website analysis exercise section a group 5 - 2009

B2B MARKETING

GMP 2008-09

Manish Ballal (19)Niraj Kothawade (24)

Sairam Iyer (34)Sandeep Vadnere (36)

Website Analysis Exercise

IT Product Company Websites

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Website Analysis Exercise IT Product Company Websites

Microsoft Corporation

Generic Information Microsoft’s website is fairly well organized with clear cut demarcations between products. Microsoft has dedicated websites for different markets. The website appears to technically superb primarily because of the latest .net framework Microsoft has used. It also advertises the latest offerings on the home page and provides excellent user friendly demos for new products. Microsoft also manages the network effect in a superb fashion by offering latest Internet Explorer platform free through the website. It provides them the opportunity to cross sell their other offerings. The home page also provides links to free trial softwares. The website also clearly segments the target groups by providing different links for businesses, IT professionals and for developers. Microsoft’s latest initiative ‘ControlCosts’ is primarily driven through the website. This initiative forms the key to their current business strategy of tapping the “The Long Tail” of small businesses. In summary, Microsoft’s website aligns with their core competence of being a technology driven organization and aligns with their business strategy by providing a distribution channel.

Features: Pros & Cons Pros:

Information well organized. Catchy Market and segment specific navigation Well organized .

Cons:

Downloads take time and may frustrate the user Compatibility issues with other browsers. Information overload for a new user

Adobe

Generic Information Adobe’s website is well organized and contains lots of information for all kinds of visitors. Information about latest products is presented using a small video clip. Information is mainly categorized into different section (tabs) such as home, solutions, products, support, communities,

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company, downloads and store. Information about different products, solutions and industries is arranged on left bottom corner. Latest news and alerts are displayed in News section. A search option is provided at the right top corner. One can visit adobe store and buy products online. The website is customized for each country and can be viewed in different languages. Overall, adobe’s website is very well organized with lots of information easily accessible for variety of visitors.

Features: Pros & Cons Pros:

Well organized information Easy to understand and navigate Easy e-commerce interface Can be viewed in different languages and customized for different countries

Cons:

Moderate to high download time Compatibility issues with other browsers.

SAP

Generic Information The SAP website caters to small, medium & large sized firms. It provides information about its solutions and services separately for these segments of its markets. The solutions and services are classified based on Company size, Industry, Vertical & Functions. One can view the information based on industry, country or standard SAP solutions. It also gives information about its entire gamut of services coupled into a single portfolio and its advantages. It gives information about the various modes of business with SAP viz. buying a solution, partnering with SAP, etc. The website has country sites for 75 countries with language support.

The companies have an easy option to create a report that assesses their business practices helping them understand their process efficiencies. It then gives various options the user has to improve their services using SAP in terms of the financial, marketing, IT or operational enhancements.

Features: Pros & Cons Pros:

Classified based on Solutions, Industry & Company size Gives Information about the latest company news, industry reports on SAP Feature to create company reports as per industry for understanding scope of

improvement

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Has sufficient information as per industry with key drivers for improvement Customized national websites with language support Videos of client testimonials and improved businesses

Cons:

Navigation across the classified business areas can be time consuming Cluttered information. At times there is a feeling of too much information on a page.

Oracle

Generic Information The Oracle website provides loads of information with minimum fuss. The segmentation is very clearly defined and its child’s play for even a new user to lay his hands on the information he is looking for. The products and services are arranged based on Verticals, Applications, Industries and even drill one level further based on Middleware and Database services. The site makes smart use of Tags and Banners to catch the attention span and drive home a winning advantage. The site features a ‘Customer Spotlight’ corner which hosts real case studies of Customer delight adding to the credence factor. It also provides a direct link to its knowledge repositories: “Metalink” clients and prospective customers troubleshoot their applications. The “Metalink” service is monitored by Oracle analysts 24/7. Oracle has also made extensive usage of the Oracle partner network by displaying information about events, trade fairs and other events in its blog link and podcasts. It features a hassle free software trial download section for experiencing the products, enhancing the search and experience attributes for customers. The site also boasts of a online shopping portal with a total language support for geographies and multiple payment gateways for ease of usage.

Features: Pros & Cons Pros:

De-cluttered with maximum information Clearly defined products and services Minimum search and seek time Repository of resources for downloads, Success stories, partners etc.

Cons:

Registration process for some services can be time consuming Compatibility issues with some browsers

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Comparison f Websites Microsoft Adobe SAP Oracle

Search function Yes Yes Yes Yes

Overview of products and services Yes Yes Yes Yes

Simple and consistent navigation No Yes No Yes

Website - up to date Yes Yes Yes Yes

No of clicks to reach desired page > 2 >1 >3 >2

Is the site layout user friendly Partially Yes No Yes

Is the loading time excessive Sometimes Sometimes No No

Do color & graphics color aid the visitor Yes Yes No No

Testimonials  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 

Whitepapers or technical papers  Yes  No  Yes  Yes 

Online demos or trials  Yes  Yes  No  Yes 

Cases about servicing the clients  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 

Availability of newsletters  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 

Technical product information  Yes  Yes  NA  Yes 

Links to content on other websites  Yes  Yes  No  Yes 

Availability of instructive content  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 

References  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 

Encouragement of direct communication  yes   Yes  Yes  Yes 

Does it suggest appropriate solutions  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 

Facility to compare products  Yes  Yes  No  Yes 

Does it provide product price  Yes   Yes  No  Yes 

Customer feedback handling mechanism  Yes  Yes  No  Yes 

Customer review  No  Yes  No  Yes 

Option for interactive chat with Helpdesk  Yes  Yes  No  Yes 

Is E‐Commerce facility available  Yes  Yes  No  Yes 

Is Payment transaction secured  Yes  Yes  NA  Yes 

Option to register on website  Yes  Yes  Yes  Yes 

Status of Order  Yes  Yes  NA  Yes