 | Content (0-4): 2 |
 | Pricing (0-2): 2 |
 | Navigation (0-4): 2.5 |
 | Style/Design (0-4): 2.5 |
 | Supplementary information (0-2): 2 |
 | Overall incentive to shop (0-4): 4 |
 | Total (0-20): 15 |
Scoring system explained – click here | |
Website of the week – Iberworld
Iberworld Airlines is a Spanish airline company that is a member of the Orizonia Corporacion group, one of the largest tourism operators in Spain.
The airline offers a series of destinations linking the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands with a significant number of European cities as well as the Iberian Peninsula.
STYLE
Iberworld’s Duty Free Shop or On-board Boutique can be found under the “˜Services onboard’ section on the airline’s main website.
We like the visibility and promotion of the airline’s duty free service on the homepage. Links to the duty free page are featured prominently on the homepage via an animated “˜Shop Duty Free’ banner as well as under a boxed section titled “˜Services Online’.
In addition, banner links to various useful sections of the website are displayed on the left of every page, for added visibility and ease of access. Links to the airline’s duty free page and pre-order service information are once again included among the banner links, making it a feature that is hard to miss.
Iberworld’s website features an upbeat colour theme of orange, teal and dark blue which gives the website a bright, colourful feel that is also pleasant on the eye.
CONTENT AND USABILITY
Iberworld’s Duty Free Shop web page welcomes passengers with an introductory message about its duty free offer, inviting them to browse through the duty free catalogue for a wide variety of products at competitive prices and enticing them with significant savings off usual market prices.
The pre-order service available is also detailed here. Passengers are encouraged to take advantage of the online boutique to pre-order products on the premises of practicality and a wider selection of products than what might be available onboard.
The airline is effective in its promotional and persuasive efforts – from the viewpoint of a customer, we feel keen to browse through the catalogue and make use of the retail services available.
A link to the online duty free shop is featured, with the words “˜Shop online’ and “˜enter’ flashing enticingly.
 |
Iberworld’s website features an upbeat colour theme of orange, teal and dark blue which gives its a bright, colourful feel |
Product offer
There are a total of 13 product categories on offer: Gents’ colognes, Ladies’ perfumes, Unisex perfumes, Cosmetics, Coffrets, Jewellery, Watches/sunglasses, Miscellaneous, Chocolates, Alcohol, Tobacco, Iberworld and Children.
Eight items are neatly fitted on each page without the need for scrolling; visitors can browse through more items by clicking on subsequent pages listed at the top. Each item is accompanied by a thumbnail image, product brand/name, price in Euros and a currency converter tool.
Clicking on each item will lead to an individual product details page featuring the product image in a slightly larger size, product brand/name, price in Euros, currency converter tool and the “˜Add to shopping trolley’ button.
The product display is on the overall organised and consistent. Items are listed in alphabetical order by brand, making it easier to browse and locate items. The use of thumbnail product images on the product listing pages is attractive and adds colour to the pages. However, the product image on the individual product details page is still rather small and cannot be further enlarged for a clearer view.
 |
Banner links displayed on the left of every page provides added visibility and access to the duty free shop |
Perfumes are thoroughly sorted into three separate categories: Gents’, Ladies’ and Unisex. Well-known perfume brands such Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Christian Dior, Bvlgari, Carolina Herrara, Givenchy and Armani are featured across the three categories. A good range and variety is offered, from classic scents to new fragrances as well as celebrity-branded fragrances.
Similarly for cosmetics, well-received beauty brands such as Clarins, Clinique, L՗real, Dior, Lanc̫me, Elizabeth Arden and Yves Saint Laurent are featured. A safe but effective mix of products comprising of bestsellers, travel palettes and value sets dominate the beauty offer.
One item – Les Parfums de Dior Coffret, (€41/US$54.50) – is featured under the Coffrets category.
The Jewellery category offers jewellery pieces from popular brands like Orquidea, Swarovski, Pierre Cardin and Viceroy Fashion Col.
Watches/sunglasses offers both men’s and women’s timepieces as well as two eyewear items, while Miscellaneous features a handheld touch screen databank gadget.
A wide variety of sweets, confectionery and chocolates are available under the Chocolates category, spanning four pages. Items range from Fazer, Toblerone and M&M’s chocolates to Haribo Goldbears gummy sweet and Chupa Chups lollipop backpack gift sets.
A variety of popular liquor products can be found under the Alcohol category such as Absolut Vodka Raspberri (€12/US$16), Baileys Irish Cream (€20/US$26.50), Chivas Regal 12yo (€15/US$20), Jagermeister (€14/US$18.50), Smirnoff Red Label (€5.50/US$7.50) and The Famous Grouse (€13/US$17.50).
13 cigarette brands are offered under Tobacco but the category does not come with any product pictures.
The Iberworld category features destination merchandise, airline souvenir items and gift items while the Children category offers a variety of toys, plushes and games for the younger travellers.
Information
Iberworld’s website is very informative on the whole. Apart from the duty free shopping and pre-order information pages, a comprehensive range of useful passenger information on LAGs, travelling and health, safety, baggage, airline background, onboard services, ground services, passenger rights and more can be found on other sections of the website.
A FAQ section is available but only in Spanish.
 |  |
 |  |
Clockwise from top left: Duty free page with pre-order information and link to the Duty Free Shop; duty free product listing page; pop-up currency converter tool with ten currencies; neat and organised shopping trolley feature | |
Noteworthy features
The online boutique and pre-flight pre-order service, as well as the “˜pre-pack system’ service where passengers can pre-order onboard and collect the items on their return flight, are convenient and value-adding.
We also like the easy-to-use currency converter tool – a button that accompanies every item and when clicked on, displays a pop-up window of the item’s price in ten currencies including Euros.
The shopping trolley feature makes shopping and order submission an organised and smooth procedure.
Passengers can contact the airline via an online contact form and leave feedback via an online complaint form.
NAVIGATION
Navigating the site is generally easy and straightforward, with neat information layout and clear signposting.
The site also has a “˜web map’ which provides a clear overview of all the content, sections and pages found on the website.
However, after adding a product to the shopping trolley, there is no link provided to return to the product page or category that was last viewed. Passengers would either have to return to the product category from the start or click on the “˜Back’ button on the browser to return to the desired page. This can prove to be quite tedious for passengers who want to continue browsing from where they last stopped.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Iberworld’s website is pleasant, practical and informational. The consistent and organised layout as well as the various useful features makes it easy to browse the site and the online boutique. Passengers will find the site very useful with the comprehensive range of information and the duty free pre-order service provided by the airline. The display and navigational aspects of the duty free shop, however, could do with certain improvements. Nonetheless, in terms of customer service, the airline is definitely on the right track.
What we like:
o Organised and consistent layout
o Pre-order service
o Currency converter and shopping trolley
o Comprehensive information provision
o Promotion and visibility of the duty free shop
What needs adding/improving:
o Navigation between product categories and shopping trolley
o More detailed product description
o Enlargeable product images for close-up view
o Information on duty free allowances
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: Qatar Airways – 15/01/09
Website of the week: Bahrain Duty Free – 08/01/09
