Bet Fred vs. Victor Chandler

Having just seen both the Bet Fred tv ad and the Victor Chandler ad I have to say on balance I'd rather lose my money to Victor, he seems much more trustworthy than Fred - and has also made an effort with his suit, Fred looks a bit dodgy. My least favourite gambling ad at the moment is the Ray Winstone fronted ad break bits - bet 365 - "the full time result" - I really don't like that bit! and why does the footy pitch keep moving apart?



Victor

 

Fred?



Ray - the full time result



also I've still not got the connection on the Bill Hill ad between gambling and the Sex Pistols soundtrack, have I missed the point?

I've not gambled online yet, but none of the above ads are having the desired effect so a site review of one of them maybe some time off!

Online Retailing #2 - Domino's

Domino's

Pizza and Curry are my two favourite takeaways, closely followed by Chinese, then Fish and Chips, with the occasional Subway thrown in. Friday night in Huddersfield though is Pizza night.

I'd read in the paper (The Guardian) that Domino's had been doing well as a business and that they'd fully embraced the digital side of the business and so I decided I'd have a look and see what they were doing so well from an online retailing perspective.

Rather than use the web site I decided it give ordering on the ipone app a go.

Rating; Good

Good for; Classic pizzas. Lots of different ways to order a pizza.

Bad for; Small side dishes and fairly pricey compared to the local firm.

What did I buy?

A meateor pizza and two side dishes for £14.99, this was one of the deals on offer.

Homepage

When you sign back into the app, you have to re-enter your post code which seems a bit odd but once in there is then a button to repeat your last order. The interface is clear and of the standard you'd expect from a large chain.

Navigation
Very simple to navigate using the iphone app and all of the usual slides and taps, though it did seem a bit slow but that might have been my wireless?

     

Customer interaction

The delivery chap was polite and I'd paid online so there was no need for any cash to change hands.

Product Pages

The photography was adequate and the descriptions to the point. The pizzas were well merchandised aand looked appetising.

Checkout
The checkout was a bit unclear and I had to double check that I hadn't ordered two lots of chicken strippers!!



Delivery

Delivery was free as part of the deal. The order also arrived very quickly - about 20 minutes or so, which was perfectly acceptable. The pizza was hot and the sides fine - but small!

Overall

A good service and by ordering online there was none of the confusion that can happen when ordering over the phone. As I'd paid online I didn't need to worry about having the right money or change etc.
The product was well merchandised and very clear. The different deals were highlighted but I didn't feel that any potential cross/up sells were taken advantage of.

The app look and feel was corporately aligned and echoed the current TV and DM campaigns that I've seen.

Web Site Domino's 

The above order was placed using the free Domino's iphone app.

Online Retailing #1 - Thomas Pink

Thomas Pink

I'm a massive fan of Thomas Pink shirts but usually wait until the sale is on before I update my wardrobe. This year was no different though I was probably a bit late in visiting the site and I think this impacted on the choice available. However I did buy four rather nice new shirts to sport at the office this year.

Rating; Good

Good for; High quality formal shirts. Sale bargains. A quick delivery service.

Bad for; conveying the brand online. Is the availability 100% up to date?

What did I buy?

4 shirts for work.

Homepage

The winter sale is the key message on the home page and it’s impossible to miss it. Other options are on the left hand nav as text links.

Navigation
The sale section was very easy to find. The search options on the left hand side made finding the shirts in my size and preferred fit (15.5 and slim) easy to find. I liked this evolving way of presenting what was available and did go back and not be as picky with some choices, which in turn returned more products.
The navigation colour scheme was all on brand and the pink and black works well from a brand perspective.

Customer interaction
I've ordered from this site before but I don't recall getting an e-mail re the sale starting? This would have been a good prompt for me and probably driven me to the site earlier where I might have seen more choice and bought more?

Product Pages
The zoom feature is great on the product pages and gives you plenty to look at and lets you make an informed decision.

The graphic at the bottom showing what sizes are available is also clear – although one shirt I tried to order was shown as available on the product page but when I checked out suddenly wasn’t available which was a bit frustrating.

I didn’t think much of the cross sell I was shown, a bit of a dodgy looking pink sweater?

 

Delivery

Delivery was free, but so it should be, I'd spent £200+. The shirts arrived at my work address really quickly, 3 days after placing my order. They did though arrive in a boring box and this felt like a missed opportunity to reinforce the brand/quality experience that I associate with Thomas Pink as a brand.

Overall
A good service and a straightforward shopping experience mean that I'll be back again for the summer sale!
Perhaps a missed branding opportunity from a delivery perspective - I wouldn't have felt right having my order gift wrapped for myself but a bit of TP styling wouldn't have gone a miss.

Web Site Thomas Pink

Online Retailing - Intro

I wanted to start reviewing online retailers for two reasons, one it's the area in which I work and two I saw the Mary Portas Shop! column (Daily Telegrah on a Saturday) which I think is great and have lifted (taken inspiration from) the format for my reviews.

The plan is that rather than shop offline I'll try to where possible and practical shop online, and, review how the whole process was from finding the site to receiving the order.

Thanks,
The Full English