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Website Analysis Edward Macky, MDM Prof. Ronan Gruenbaum Word Count: 2196
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Page 1: Adidas.com Website Analysis

 

 

Website Analysis

    Edward Macky, MDM Prof. Ronan Gruenbaum Word Count: 2196

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Executive Summary Adidas is the second largest athletic brand in the world, with a robust history and a heritage of innovation. Its website aims to reinforce the brand and sell products. Its ideal user is a young, educated athlete who is inspired by, or just loves sport. He/she appreciates style and innovation and is a savvy Internet user. Adidas do their best to reach this group by tailoring their content across a variety of different sports and activities. To deliver on its objectives, adidas creates content that is relevant to the user, with a strong push to promote its new products and services. The MiCoach web-based training program

is an integral part of the product/service offer. It also forms the online value proposition, which while not explicitly clear, is a distinct offer that typifies the brandʼs online presence. Athletes can go to the website to design customised training programs, specific to their chosen sport and skill level. This is a key feature of adidasʼ innovation strategy. The design and website architecture are well planned and consistently delivered throughout the site. With the exception of a few pages (SLVR, NEO, Y-3, Originals, MiCoach) on the site, the header and footer remain the same with site exploration and shopping options at the top and a site map at the bottom. In between, the content is structured hierarchically so that the most important content is by itself in the middle, and content of secondary importance is split into three groups below, with further quick links below again. Content can be found easily and calls-to-action are plentiful, if a little ambiguous and poorly labelled. The site suffers under testing, with results found wanting in areas of download speed, browser resolution, search engine optimisation and web standards. And while the site fits perfectly onto an iPad screen, it needs a mobile version. If the siteʼs aims are to provide high quality content and innovative, stylish products for its target consumers then adidas is successful. The content is relevant in its context, can be

accessed easily and makes users want to return. However, it fails in areas that require attention to detail, so that potential customers can find the adidas website and use it without difficulty. In this regard, the website analysis could be called a mitigated success.

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Table of Contents

WHO?  4 

OBJECTIVES  5 

SELL  5 SERVE  5 SPEAK  6 SAVE  6 SIZZLE  7 

ONLINE VALUE PROPOSITION  7 

KEY VARIABLES ENCOURAGING RETURN VISITS  8 

CONTENT/CONTEXT  8 EASE OF USE  9 QUICK TO DOWNLOAD  10 FREQUENTLY UPDATED  10 

WEBSITE TESTING  11 

PAGE DESIGN  11 SCREEN RESOLUTION  11 PLATFORM TESTING  11 BROWSER TESTING  12 SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION  12 WEB STANDARDS  13 

CONCLUSIONS  13 

RECOMMENDATIONS  13 

REFERENCES  15 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  16 

 

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Introduction The two most important questions to ask when analysing a website are ʻwho is the website for?ʼ and ʻwhat are its intended objectives?ʼ (Chaffey, 2008). All organisations need to have identified their target audience and built the website to fit the needs of this audience. Assisted by marketing theory and testing techniques, these two questions will underpin this analysis, with answers and recommendations provided at the conclusion. Unfortunately, during the assignment the adidas server was hacked, rendering the website inaccessible for ten days. So while this should be read with the caveat that the site may

perform poorly in the analysis for this reason, it may also be noted that an organisation the size of this German sports giant should perhaps have a stronger contingency in place for such events.

Who? From the homepage of the adidas website, we can make some assumptions based on who the intended target is. These people are:

- Young; - Athletes of any skill; - Fashion-/style-conscious; - Appreciative of innovation; - Mindful of the adidas brand.

The ideal user is interested in football, basketball, running, training or the Olympics in London, 2012. They are motivated to improve themselves as athletes and are aware of the heritage that adidas has forged over its long history. Data incorporated from the adidas Group Annual Report (2010) illustrates that target consumers are active or inspired by sport, are 14-29 and are interested in the sports mentioned above. This group differs only slightly from the statistics provided by Alexa (www.alexa.com), which reveal that the average users are predominantly male, aged 18 to 34, childless, college or graduate school

educated, and browsing from work or school. Thus, the user has been defined. Now what are the siteʼs objectives?

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Fig. 1: adidas Home Page, November 2011

Objectives The objectives of the adidas website are twofold: brand reinforcement and product sales. Chaffey and Smith (2008) state that when considering a websiteʼs objectives, one must consider the five Sʼs: sell, serve, speak, save, and sizzle. This is a simple way of illustrating whether the website is helping its customers in carrying out these objectives.

Sell The site makes several references to the online store, including the ʻShopʼ, the ʻProduct Searchʼ box, the shopping ʻCartʼ (all at the top of the screen), calls-to-action in the main page ʻstoriesʼ, and below the fault line in the ʻFeaturesʼ section. The ʻStore Finderʼ at the top left of the page assists mixed mode buying.

Serve The ʻStore Finderʼ provides quick offline shopping information for a userʼs local area. Calls-to-action for each ʻstoryʼ on the homepage provide links to videos, social media pages, interactive on-site games and further information throughout the site. The ʻExploreʼ drop-down button on the main menu (header) allows the user to choose any part of the site

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theyʼd like to see (differentiated by sport, service, product or sub-brand), while the ʻCustomiseʼ drop-down button next to it lets the user create their own wardrobe. Both of these are easily found and add value to the experience.

Speak At the top right of the page, a user can sign up for an email, which also doubles as creating an adidas account, effectively adding them to the database. There is content tailored to different segments of customers who visit the site, such as basketball, football and MiCoach content. This content is found by accessing calls-to-action on the homepage ʻstoriesʼ, or via the page that each of these segments has within the site. All of this is a way of subdividing the content for different users and speaking to them more directly. There is a blog on the site, located in the MiCoach section with an RSS feed attached. There is a twitter handle for @adidasrunning (which is very successful (www.websitegrader.com)), but isnʼt visible anywhere onsite – including the ʻRunningʼ page. Some pages (running, football, Originals) allow a user to connect to a Facebook page to encourage further contact. Users can also write reviews and share links of all the products

at the online store.

Save At the online store, there is a ʻSaleʼ page that offers products discounted by up to 30%. There is also an opportunity to receive a 15% discount voucher if a user signs up for the email newsletter. Both of these details are visible in the ʻShopʼ drop-down button on the header menu throughout the site, as well as below the fault line at the online store itself.

Fig. 2: Screen shot of ʻShopʼ drop-down menu, November 2011

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Sizzle The homepage uses large action photos of famous athletes and celebrities to captivate the user on arrival. Small slogans accompany each photo creating a ʻstoryʼ, while the slogans take cues from adidas keywords found in the brand strategy (adidas Group Annual Report, 2010) – faster, stronger, cooler, smarter, natural – as well as references to the adidas slogan, ʻAll Inʼ. There are six ʻstoriesʼ on an 8-second timed rotation, which keep the homepage fresh and dynamic. On each page there is interactive content, global superstars and further product information. The ʻCustomiseʼ section on the header menu allows users to create bespoke footwear and clothing lines based on their own tastes. Itʼs a way for adidas to further their innovation strategy, which is at the heart of the brand (adidas Group Annual Report, 2010).

Fig. 3: adidas MiCoach Page, November 2011

Online Value Proposition A clearly stated online value proposition gives the user a reason to be at the website rather than a competitorʼs site, or in the retail store *Chaffey, 2008). Visible throughout the adidas website is MiCoach, the worldʼs first web-based personalised training service (adidas Group

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Annual Report, 2010). This symbolises what adidas offers that others donʼt: innovation. MiCoach can be seen on every adidas Sports page and is clearly one of the main promotional objectives for the brand. MiCoach is only available online and a user logs into their account at the adidas website. Thus, the website becomes the place where adidas athletes can set training programs, monitor their progress and ʻget coachedʼ by adidas. Itʼs pushing one of adidasʼ core strengths – innovation – but itʼs not clearly detailed as an online value proposition. Rather it is implied by its prevalence throughout the site.

Key Variables Encouraging Return Visits Having established adidasʼ website objectives and its online value proposition, itʼs critical for the brand to be delivering its message to its intended user. Forrester (www.forrester.com) mentions four variables that encourage visitors to return to a website (Chaffey, 2008), which will provide an insight into how effectively adidas is delivering that message.

Content/Context Since the siteʼs objectives are brand reinforcement and product sales, the content available

on the adidas website is geared towards creating interest in specific products, as well as promoting specific events. These products are promoting adidasʼ 5 Performance Benefits as stated in the adidas Group Annual Report (2010), while the events are framed around the partnerships adidas has with major sporting events/teams (adidas Group Annual Report, 2010). The content describes product functionality, expressing the quality, style and innovations for which adidas strive. For each product, there is a high-resolution photo that can be zoomed in and out, as well as a small blurb on the product itself and the potential for a user review. Price and product information are never more than a click away, while the information is clear and succinct. For brand reinforcement, adidas uses personalities in each of its categories – mostly successful athletes. Users can connect with these people through images and videos, while in some cases their stories can be read.

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Ease of Use Navigation through the site can be done in three ways: the header menu, calls-to-action and the site map. The header menu allows the user to explore the site by sport/brand/service. The destinations are clearly explained, with the ʻShopʼ drop-down menu also sub-divided into product categories. At the bottom of every page there is a site map thatʼs consistently in the same format. It has a plain white background with grey lettering and is clearly visible and labelled. On most of the pages of the site there is consistency through the header and footer, which provides familiarity for users. There are no breadcrumbs (Gruenbaum, 2011) to help navigation, while the search box in the header is for products only. The calls-to-action are too small and in some cases, too

numerous, meaning a user wonʼt see them or wonʼt understand where that click is taking them. For instance, clicking on ʻwatch the womenʼs campaignʼ takes the user to a different page than the ʻWomenʼsʼ section in the ʻExploreʼ drop-down menu. Some of the calls-to-action take a user to the adidas Facebook page, taking them off-site, rather than opening this page in a new window or tab. Ambiguity regarding calls-to-action may disengage users.

Fig. 4: adidas Online Store, November 2011

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The ʻShopʼ and ʻCustomiseʼ drop-down menus both take you to the online store which uses a different URL. The shop does have breadcrumbs within a product search, however the inconsistency in URL strategy suggests the marketing communications arenʼt as integrated as they should be (Chaffey, 2008). Yet the site is rarely more than three clicks deep (Chaffey, 2008), and getting the right information isnʼt often a problem.

Quick to Download The website is often cumbersome when trying to access different parts. It will get stuck downloading a page and the user needs to either refresh, or press the ʻbackʼ button. According to Websitegrader (www.websitegrader.com) there are too many images (24) on the homepage, which slow down the loading of the page.

Internet Speed Time (seconds)

Dial Up (56kbps) 61.34

Broadband (512kbps) 40.37

1MPS 20.73

2MPS 12.00

4MPS 7.85 Table 1: adidas.com page download speed (http://www.siteconfidence.com/test-your-site.aspx)

Frequently Updated The homepage of the website was updated during the period of analysis. ʻthe hunt for fastʼ ʻstoryʼ was added as a teaser campaign encouraging the user to return to the site on 15/11/11, when it was to be revealed. A call to action also takes the user to the ʻadidas Footballʼ Facebook page encouraging the user to connect with the brand through social media channels. There is a blog in the MiCoach section that is generally updated every 3-4 days, based on its history. But because the adidas server had been hacked around the time of the analysis, it hadnʼt been updated for nearly two weeks. This is the only blog on the site.

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Website Testing

Page Design As per Gruenbaumʼs lecture slide (2011), the userʼs eye is drawn to six different places on a webpage. If a webpage is well designed, it will have key pieces of information in these six places, allowing the user to find what they are looking for efficiently and effectively (Chaffey, 2008). Throughout the website, the same structure is used giving the site a consistent and familiar feel.

1) Action photos in the middle of the page, often with a call to action; 2) adidas/home logo button, top left; 3) The header is consistent throughout with ʻShopʼ, ʻExploreʼ, ʻCustomiseʼ, a Product

Search box, a shopping ʻcartʼ, while each individual page has its own sub-menus below these on the header, specific to their sport/brand;

4) N/A, except for advanced search options in the online shop; 5) N/A; 6) At the bottom of the screen there are features specific to each page, often calls-to-

action, which persuade the user to stay at the website and to continue exploring

(Chaffey, 2008). Generally speaking, there is a visual hierarchy on each page showing relative importance of content as defined by adidasʼ objectives (Chaffey, 2008).

Screen Resolution The adidas website is built for screen resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher. If the screen is resized to 800 x 600, the right-hand side of the page is cut off. Most of the information can

be seen, but the user must scroll across to get the full message. Itʼs likely adidas will have considered this fact, choosing to neglect those with smaller screens, who will likely be in a small minority.

Platform Testing When using the adidas website on a tablet computer (iPad), it is faultless. The site fits the screen perfectly, as though it was designed with this format in mind. Yet when used with a

smart phone, the site suffers just like any small screen on a laptop or desktop. The screen isnʼt big enough to fit the information, so again, the right-hand side is cut off. The links,

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calls-to-action and words are too small to be seen without zooming in. The site needs a mobile version.

Fig. 5: screen shot of adidas Home Page from iPad tablet computer, November 2011

Browser Testing Browser Result

Opera Yes

Google Chrome Yes

Mozilla Firefox Yes

Safari Yes

Internet Explorer Yes Table 2: Browser test of adidas website

Search Engine Optimisation According to Website Grader (www.websitegrader.com) the adidas website gets a mixed score. The homepage has four H1 headers missing or with no text, but there are 5 existing H1 headings. The site has over 20,000 linked pages, which is a lot, but only gets a 6.7/10 rank for its global link authority or popularity (www.websitegrader.com).

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Web Standards Standard Errors CSS 76 XHTML 165 errors, 184 warnings Links 21 issues (2 broken links) 508 26 failures, 11 warnings WAI 95 failures, 11 warnings

Table 3: W3C test results of adidas website Web Standards testing was done using the Web Developer add-on for Firefox, by Chris Pederick.

Conclusions  

Overall the adidas website is impressive, but it has shortcomings. The target user is young, interested in sports and likes innovation. The websiteʼs objectives are to reinforce the brand and sell products and it achieves both of these ends by promoting content aligned with performance benefits drawn from its brand strategy. It delivers the content in a mostly engaging way, however the site is let down in some areas by a lack of attention to detail, specifically some calls-to-action that are ambiguous by name, while others take the user off-site. The site fully supports the user through the purchasing process with clear, succinct information, while also supporting mixed-buying modes. adidas could improve their online value proposition – make it clearer – and include their impressive partnerships within it.

Under testing, the site fails in many areas. Itʼs inaccessible to many users, fails against web standards testing and has room for improvement with regard to SEO. However, it engages its target users effectively using the 5 Sʼs and encourages returns with high quality, mostly easy to use content.

Recommendations • Website needs a mobile version;

• Clearer OVP, perhaps incorporating more of adidasʼ strengths;

• ʻLighterʼ website, to make it load quicker;

• Adhere to W3C standards;

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• Consistency in web architecture on all brand pages, or perhaps making clear why

those with a unique personality are thus;

• Making the home page easier to navigate from, with clear directions and better

labelling of calls-to-action;

• Better equipped for SEO.

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References adidas Group. 2010. “adidas Group: Annual Report, 2010, Group Brands”. http://adidas-group.corporate-publications.com/2010/gb/en/group-management-report-our-group/group-brands.html. adidas Group. 2010. “adidas Group: Annual Report, 2010, Major Locations and Promotion Partnerships”. http://adidas-group.corporate-publications.com/2010/gb/en/group-management-report-our-group/major-locations-and-promotion-partnerships.html.

adidas Group. 2010. “adidas Group: Annual Report, 2010, adidas Strategy”. http://adidas-group.corporate-publications.com/2010/gb/en/group-management-report-our-group/global-brands-strategy/adidas.html.

Alexa. 2011.“Alexa: The web information company”. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/adidas.com#. Chaffey, D. and Smith, PR. 2008. eMarketing eXcellence: Planning and optimizing your digital marketing. Oxford: Elselvier. Gruenbaum, R. 2011. Attracting Profitable Customers (Lecture slides, 1 November, 2011). Site Confidence. 2011. “Siteconfidence: Check your websiteʼs performance right now”. http://www.siteconfidence.com/test-your-site.aspx. Website Grader. 2011. “Hubspotʼs Website Grader: Report for adidas.com”. http://websitegrader.com/site/www.adidas.com/home/uk.

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Bibliography    W3C. 2011. “W3C Open Source Software”. http://www.w3.org/Status.html. Atutor. 2011. “Atutor: Learning Management Tools”. http://atutor.ca/achecker/.

Interbrand. 2011. “Interbrand: Best Global Brands, 2011”. http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/best-global-brands-2008/best-global-brands-2011.aspx.