RATING: 2/10
The Forte Computers Web site is somewhat amateurish, even first-generation in appearance. However, looks aren't everything. What matters most is how easy it is to compare and look at items. Yet, there are no pictures of items, only laborious lists that offer names, price, and product descriptions. Incredibly, they actually send you off the site to view pictures from the vendor. Call us crazy, but isn't that like sending them to another store to look at items and then hoping they will come back? We also had major concerns about the usability of the menu bars and categorisation of products. Unfortunately, in a tough market such as this one, sites have to be constantly upgraded and improved to maintain a loyal customer base, so in this sense Forte has been left behind.
Hits
- The "System Builder" concept (where users can configure a system to their liking) is good.
- Page layout is clean and uncluttered.
- The homepage appears to channel customers successfully.
Misses
- The System Builder needs more work. In this instance, it serves as simply another menu with the same information that is not integrated into the purchasing process.
- The decided lack of pictures mean that unless you've done your research elsewhere, you are unlikely to buy online from Forte.
- The site tells you that more detailed information can be found when you select the item but there is nothing more there.
- To review more detailed specs for products, the customer is taken off site to the vendor site--not a particularly wise move. It's like pushing your customer through the doors of another store!
Purchasing Process
- The shopping basket is easy to use, but on most pages customers have to scroll down to find it.
- Don't put more than one of each item into your shopping basket. If you want to remove one then you'll have to remove them all and start again.
- Insurance is available for delivery (we thought that was their problem!).
- Testers received good feedback during purchasing process.
However, there was no indication of availability or shipping times.
Member/Other benefits
- There is no personalisation on the site.
Search facility
- There is no search facility on the home page, and on the "shopper" page customers are required to scroll down to find it. General Usability
- There is a good description of how to use the site on the "shopper" page; but this should be obvious to the shopper and they shouldn't have to read anything!
- The product menu is extensive and text is in capital letters. This ensures that it is a very long scroll away! It is also not available on every page.
- The site does not comply with W3C accessibility guidelines.
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