buying Tips’ guide, which features information on LAGs restrictions, a guide to duty free allowances and also the ability to download the entire catalogue for offline reading.
There is also information on the Asia Air Miles scheme, which enables regular passengers to redeem their Asia Air Miles against purchases from the pre-order catalogue.
The Cxcitement shop houses a collection of Cathay branded products across a variety of price points. Travellers and non-travellers alike can take advantage of the products on offer, as items can be paid for online and delivered to a home address.
Products within the Cxcitement shop include model airplane collectibles, business gifts, toys, travel accessories, clothing and golfing accessories.
General overview
If the traveller takes the time to delve into the large catalogue of products, the sheer size and quality of the range on offer online from Cathay Pacific becomes apparent.
Visually, the site could be more engaging and there could also be more encouragement for the shopper to tackle the vast product catalogue. Navigation across the site could be made easier, and better segregation of products would certainly help.
Overall, however, the site is one that impresses with the depth of its offering. Its pre-order system is clear and well structured, and the online shop for non-travellers certainly distances Cathay Pacific’s web presence from that of other less well developed examples.
What we like:
• Large product catalogue
• Excellent pre-order system
• Clear product images
• Dual pricing (HK Dollars and US Dollars)
What needs adding/improving:
• Clearer product segregation
• More visual engagement
• More incentives to shop, such as promotions and special offers
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: United Airlines – 05/06/08
Website of the Week: Duty Free Stores Australia – 22/05/08
