Please review this site, http://wal-mart.com and discuss the following: 1. How effective is the web site in making it easy to purchase goods? The website has an easy link to the shopping cart, and drop down select menus by department. Plus shipping is usually free to a store, where the items can be picked up after purchase online. When looking to purchase goods you can modify searches based on price, brand, category, customer rating, special offers, free pickup options, retailer, and even shop by personality! In addition, for ease of purchase at a later time you can view recently viewed items. From the main website you are only one click way from your shopping cart and from tracking recent orders. In addition, you can put in your zip code to find a store near you. 2. Wal-Mart is moving more strongly into service areas such as its Ship to Site services. Do you think it is a good marketing tool for Wal-Mart to develop these kinds of services?
The ship to site services is a good service. Using it as a marketing tool is good marketing tool with respect to the reliability, availability, and ease that customers from home can enjoy through online purchase. If customers have to drive to a wal-mart, at least they know they can go in pick-up what they've purchased and know it will be available. On the other hand, having to wait for an item to ship and be notified could take some time. That being said, some items such as DVDs ship directly to a person's home. 3. What is your impression of the site in general. Is this a good retailing expansion strategy for Wal-Mart?
I believe this website is a great idea and the layout is highly functional, it reminds me alot of Amazon and Ebay websites. By shipping items that already been purchased they can monitor demand for certain items to know what's hot and what's not. Then