Website of the Week Swiss Duty Free www.swiss.com | |
 | Content (0-4): 3 |
 | Pricing (0-2): 2 |
 | Navigation (0-4): 2 |
 | Style/Design (0-4): 3 |
 | Supplementary information (0-2): 1.5 |
 | Overall incentive to shop (0-4): 2 |
 | Total (0-20): 13 |
Scoring system explained – click here | |
Website of the Week: Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines, known as Swiss, is Switzerland’s flag carrier, operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Swiss joined the Star Alliance in 2006, when it also became a member of Lufthansa’s Miles & More frequent flyer programme.
Style
Bold and bare, the airline’s duty free site keeps things simple with few visuals and a strong emphasis on being Swiss. The flag stands out vividly against a stark white background to match the Swiss-led contents of the site. Images used in the product catalogue are striking.
Content and usability
“True Swissness; Surprising Trends; Astonishing Prices”. So says the airline of its duty free selection. But does its website reflect the three core values? The site’s homepage greets you with a wordy introduction, where the most significant part is tucked away among the words: “all of the products are priced 10% – 45% lower than in local shops. We have the only REAL duty free prices. Cigarettes, for example, cost just CHF35, almost half of the normal Swiss market price of CHF60. Our prices are even lower than the duty free prices at the airport.”
With such an opening gambit you would expect to find the duty free product showcase nearby waiting to entice pre-order sales. Instead, users will find the duty free catalogue available in PDF format for browsing. The seasonally-updated catalogue – at the time of reviewing the Autumn 2007 issue – includes five main categories: Timeless watches & clocks, Striking accessories & jewellery, Tempting perfumes & cosmetics, Trendy electronics & toys and Flavourful sweets, spirits & tobacco.
Products are elegantly displayed in brochure format including price in Swiss francs (CHF) with a comparative Swiss duty free price versus domestic market price, plus a detailed description and the number of Air Miles redeemable. Not all items are accompanied by a matching visual but the available images are large and vivid. The main drawback of the PDF format is that it is more suited to browsing than searching; searching for a specific product is difficult as it involves scrolling the length of PDF document.
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Bold and bare, the airline’s duty free site keeps things simple with few visuals and a strong emphasis on being Swiss |
Timeless watches & clocks includes local brands such as iconic Swiss watch brand Swatch Irony Chrono (CHF148) as well as designer labels like (Swiss-made) Calvin Klein Element (CHF315).
Striking accessories & jewellery features items such as Caran d’Ache ‘Le Temps d’Ecrire’ Set (CHF439), Thomas Sabo sterling silver ring (CHF154) and Adidas Supernova sunglasses (CHF224).
Tempting perfumes & cosmetics offer items from top brands like Dior Travel Studio Make-up palette (CHF65) and Armani Code (CHF86).
Trendy electronics & toys range from Bang & Olufsen Beosound2 MP3 (CHF690) to Flik Flak ‘adventure boy’ tool set (CHF49).
Flavourful sweets, spirits & tobacco include products such as Lindt Pralines Ballotin (CHF26), Xellent Swiss Vodka (CHF39) and Camel Filters (CHF35).
The homepage also describes how passengers may redeem Air Miles through purchase onboard. Importantly, New Security Regulations is a helpful feature and includes a detailed ‘Notes on liquids in hand baggage’.
The site can be read in 13 languages including English, Spanish, French, Swedish and Polish.
What we like:
Price comparison – Swiss versus domestic market price
Sense of Place through emphasis on local products
Multiple languages
Strong catalogue visuals and product description
Incentive to shop – redeemable Air Miles
Security regulations section
What needs improving/adding:
Interactive product showcase
Pre-order facility
A less wordy homepage
More incentive to shop such as promotions and competitions.
PREVIOUS WEBSITES OF THE WEEK
Website of the Week: SAS Web Shop – 05/09/07
Website of the Week: Duty Free Paradise – 23/08/07
