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Hellenic Duty Free Shops’ homepage visually represents the term “mixing business with pleasure”. The top half of colourful, touristy fun meets the bottom half of formal, shareholder information in the middle where it is separated neatly by a thick, blue line. |
Website of the week: Hellenic Duty Free Shops
Hellenic Duty Free Shops is the dominant duty free retailer in Greece. It holds exclusive duty free rights at Greek airports until 2048 and operates 80 stores nationwide – at airports, borders and ports.
Style
Hellenic Duty Free Shops’ homepage visually represents the term “mixing business with pleasure”. The top half of colourful, touristy fun meets the bottom half of formal, shareholder information in the middle where it is separated neatly by a thick, blue line. This blend of shareholder-orientated information and shopper-friendly intelligence represents a difficult task we think – and it does not always come off.
A cheerful photograph of a traveller surrounded by shopping bags is placed squarely above a chart which would look more at home in the Wall Street Journal. This incongruity of style is matched by similarly contrasting content.
Content and usability
On entering the Hellenic Duty Free Shops site it is immediately apparent that the website is not intended exclusively for holidaymakers and tourists, as indicated by the solemn welcome note acknowledging that its readership includes “customers and shareholders”. News highlights and Investor Relations sections (fully equipped with a share price line graph) sit on either side.
The main menu runs across the top of the page declaring the options: The Company, Store Network, Product – Special offers, Investor Relations, Press Room, Useful Information and Email Alerts.
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To celebrate the launch of our new Travel Retail Web-Wide Index, each week we put the spotlight on one of the growing array of dedicated travel retail websites or web sections. Click here or on the image to read the index. |
Clicking on the welcome note takes you to The Company page which contains the remainder of the note politely informing you that the company values its customers and their feedback. Apart from this reference to its customers, this page is not designed for customers, much like the rest of the options on the main menu, except for Product – Special offers. Product – Special offers is the only exception and splits into the two stated options.
Product presents a selection of 17 product categories: Perfumes, Tobacco, Liquor, Pre-packed food, Confectionery, Fashion, Accessories for Men, Lighters, Sunglasses, Travel accessories, Electronics, Jewellery Faux-Bijoux, Crystal, Toys-Gifts, Watches, Pens and Bags for Men and Women.
Each category disappointingly includes only a list of the brand names carried, without any further information. This is a shame, especially for categories such as Pre-packed food , which offers a range of traditional Greek treats such as honey, olive oil, cheeses, delicatessen and so forth.
Special offers features six downloadable pdf versions of fortnightly special offer/promotions guides. Dated from February of this year to the end of this month, this page may need updating. The PDFs contain large, attractive advertisements for items offering discounts. Locations are stated though prices are not.
Navigating around this site is relatively easy although there is technically no Home button. And it’s initially very slow to load. The Travel Value and Duty Free icons at the top left-hand side of each page act as substitutes.
Our verdict
Hellenic Duty Free Shops’ message is loud and clear – “Travelling… an occasion for shopping” – and its intentions are good. However, the company’s online execution needs attention, particularly to its product showcase, to encourage shoppers to explore its website. Investors – and there will be plenty in this fine and progressive retailer – will find all they need.
Visit Hellenic Duty Free Shops.
COMING SOON: The Moodie Report Travel Retail Worldwide Web Awards.
Sponsored by P&G Prestige Products
Which websites offer the best service to consumers? Which are most user-friendly? Which are the most stylish? And which, crucially, offer the greatest incentive to shop?
Every year we will judge, through a combination of industry polling, consumer opinion and specialist judges, who is doing most to wow travellers on the web. International and regional awards.
The main award – Travel Retail Website of the Year – will be unveiled at this year’s ‘Oscars’ of the industry: the Frontier Awards in Cannes. More details coming soon.
MORE WEBSITES OF THE WEEK
Website of the week: Zürich Airport – 12/04/06
Website of the week: Gulf Air Duty Free – 5/04/06
