 | Content (0-4): 3 |
 | Pricing (0-2): 2 |
 | Navigation (0-4): 3 |
 | Style/Design (0-4): 3 |
 | Supplementary information (0-2): 1 |
 | Overall incentive to shop (0-4): 3 |
 | Total (0-20): 15 |
Scoring system explained – click here | |
Website of the week – Czech Airlines Sky Shop
Czech Airlines (CSA), the flagship airline of the Czech Republic and one of the oldest airlines in Europe, has been providing passenger services since 1923. The airline’s main business is scheduled passenger flights, with connections to 104 destinations in 44 countries.
The airline also provides a range of other services such as charter flights, goods and cargo carriage as well as duty free sales on board its flights and at Prague Airport.
STYLE
Czech Airlines has a separate page dedicated to its Sky Shop online duty free offer, which is linked from the airline’s main website.
The design of the Sky Shop page is consistent with that of the main site, featuring a modern and professional looking colour theme of red and grey, nicely contrasted against a white background.
Sky Shop’s main page features a grey header bar with the Czech Airlines logo and a navigation panel in striking red below it.
On the left column of the main page, links to the product categories and contact information for the airline’s duty free department is featured. New products are displayed in the middle column and “˜Sales conditions’ and useful information are found on the right.
Information is laid out neatly and clearly with boxed up sections.
CONTENT
Czech Airline’s Sky Shop catalogue consists of ten product categories, namely Czech Airlines Branded Assortment, Watches, Spirits, Confectionery, Kids Collection, Cosmetics, Gentlemen’s Perfumes, Ladies’ Perfumes, Electronics and Gadgets and Jewellery.
The number of products that are displayed on one page can be customised to the visitor’s preference – by adjusting the number at the bottom of the page. The default number of items displayed per page is six but it can be set to any number desired.
We like that the total number of items in that particular category is stated at the bottom of the page as well, giving the visitor an idea of the range of items available without having to scroll through every page.
Each product is accompanied by the item name, thumbnail image, two prices (“˜In EU’ and “˜Out of EU’), a product information link and a “˜Add to basket’ link. New products are labelled accordingly.
Clicking on the product information link will lead to the product details page with a bigger-sized product image, prices and item description. Customers have the option to “˜Add to basket’ from the product information page as well.
The website’s product layout and usage of images is neat and consistent. However, items within each category are not organised in any particular order (by brand or by price) and the enlarged product image on the product information page – although clearer than the thumbnail – is still rather small.
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A modern and professional looking colour theme of red and grey, nicely contrasted against a white background |
“˜Czech Airlines Branded Assortment’ features a good variety of airline related souvenirs and toys for both adults and children such as a Czech Airlines Airbus A320-200 aircraft model, Czech Airlines playing cards and a Snoring Teddy Bear with Czech Airlines Logo.
The “˜Watches’ category offers men’s and ladies’ fashion, dress and smart casual watches. A total of 15 models from brands like Skagen, Police, Lacoste, Esprit and Calvin Klein are offered.
Ten liquor products are available under “˜Spirits’ with prices ranging from US$9.03 for a 0.5 litre bottle of Gordon´s London Dry Gin to US$44.49 for a 0.5 litre bottle of Remy Martin V.S.O.P. , based on “˜Out of EU’ prices.
Four types of chocolates in giftable packaging from popular brands – Neuhaus, Toblerone, Godiva and Lindt – are offered under “˜Confectionery’.
The airline also caters to younger travellers with a “˜Kids Collection’ featuring Kaloo children’s fragrances and children’s charm bracelets as well as a set of taxi toy cars and a plane flight simulator toy that fits in with the theme of travel.
“˜Cosmetics’ offers a good variety of skincare and makeup travel sets, value packs and palettes that are popular in travel retail. Products from well-known brands such as Guerlain, L’Oréal, Lancôme, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent are featured.
Fragrances are sorted into two categories: “˜Gentlemen’s Perfumes’ and “˜Ladies’ Perfumes’. 13 items, from brands like Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Bvlgari, Kenzo, Davidoff and Quiksilver, are offered under the men’s category. The women’s category is almost twice as big, with a total of 24 items featuring brands like Chloé, Escada , Dior, Burberry and Lancôme. Miniature collections and coffrets are also available for both sexes.
A good variety of items are offered under “˜Electronics and Gadgets’ with a total of 14 products including book lights, universal chargers, cameras, earphones, travel adaptors, memory cards and even binoculars.
Travellers are spoilt for choice with the “˜Jewellery’ category which carries a total of 19 items. Products of varied colours, materials and designs from brands such as Swarovski, Toscow, Thomas Sabo and Equss are available.
Noteworthy features
Conveniently displayed on the left throughout the product pages are the currency selection feature and the shopping basket.
The currency selection feature allows customers to select from 12 currencies; prices stated on the product pages will be updated according to the currency selected. This feature can be applied anytime during browsing and saves customers the hassle of converting product prices one by one.
The shopping basket, a useful summary for customers, is a specific and accurate tool as customers must register with their flight details and personal particulars before they can add any items to basket. Similarly, at the top of every product page, customers can narrow down the display of items by “˜goods availability based on flight number’ by entering their flight details. These features ensure that customers are browsing and adding to cart items that are specifically available for their journey.
New products are displayed on the site’s mainpage to attract customers’ interest and help promote the products.
In “˜Bonuses’ section, the airline’s encourages frequent flyer club members to make payments with either Diners Club/CSA or VISA/CSA credit cards or spend at the airline’s duty free shops at Prague and Karlovy Vary airports to earn miles.
The site can be viewed in two languages – Czech or English.
Information
The “˜Sales conditions’ section of the site features useful information on inflight duty free sales conditions and credit card and payment details.
Although important information on duty free allowances and customs restrictions are not displayed on the Sky Shop webpage, the information can be found on the airline’s main website under “˜Information for Passengers’.
Contact details for the airline’s duty free department are clearly provided under the “˜Contacts’ section as well as in a boxed section at the bottom left of Sky Shop’s main page.
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Neat and consistent product display with conveniently placed currency selection tool and shopping basket |
NAVIGATION
Czech Airline’s Sky Shop webpage is well-designed with a neat layout, making it easy to browse and navigate.
The site has a good navigation system with convenient access to different sections, information and important links.
The navigation panel at the top and a link to the airline’s main website is rooted in place throughout. For product pages, the category menu is always displayed on the left. Information on sales conditions and payment can be accessed via the navigation panel or from the links provided on the right of the main page.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Czech Airlines’ Sky Shop duty free website offers an impressive product selection that will satisfy a variety of tastes and demands. The pre-order facility is a strong feature of the website, offering travellers a convenient and time-saving service. The neat layout, user-friendly features and easy navigation system add the final touches to the website, which could be further improved with a few minor adjustments. On the whole, the website is well-designed and offers travellers a well-rounded duty free service.
What we like:
o Neat and professional layout and design
o Pre-order facility
o Wide range and variety of products with consistent presentation
o Currency converter
What needs adding/improving:
o Bigger product images on product details page
o Further organising products by brand or price
o Displaying duty free allowances information on duty free webpage
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: 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
Website of the Week: Cyprus Airways’ Shop in the Air – 18/09/08
