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An Analysis of Primark’s

Online Presence E-Marketing. Dr Suha Omar.

Lillie Mae Underwood P10537538, Christina Theoni Michael P11284128, Charlotte Brennan P09276648

2/19/2013

Word Count 3,300

1

Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Primark’s Online Presence ...................................................................................................................... 4

Web Experience Elements .................................................................................................................. 4

PEST Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 5

Social Pressures .............................................................................................................................. 5

Technological Pressures ................................................................................................................. 5

Primark’s Online Positioning V it’s Competitors ................................................................................... 6

H&M ................................................................................................................................................... 6

Forever21 ............................................................................................................................................ 6

Internacionale ...................................................................................................................................... 7

George ASDA ..................................................................................................................................... 7

Competitor’s Summary ....................................................................................................................... 8

Primark’s Proposed E-marketing Strategy .............................................................................................. 9

Objectives for Primark’s e-marketing Strategy................................................................................... 9

1. To increase traffic to the website to look at new items ........................................................... 9

2. To showcase new items online to then generate a 20% increase in sales in store ................. 9

3. To increase traffic to the website to find information on refunds and returns and ethical

trading ........................................................................................................................................... 10

Budget recommendations for the strategy ............................................................................................ 11

Website development ........................................................................................................................ 11

Salaries .............................................................................................................................................. 11

Web Maintenance ............................................................................................................................. 12

Promotion .......................................................................................................................................... 12

Evaluation Methods .............................................................................................................................. 13

Social Engagement Metrics .............................................................................................................. 13

Web Analytics ................................................................................................................................... 13

Meeting the Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 13

The Future ............................................................................................................................................. 14

References ............................................................................................................................................. 15

Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 16

Figure 1: Web Experience Elements ................................................................................................. 17

Figure 2: PEST Analysis ................................................................................................................... 21

Figure 3 :Size of Primark vs. Competitors. ....................................................................................... 22

Figure 4: A Perceptual Map of Primark and its Competitors Online Positioning. ............................ 23

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Figure 5: SMART Objectives. .......................................................................................................... 24

Figure 6: Approximate E-budget for Primark’s Online Strategy. ..................................................... 25

Figure 7: Average Salary Trends for Web Design. ........................................................................... 26

Figure 8: Evaluation Methods- Web Metrics. ................................................................................... 27

3

Introduction

In the age of technology, the retail market is finding itself in an ever-changing position. The

demand for interaction between a company and their consumers is becoming increasingly

important. In recent years, one of the biggest contenders in the high street fashion market has

been the low cost clothing giant, Primark. This report focuses on Primark's lack of online

presence, how this compares to that of its competitors, leading to a proposition of an e-

strategy for Primark in order to continue to grow and also capitalise on this ever-changing,

technological focused economy.

4

Primark’s Online Presence

Web Experience Elements

The analyses of Primark’s web experience elements compared with its competitors (see

Figure 1) gave an insight of the company’s online and offline presence.

Primark’s online presence is very limited compared with its competitors; the company offers

only information about its current business. The website loads fast though limited

information and presentation of products are offered online, it is not easy to browse

information as it contains no search machine making it not user friendly. In addition there is

no customer service available online so no interaction can be made between the company and

the consumer. There is also limited communication with the consumer as the only channel

that Primark offers is Facebook and Ethical Trading web pages. The company’s website lacks

design as it is very simplistic and contains different bright warm colours such as pink, purple,

blue and green.

From a consumer’s perspective, it makes it unexciting and non-engaging. The quality of the

images used on the website appears unprofessional and dull. Primark’s website lacks

transactional features so building trust with users is unattainable. Not engaging in e-

commerce limits the company’s customer reach in comparison with its competitors, as well

as its website design and atmosphere which does not deliver the companies brand positively

(Wright, 2012). Although Primark is the cheapest company in line with its competitors, it’s

clear that Primark’s online presence and interaction with consumers/potential customers is

quite low and limited.

5

PEST Analysis

In this section environmental analysis has been discussed in order of importance; the reason of this is

that some factors of the PEST analysis (see Figure 2) have greater impact on the company than others.

Social and Technological were the two most severe pressures with equal importance and are the only

two factors discussed in this section.

Social Pressures

Social forces of online fashion affecting Primark weighted at 50% and ranked number one in

the PEST analysis. This could be as a result of the rise of the internet fashion as consumers

are buying more online and sales have increased 211% from 2008 (Mintel, 2012). 46% of

online consumers aged 16+ are most likely to make online purchases due to special offers or

deals (Mintel, 2012), Primark offers consistently low prices but they are only available in

store so the company limits its target market to regional and demographical targets, whereas

ecommerce would allow them to become international and operate beyond country lines.

Thirdly almost 28% of consumers’ aged 16-24 used their mobiles to browse information,

clothes or buy clothes online (Mintel, 2011). The company offers no mobile site making it

less appealing to visit for its target consumers.

Technological Pressures

Ranked number 1 and weighted at 40%, is engaging consumers with brands creating a

positive experience to attract and sustain more customers. They may offer ecommerce to

engage with their customers and generate sales. Primark is placed at disadvantage as no

transactions can be made online. Furthermore in 2011 approximately 45% of adults used their

mobile phones to search for information and make purchases from the internet (Keynote,

2012). Primark's consumers perception of their online presence and access is limited. As

aforementioned they do not offer mobile webpages or an app making the online experience

negative for the consumer.

Various social networking sites are being implemented by marketers in order to engage with

potential customers. Facebook, Pinterest, My Space, Badoo, Twitter, Foursquare and

LinkedIn are some of the social media platforms used. Most companies have at least four

networking sites which assist in reaching wider audiences. Thus Primark is placed at a

disadvantageous position as Facebook is its only social media tool (Keynote, 2012).

6

Primark’s Online Positioning V it’s Competitors

Primark is a retail giant, but solely trading on the high street may put it at a disadvantage to

its competitors. Its website is purely informational allowing minimal interaction. All of

Primark’s main competitors operate online giving them a huge advantage as Primark’s web

presence is very basic.

H&M

On the high street, Primark can often be found close to the Swedish retailer, H&M. Both

retailers offer a similar price bracket and both provide wearable youthful styling at very

competitive prices (Mintel, 2012). This means the demographics of their customers are

similar for example 60% of 16-24-year-olds shop at Primark (Mintel, 2012). However H&M

now have a fully interactive and well designed website that allows consumers to make online

transactions. Within the UK, H&M is Primark’s most direct competitor, however the

implementation of a website, means that their opening hours are no longer restricted putting

them at a greater market advantage.

H&M’s website has been thoughtfully designed and hosts all the informative elements that

Primark’s sparse website contains, whilst also showcasing offers, new styles, celebrity

endorsements and importantly, presenting new products and making them available to buy

online.

Primark can often be a confusing place to shop as it’s not made clear in store what are the

newest trends to buy. However H&M have been able to address this issue with their website,

being able to categorize styles, trends or seasons whilst also providing in-depth fashion tips

and information with a virtual dressing room feature and style insights. Although the website

still also provides similar information to that of Primark's, but it is more in depth and

develops these in more detail. This makes their basic information superior and significantly

more useful than that of Primark.

By producing an interactive and user-friendly website, H&M have been able to open

themselves up to increased customer contact and unrestricted trading hours.

Forever21

Forever 21 has been dubbed as the 'American Primark' (Craven, 2010) as it has a similar

target audience, quick turnover of fashions and huge high street stores. Forever 21 however

have done things in the opposite way to Primark. They have established a strong footprint in

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cities in the then designed a website to be accessible by customers worldwide, creating a

strong presence online and only then did they begin to open some flagship stores in the UK.

Currently, Primark has the advantage with its presence on the high street, however the

number of Forever 21 stores are increasing rapidly and this is due to demand from the online

users. Forever 21 has a well-established website and is the focus of much growth and

improvement for the brand, they have been able to reach this point by turning their website

into an online fashion experience instead for the user. This is perhaps an example for what

Primark should be aiming towards in the future.

Internacionale

Internacionale stores have been opening rapidly all over the UK with 145 stores on the high

street (see Figure 3). However they are also placing themselves in very similar markets to

Primark. Originally when Internacionale began, their website was fairly basic and reflected

the low cost nature of their products, however after store image was rebranded their website

was also redesigned in order to be more ‘sticky’ and user friendly. Often the products sold in

Internacionale are very similar to those of Primark, with a similar price range, this means that

their website could be extremely detrimental to Primark in terms of growth and sales.

Consumers have unrestricted access to Internacionale via the internet then shoppers are more

likely to shop online at Internacional, for their similar products, than go into town and

purchase within trading hours, especially as they offer the option of next day delivery.

Internacionale are able to use this website for many things that they would not be able to do

in store, such as web exclusive offers, blogs on trends and how to follow celebrity fashion

using products. This create a good web experience for the user, making the website ‘sticky’

and generating a trusted online brand that users want to share.

George ASDA

George is not necessarily an obvious competitor to Primark but its products are very similar,

catering to the same family market whilst remaining at a low cost. As a sister company of the

main ASDA supermarket online site, George has its own website. It has the most basic online

presence of the competitors however it bares more features than Primark’s website. They are

able to direct customers to this via the main ASDA supermarket website, enabling them to

attract customers who initially may not have been looking for clothes. Similarly to Primark,

George caters for a large demographic group. By having a website they are able to categorize

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products to provide a user-friendly online shopping experience and the use of a scrolling

banner on the homepage provides quick and easy navigation for users.

Supermarket’s own clothing brands may not be an obvious competitor due to their lack of

presence on the high street; however they do cater to similar markets offering similar

products and prices.

Competitor’s Summary

From analysing the transactional qualities and content of Primark's website in comparison to

the four competitors we found Primark has minimal content, is purely informational and has

no transactional qualities at all. All of its competitors have well designed websites, with

H&M outperforming the rest as it offers a variety of payment methods and high quality

content (see Figure 4).

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Primark’s Proposed E-marketing Strategy

In order for Primark to benefit from an online strategy they need to have specific,

measurable, achievable, realistic and timely objectives. This will allow them to be more

efficient and enable them to move forward with an effective e-marketing strategy (see figure

5).

Objectives for Primark’s e-marketing Strategy

1. To increase traffic to the website to look at new items

Primark should aim to increase traffic flow to their website so users can view new items that

will be available in the Primark store. This can be achieved by ensuring that Primark

shoppers are aware of the website and the features it offers.

How should this be measured?

Primark should aim to increase traffic to the website by 30% within a 6 month period. This

should be monitored and reviewed on a monthly basis ensuring the website is working

correctly and that all links are taking the user to the correct webpages. This will be made

possible by creating a specialist team to monitor web traffic and the usability of the website.

The team will monitor the performance on a weekly basis, providing a monthly report on

traffic figures to ensure that the target will be met within the 6 month time frame.

Primark should estimate that the profile of their visitors will be female, aged 25-44, either

married or living as married, likely to be in part time work or no work and have a lower

income of approximately £15,000 (Mintel, 2011).

2. To showcase new items online to then generate a 20% increase in sales in store

Presenting items online and creating a real online buzz through the use of social media can

generate online traffic to the website, resulting to in store transactions. This online promotion

of new items via the website and social media platforms will result in an increase in offline

purchases.

How should this be measured?

Primark should aim to increase offline sales by around 20%. However it is essential that all

channels within the distribution process are made aware of the objective so suppliers are

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prepared for an increase in sales but ensuring there is not a surplus stock at the end of the

promotion.

Primark should add and create new networks to improve and expand its communication with

customers with the use of Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest; as well as a customer survey of the

usability the website. New items should be uploaded every week as Primark prides itself as

being a provider of fast fashion. The items could be one from each store category that they

offer, spreading the risk from just one supplier and ensuring that each department will see an

increase of in store sales. This online promotion will help Primark to continue to generate

profits offline.

3. To increase traffic to the website to find information on refunds and returns and

ethical trading

This is an important objective for Primark to achieve, as in the past they have been under

investigation for using child labour in Indian refugee camps to produce some of its cheapest

garments” (McDougall, 2008). It is important that their consumers have access to all the

information regarding ethical trading and also returns and refunds.

How should this be measured?

Increasing traffic flow to these webpages will need a specialist team to monitor the increase

of visitors. It’s a realistic objective for Primark to aim to increase the visitors by 10% in 6

months. Again this will be monitored on a monthly basis and will allow time for corrections

to be made to the navigation and usability of the webpages. It will allow information to be

updated on a regular basis to coincide with trading standard’s regulations.

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Budget recommendations for the strategy

The budget must reflect how Primark can meet their e-marketing objectives and what they

should focus on in order to monitor the progress and to ultimately achieve the goals (see

Figure 6).

Website development

At present, Primark’s website is purely informational and does not allow for transactions or

personalisation. Following the objectives the website would not benefit from these features

but it need to be more reflective of the brand image of Primark; showcasing fast fashion. The

website should also be very easy to navigate for the user’s desired destination e.g. hottest

trends. This will have to be developed under the guidance of primary research conducted with

consumers.

This website development will be an ongoing process to ensure the objectives are on track to

be met within the 6 month deadline and will be completed by an experienced web developer

who will have a salary of approximately £32,000 (see Figure 7). It will also require a team of

people to develop and monitor the website to ensure the objectives will be met. This may

mean Primark will have to recruit an online team to ensure effective and continuous web

development.

The alternative option is to outsource the team and allow a web development company to

manage the e-marketing objectives. However this strategy is more risky as objectives may not

be fulfilled, there may be timing issues, control may be lost and this may blur Primark’s

branding. Outsourcing could cost anything from £500 to tens of thousands annually but

Primark will still be physically disconnected from their site.

Although Outsourcing may be a cheaper option we suggest Primark should create an in house

web team who are familiar with the objectives, fully aware of Primark’s branding and vision

and who can be monitored by creative and financial teams within the company.

Salaries

If Primark is going to have their own online team then they will require salaries for these new

members of staff. They may be able to restructure some of their departments by moving a

senior member of their marketing team to the online team to cut down on costs. An average

salary for an online marketing manager is approximately £34,000. Restructuring the

departments and recruiting from within the company can cut costs and ensure that the

objectives are fully understood and can be effectively and efficiently achieved.

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Web Maintenance

The cost of web maintenance will be the time it takes for the online team to carry out

essential work. However web maintenance can also include the ongoing primary research of

Primark’s customers and users of the website. They may be invited to interactive workshops

where their use of the website is observed by members of the web team. Online surveys will

enable Primark to gauge how they use the website and there incentive may be Primark gift

vouchers or discounts. The cost of web maintenance may approximately be £40,000 annually;

this includes one person’s salary and additional costs such as overtime and customer

incentives to carry out research.

Promotion

Selecting the appropriate keywords for searches of Primark’s web pages is essential in order

to promote the website and for the web users to have easy access to it when using a search

engine such as Google. There are a number of different ways that Primark can insure they

stay top of Google’s search list but all come at a cost.They could advertise the site using

Word Ads and be charged for every click. This will keep them in the top 3 position. An

approximation of this cost would be 10p per click and they may receive 5,000 clicks on the

advert per month costing Primark around £6000 per year.

As well as online promotion Primark may have to consider some offline promotion in order

to make shoppers aware of the Primark website. This could include digital displays in stores,

more prominent shop signs featuring the website and more emphasis placed upon the web

address on the company’s printed material. This offline promotion will not be taken into

account into this E-budget but it is important that both online and offline promotion can

support one another.

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Evaluation Methods

The Evaluation of methods is essential in order to monitor progress and to move forward with

planning. The e-marketing objectives are mainly structured around the amount of traffic to

specific web pages of the Primark site but these objectives not only affect Primark but also

the consumers (see Figure 8). This is a crucial factor to take into account as it is the

consumers who are intended to use the site and if these improvements and objectives are not

met or are not monitored effectively then it will affect their web experience and their offline

experience within the stores. Performance metrics will be addressed for the efficiency and

effectiveness of the operation’s objectives (Strauss and Frost, 2009).

Social Engagement Metrics

Social engagement metrics will be used for Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest as Google

analytics will support an insight of the traffic and amount of click through on these networks

to ensure targets are being met. Uploading consumers’ images, web page customer ratings,

amount of likes and follows and time spent viewing photos or video are also crucial in order

to monitor online experience.

Web Analytics

Web Analytics will measure the success of the objectives by the amount of traffic/offline

sales increase over a 6 month period. This is then measured using a number of different

metrics such as: number of visitors to the site and activity on the site to measure the it’s

performance in terms of traffic and how they navigate around the site or a customer survey on

ease of use of the site to determine what Primark can change to improve on navigation, or

website traffic to certain web pages such as ethical trading and refunds and returns.

Meeting the Objectives

Using metrics to measure the success of the objectives will be vital in order to ensure that

Primark can achieve the goals. By giving the targets a timeframe and a measurable factor of

success such as offline sales increases ensures the objectives are clear as to what they are,

how long it will take and giving Primark the understanding of why the objectives have been

made.

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The Future

With the rapid development of mobile technology and networks in the UK currently

providing relatively high-speed wireless Internet for mobile phones through 3G (keynote,

2012) mobile retailing is set to increase and become easier for consumers. Keynote predicts

growth will mostly be driven by the e-commerce market, which is set to expand significantly

in the near future following improvements to Internet access across the UK, the introduction

of 4G networks for mobile devices; and increased uptake of Internet-connected mobile

gadgets, such as smart phones and tablet computers. As a result, Key Note predicts the e-

commerce sector to almost double between 2012 and 2016, with sales rising by around 82%

to reach £101.53bn by the end of the forecast period (Keynote, 2013). Although ecommerce

is something that Primark is not considering at present, they will need to continuously

monitor and develop the e-marketing strategy in order to compete with businesses that use

both ‘bricks’ and ‘clicks’ in order to generate sales.

15

References

Craven, N. (2010). America's version of Primark to hit Britain. Available:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-1697716/Americas-version-of-Primark-

to-hit-Britain.html. Last accessed 17th Feb 2013.

D, McDougall. (2008). The hidden face of Primark fashion. Available:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/22/india.humanrights. Last accessed 20th January

2013.

Keynote. (2013). Home Shopping Habits. Available: https://www.keynote.co.uk/market-

intelligence/view/product/10666/home-

shopping?highlight=home+shopping+habits&utm_source=kn.reports.search. Last accessed

5th January 2013.

Keynote. (2012). Mobile Phones. Available: https://www.keynote.co.uk/market-

intelligence/view/product/10570/mobile-

phones?highlight=mobile+phones&utm_source=kn.reports.search. Last accessed 5th January

2013.

Keynote. (2012). Social Media Marketing Market Assessment. Available: available from

https://www.keynote.co.uk/academics/index. Last Accessed 5th January 2013

Mintel. (2012.) Clothing Retailing, Available:

http://academic.mintel.com/display/642259/#hit1. Last Accessed 6th January 2013.

Mintel. (2011). Fashion Online. Available:

http://academic.mintel.com/display/571259/?highlight=true#hit1. Last Accessed 4th January

2013.

Mintel. (2011). Online Spending Habits. Available:

http://academic.mintel.com/display/545218/?highlight=true. Last accessed 5th January 2013.

Mintel. (2012). The Consumer – How Often They Shop. Available:

http://academic.mintel.com/display/617121/#hit1. Accessed 4th January 2013.

Strauss, J. & Frost, R. (2009) E- Marketing, 5th edition, Pearson Education, US.

Unknown. (2013). Online Marketing Manager Salary. Available:

http://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Job=Online_Marketing_Manager/Salary. Last

accessed 10th January 2013.

Unknown. (2013). Store Locator. Available: http://www.internacionale.com/general-

content/store-locator/page/storelocator/. Last accessed 3rd February 2013.

Unknown. (2013). Free Quotes. Available: http://www.flickmedialtd.com/. Last accessed 1st

February 2013.

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Appendices

17

Web Experience Elements

direct.asda.com/george/ clothing/10,default,sc.html

www.primark.co.uk/ www.forever21.com www.internacionale.com www.hm.com/gb/

Functionality

Usability

Convenience 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Easy and fast to browse info, shop and settle online transaction.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Fast but not easy and to browse info as there are not any product info's, but cannot shop and settle online transaction.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Easy and fast to browse info, shop and settle online transaction.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Easy and fast to browse info, shop and settle online transaction.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Easy and fast to browse info, shop and settle online transaction.

Site navigation

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Categories are put on the home page as well as subcategories under each category making navigation easy.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Categories are put on the home page and when entering a category one has to go back to the home page of the site to use a different category.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Categories are put on the home page as well as subcategories under each category making navigation easy. Differentiates as new arrivals is a category having each product in subcategory

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Categories are put on home page with subcategories underneath making the navigation easier.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Categories are put on the home page as well as subcategories under each category making navigation easy

Info architecture

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Info is easily accessible with the use of subcategories and Site map.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Info is not easily accessed as one has to enter a category and subcategory to find the info.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Info easily acquired with the use of subcategories.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Info easily accessible with the use of search engine categories and site map

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Info easily acquired with the use of subcategories.

Ordering/ payment methods

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Orders available online and payment methods with the use of Credit Card, MasterCard, Delta, Maestro, Visa, Visa Electron and Solo or American Express.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

No ordering as well as payment available.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Orders available only online. Payments available with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Maestro, PayPal, Forever 21 Gift Card, XXI Forever Gift Card, I HEART H-81 Gift Card, For Love 21 Gift Card and Forever 21 Store Credit Card.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Availability of online orders. Payments available with Switch/Maestro, Visa, Visa Electron, MasterCard and Solo cards - as well as PayPal.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Very easy to order as well as register. Flexible payment methods done monthly by invoice make customers buy more clothes.

Search facilities and process

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Search of products by relevance

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Even though search machine is available it does not work.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Non reliable search machine as when one search's for a skirt different clothes appear.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Search engine of product easy to use reliable.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

No availability of search

Site speed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Takes 3-4 seconds to load

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Loads very fast due to limited

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Takes 3-4 seconds to load

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Fast load of 2-3 seconds.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Takes 3-4 seconds to load

Figure 1: Web Experience Elements

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info on the site.

Findability/ Accessibility

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Site is first if searched in different browsers.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Site appears first in every search engine.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Site appears first in every search engine.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Site appears first in every search engine.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Site is 1st

when searched in different browsers.

Interactivity

Customer service/after sales

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tracking order and email order confirmation after sale.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

No sales available therefore no interaction after sales

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Order confirmation 30 minutes via email after sale and Track order.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tracking order and email of order confirmation.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tracking order, email with order confirmation and order ready to be shipped.

Interaction with personnel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Contact 7 day weekly 12 hr. via telephone and email.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Telephone reachable store working hours

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Contact 5 days weekly, from 09:00 to 17:30 Central European Time and via email.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

12 hr. contact from Monday to Friday and 8 hrs. on Saturday, via email reply within 2 working days.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Contact from 8 to 13 hours by telephone and non specific hours via email

Customisation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Customization on seasons and celebrations i.e. valentine's day.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Customization on 4 seasons

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Customization on seasons and celebrations i.e. valentine's day.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Seasonal change of home page and sales.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Home page changes on seasons, celebrations and special offers

Network Effects

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RSS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Facebook

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Blog

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+

Psychological

Trust Building

Transaction security

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Lock sign, secures by verified by visa, Master card secure code.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Does not have anything.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Lock sign.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Lock sign, secures by verified by visa, Master card secure code, Geo trust and PCI compliant.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Lock sign.

Customer Data Misuse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Cookies

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Cookies

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Cookies and IP Address

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Cookies

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Permanent and Temporary Cookies

Customer Data Safety

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Secure

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Does not have anything.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Does not have anything.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Does not mension anything.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Does not have anything

Uncertainty reducing

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FAQ, Track Order

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FAQ

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FAQ, Track Order

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FAQ, Track order

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FAQ, Track Order

19

elements

Guarantees/ return policies

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Refund within 28 days from the purchase date by post or in store and money transaction through the means of purchase

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

In store refunds with 28 days.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Refunds payable within 28 days. Returns available in store, or mail. In store refunds unable to refund mail shipping.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Refund return within 28 days. Sale products within 7 days.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Refund payable within 30 days and with the same payment method you chose for purchase.

Content

Aesthetic

Design 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Quite easy and attractive site design

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Site design is so simple it looks empty

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Quite easy and attractive site design

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Very simple design

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Quite easy and attractive site design

Presentation Quality

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Presentation of the site rather indifference. Use of smart people and nice clothes makes it a little interesting.

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Presentation of basic pictures is nice but the site puts you off once you reach to view the products and realize that it is not available.

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Presentation of clothes in different occasions is available making products and experience more attractive to find your beloved outfit.

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Presentation of the site is quite simple though not attractive due to the limited use of pictures.

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Presentation of site quite attractive with the use of famous and beautiful personnel.

Design elements

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Use of red yellow and green are rather minimal thus not so attractive. Domains name same as company name.

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Pink makes it look quite warm and girly. Not so attractive as pictures on home page are not attractive. Domains name same as company.

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Even the white background, the use of warm colors i.e. pink makes it attractive, warm, girly, sexy and interesting. Domains name same as company.

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Minimum use of colors makes the site quite unexciting and rather boring.

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Use of earth colors and David Beckham makes it more interesting. Domains name same as company.

Style/ atmosphere

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Business women friendly. Use of serious smart dressed women. Not very interesting as pictures used are not very attractive.

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Teens and kids friendly. Neither attractive neither unexciting though somewhere in between as the use of so many colors puts you off.

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Friendly to young girls as they pose with glamour and prestige showing that clothes made them feel that way. Associating clothes with occasions, the focus is on the experience.

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Use of happy people. Friendly to women and kids.

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Friendly to Teens, kids and hipsters. Use of smiling and sports connecting products to events and occasions, the focus is on the experience.

Marketing Mix

Communication

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Descriptive product info, washing descriptions, delivery and returns.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

No product info. Communicates with its customers through its ethical trading website but not

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Product description, size guide details and return policy.

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Product description, size guide, delivery and returns.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Product description, size guide details and try on and make your own style.

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through a marketing point.

Product 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

A little more expensive for the quality sold as presentation of product is low.

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Low quality products limited presentation. Not very attractive.

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Nicely presented clothes using beautiful people. The quality of the product looks nice.

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Medium not interesting product presentation. Though product quality is fair for the price sold.

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Fair product quality presented exciting by making your own outfit.

Promotion 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Seasonality offers and whole year.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

No offers made online.

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Seasonality offers and whole year.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Seasonality and yearly offers.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Seasonality offers and whole year.

Price 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

More or less the same prices as Forever 21.

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The cheapest company.

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A little more expensive than Primark.

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Same price range as H&M

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A little more expensive than Forever 21.

Fulfillment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tracking order.

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Does not have tracking order

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Tracking order.

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Tracking order

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tracking order, monthly payment encourages customers to buy more.

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Pressure Weighting (%)

Rank Factor of Discussion

Rationale

Social

50% 1 Online fashion The internet fashion has rose over the past years as the customers buying once every 2-3 months in store are 133 % whereas online are up to 211% (Mintel, 2012). Taking into account the difference of online to in store customers is quite obvious that Primark is losing too many online customers.

15% 3 Mobile devices Almost 28% of consumers aged 16-24 use their mobiles to browse info, clothes or buy clothes online (Mintel, 2011). The company offers no mobile webpage and as it is a mass market brand it limits customers and its recognition by not containing a mobile page.

35% 2 Factors for consumers paying for content

According to Mintel (2012) 46% of online consumers aged 16+ are most likely to make online purchases due to special offers or deals. Primark offers massive deals and offers were these are only available in store the company limits its target groups to regional and demographical targets whereas it could become international and operate beyond country lines.

Technological

35% 2 Mobile friendly In 2011 about 45% of adults used their mobile phones to search for info and make purchases from the internet (Keynote, 2012). Primark's awareness and access is limited as it does not offer mobile access or an app. And as brand it makes as a non customer friendly brand.

40% 1 Online presence Most brands and businesses have a rather engaging customer experience as to attract and sustain more customers. Therefore offer online sales to engage with their customers and gain profits. Primark is placed at a rather inconvenient position as no offers and sales can be made online.

25% 3 Social media presence

Various social networking sites are being used from marketers and businesses in order to engage with possible customers. Facebook, Pinterest, My Space, Badoo, Twitter, Foursquare and LinkedIn are some of the social medias used. Most companies have at least four networking sites which assist in reaching wider audiences. Thus Primark is placed at a disadvantageous position as Facebook is its only social media (Keynote, 2012).

Figure 2: PEST Analysis

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Figure 3 :Size of Primark vs. Competitors.

Primark Internacionale H&M George (Asda)

Amount of Stores 161 145 226 No Information as it is part

of Asda Group Limited.

Amount of Employees 25575 922 5404 N/A

Gross Profit (£000) 357, 173 3729 357, 173 N/A

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Figure 4: A Perceptual Map of Primark and its Competitors Online Positioning.

Tran

sact

ion

al

Content

High

Low

Low

High

Primark

George

Internacionale

H&M

Forever

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Figure 5: SMART Objectives.

Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3

Specific

To increase traffic to the website to look at new items

To showcase new items online to then generate a 20% increase in sales in store

To increase traffic to the website to find information on refunds and returns and ethical trading

Measurable Increase the traffic up to 30% over a 6 month period

Will be measured by the amount of traffic online reflected into offline sales.

Increase this traffic by 10%

Calculated judgment to be made between website traffic and offline sales increase

Monitor the traffic on a weekly then overall monthly basis to check results

A 6 month timeframe with a monthly report on traffic and offline sales of new showcased items

Achievable

1. Ensure the website is updated regularly with new items

Ensure the website is accessible to all

Ensure that all the necessary information is updated on to the website

2. Ensure the website is easy to navigate

Ensure staff in stores are made aware of the objectives to ensure the items are displayed well in store

Make the website navigation easy in order to reach these pages

3. Ensure web users are made aware of Primark’s website

Ensure that all distribution channels are made aware of the objective to ensure the items are in stock and can be supplied to the customer

Ensure the website is accessible to all

To update the new items online on a weekly basic

Realistic

Timeframe is a realistic, measured judgement

Loyal suppliers will makes it realistic and achievable to ensure the showcased items are available in store

Have a overall timeframe of 6 months to increase traffic by 10%

Steps to make it achievable are within the budget and capabilities of technologies

Timescale is realistic as it allows a monthly review of the in store purchases

Time frame is realistic and the 10 % increase is a realistic target to meet in this time frame

Steps to make it achievable are within the budget and capabilities of technologies

Ethic trading, refunds and returns policies should be written by a professional in business law to ensure the information is accurate and correct

Timely

Timescale to increase traffic is realistic and can allow for monthly changes to the website to achieve the 30% increase.

Timeframe allows for monthly monitoring of offline sales

A 6 month target to increase the traffic by 10%

A monthly assessment will allow the continuous monitoring of the traffic

Allows enough time for the distribution channel to be prepared

Monthly reviews of the traffic to ensure to reach the 6 month target

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Figure 6: Approximate E-budget for Primark’s Online Strategy.

Category Cost (£)

Web development 500+

Salaries 100,000 approx for 3 team members

Web maintenance 34,000 plus the cost of technology changes

Promotional 6000 per year minimum. Not including offline

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Figure 7: Average Salary Trends for Web Design.

Source: http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/jobs/uk/web%20design.do

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Figure 8: Evaluation Methods- Web Metrics.

After setting objectives an evaluation of the methods needs to be conducted in order to measure

whether our objectives have been met as well as to monitor website performance and how

successful the operation has been. These can all be measured and monitored with the use of

website metrics.

Internal perspective

Goals Measures

Ensure the website is updated regularly with new items

Number of product updates daily on the website. Website traffic pattern statistics.

Ensure the website is accessible to all Number of simultaneous Web page requests from different search engines.

Ensure the website is easy to navigate Customer survey on ease of use. Ensure staff in stores are made aware of the objectives to ensure the items are displayed well in store

Employee training and performance tests. Customer survey on stores atmosphere.

Ensure that all distribution channels are made aware of the objective to ensure the items are in stock and can be supplied to the customer

Inventory turnover, Employee performance, Stock traffic and store traffic.

Customer perspective

Goals Measures To increase traffic to the website to look at new items up to 30% over a 6 month period.

Number of visitors to the site and activity on the site.

To showcase new items online to then generate a 20% increase in sales in store

Number of visitors to the site. Number of purchases monthly.

To increase traffic to the website to find information on refunds and returns and ethical trading

Number of visitors to the site.

Ensure web users are made aware of Primark’s website

Number of visitors to the site. Awareness survey of website.