 | Content (0-4): 3 |
 | Pricing (0-2): 2 |
 | Navigation (0-4): 2 |
 | Style/Design (0-4): 3 |
 | 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 – Thai Airways Inflight Duty Free Shopping
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited is the national carrier of the Kingdom of Thailand. Based in Bangkok, it operates domestic and international flights to key destinations around the world.
“The First Choice Carrier with Touches of Thai” is the airline’s vision statement. Let us take a look at the inflight duty free service offered by the airline (and concessionaire King Power International of Thailand) which has risen from a regional airline to a world-recognised company with a unique and charming Thai culture and tradition.
STYLE
Thai Airways’ Inflight Duty Free Shopping is not a standalone shopping portal – a part of the main Thai Airways website, it shares the same design and theme and can be found under the Inflight Services section.
All duty free shopping-related content and links are found within the same page. The navigational links and panels framing the web page apply to the main site and lead to other non-duty free sections.
The website is framed by shades of rich plums and purples, channelling a royal feel befitting of the Thai heritage. The layout and design is neat and modern, however, with sections, information and text clearly segregated and displayed on a white background.
The duty free section is straightforward with no frills, simply consisting of three segments: an introductory message from Thai Airways, links to the product categories and the duty free shopping terms and conditions.
CONTENT
In the friendly introductory message the airline offers travellers its comprehensive duty free catalogue with “a wide variety of top quality products, gifts and souvenirs”. Ways to shop duty free are introduced: either onboard via the inflight catalogue, or via the product catalogue provided online.
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The duty free section is straightforward with no-frills, simply consisting three segments: an introductory message from Thai Airways, links to the product categories and the terms and conditions of duty free shopping |
Pre-order service is not offered, but travellers can browse through the online catalogue, print and fill out the order coupon provided and present it to the cabin crew on their next flight. The online catalogue is useful for passengers who want to have a preview of the products available. It also allows travellers to plan their purchases pre-flight, freeing up more time for resting and relaxing on board.
Next on the page is the product catalogue for August to November 2008. There is a total of nine categories: Fragrances, Cosmetics & Skincare, Jewellery, Watches & Accessories, Gadgets & Sunglasses, Confectionery, Gifts for Children, Memories of Thailand, and Spirits.
The online product catalogue is actually the inflight duty free catalogue presented in PDF format. Clicking on a product category will link to a PDF file of the catalogue pages for that particular category.
The product catalogue scans are of good quality, able to be comfortably enlarged by +200% without becoming overly pixellated. This provides a good close-up view of the product catalogue. As an online copy of the inflight catalogue, image quality, design and layout is consistent. There is a generous use of space with good visuals and choice of colours and background. The catalogue is attractive and pleasing to the eye.
Every product is accompanied by a good-sized image, a product description in four languages (English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean) and the price in US Dollars. Items are well labelled with both brand and product names as well as tags such as “˜New’ and “˜Travel Retail Exclusive’ where applicable.
As promised by the airline, a good variety of products from well-known and popular brands is offered. Passengers can also look forward to a good number of travel retail exclusives.
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The product catalogue is attractive; generous use of space with good visuals and choice of colours and background | |
Fragrances covers both men’s and women’s scents, offering new items like Estée Lauder Pure White Linen Light Breeze Eau de Parfum Spray 50 ml (US$64), classics like Chanel No.5 (US$62) and travel retail exclusive coffrets such as the Bvlgari Men miniature collection (US$42).
The Cosmetics & Skincare pages are filled with travel retail exclusive make-up palettes and sets from just about every big beauty brand – Estée Lauder, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Lancôme and Dior. Skincare items also include brands such as Biotherm, Shiseido and Origins. The colourful 30-page beauty section is enough to impress any beauty products lover with its exclusive and value-for-money offering.
The Jewellery section features 12 pages of glittering images of products from well-known brands such as Thomas Sabo, Swarovski, Folli Follie, Toscow, Antica Murrina and Misaki. Promotions such as an inflight exclusive Misaki sterling silver and pearl necklace (US$144) entitles the passenger to a free pair of Misaki pearl earrings and a €10 voucher to purchase a matching item from the Misaki website.
Eleven watch models for men and women are offered under Watches & Accessories. Pens, wallets and belts from Montblanc, Lamy and Kipling are available as well. A two-page section for Gadgets & Sunglasses offers a travel adaptor, portable charger and travel-friendly electronic shaver as well as sunglasses for fashion and golf.
Three items are available under Confectionery, including travel retail exclusive boxed chocolates and gift-packs from Godiva and Toblerone.
Gifts for Children will please young travellers (and their parents) with its unique inflight exclusives such as a Thai silk elephant plush in the airline’s trademark purple, Thai Airways aircraft models, a Barbie watch and pencil set for girls and an explorer watch set with compass and torch for boys.
The Memories of Thailand category features products with a local flavour, exclusive to Thai Airways.
The Spirits category offers six liquor products from Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, Rémy Martin and Ballantine’s.
The last segment of the duty free section, Terms & Conditions, provides useful information which travellers would need to know to shop duty free with the airline. Each link leads to the information page in PDF format. All information is presented in four languages, as mentioned earlier.
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Customers can download the inflight duty free order coupon |
“˜Duty free allowances’ features a comprehensive table covering the duty free limits for 41 countries.
“˜Easy way to buy, Important notice and Refund policy’ covers shopping, payment and refund procedures.
Travellers can download and print the order coupon for duty free items from “˜Order coupon for inflight duty free’.
“˜What’s New & Important Symbols for Special Product on Selected Routes’ features new items in the catalogue and explanation of the unavailability of certain labelled items on some flights and routes.
Certain links on the main site are applicable and useful to travellers as well, specifically “˜Feedback’ and “˜Contact Us’. Travellers can make use of the online feedback form to submit enquiries or comments. They are also encouraged by the airline to leave their contact details, in the event the airline needs to contact them for more information. The “˜Contact Us’ page allows travellers to search for Thai Airways’ contact details for any of its offices worldwide.
NAVIGATION
There is little potential for navigational problems as all duty free-related information and links are confined to one section. We had no problems accessing or looking for information.
The only downside is that due to the nature of the product catalogue – in pdf format rather than an online viewing gallery – it can take some time for the catalogue pages to download.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Although Thai Airways’ duty free page takes up only a small section of the main website, it is adequate and serves its purpose well. Having no frills and providing the bare necessities, the airline is effectively breaking down the inflight catalogue into various sections and making it available to travellers online in an easy-to-digest format. The airline makes a commendable effort to satisfy customers’ needs – making great use of limited space within the catalogue and within each category, ensuring that its catalogue features a choice of the best brands and products.
What we like:
– Simple and straightforward layout
– Option to download and fill in order coupon pre-flight
– Product catalogue with good images and description
What needs adding/improving:
– Pre-order facility
– Currency converter
– A more convenient way to view the online catalogue
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: Cyprus Airways’ Shop in the Air – 18/09/08
Website of the Week: ATÜ Duty Free – 11/09/08
Website of the Week: China Southern Airlines – 04/09/08
Website of the Week: El Al Israel Airlines’ Fly & Buy – 21/08/08
