Introduction
When
the World Wide Web was first introduced, some might have believed it was a
passing fad. Something that people would get all excited about, and then in a
few months or years, something new would come along and grab our attention.
Unfortunately, for those who did not hop on the bandwagon right away, the
Internet changed our lives. The Internet has replaced a good portion of errands
we used to run, like going to the bank, or even the mall. We can find friends
we haven’t spoken to in twenty years, and we can advertise.
Advertising
and marketing had to adjust to the Internet sensation along with the rest of
us. Marketing works best if the target has an opportunity to see the product
and brand, which means aiming their marketing where their target is more likely
to be. Because the Internet allows us to do most of our errands without leaving
our house, the Internet is a key place to market. “The web has transformed the
rules, and you must transform your marketing to make the most of the
web-enabled marketplace of ideas (Scott, 2013).”
This means, find your target. Create a stunning website, connect your social
media, and begin going viral. This paper will examine and describe a key online
target market, the females of Generation Y. Next, this paper will compare and
analyze two websites that target this specific market, and will conclude with a
full evaluation of the effectiveness of these two websites.
Generation Y
Generation
Y describes the generation that was born between 1977 and 1995 (Cambal & Zibrinova, 2011). These are the
millennials. These children grew up with technology unfolding at their
fingertips and that is the only world they know, “the consumers of this
generation are characterized by the utilization of internet and modern
technologies, through which they acquire huge amount of information about
products (Cambal & Zibrinova, 2011).”
People of Generation Y seem to be more creative, a lot more open minded than
the previous generations, and prefer to stand out amongst their peers. But with
the power of technology at their side their whole life, they are also want
things instantly, it is harder to grasp their attention due to the volume of
information they are exposed to daily, and they communicate better behind a
computer or phone rather than face to face.
According
to a study done in January 2011, when marketing to members of the Generation Y,
it is important to remember that they (Cambal & Zibrinova, 2011) :
- “Don’t believe in traditional promotion”
- “Process larger amounts of information compared to previous generations”
- “Have high expectations from life”
- “Have a relationship to services, internet and technologies”
- “Rely on themselves”
- “Are ambitious, confidence and independent”
- “Are competitive and strive success”
- “Love challenges and hate stereotypes”
- “Are losing loyalty to trademarks”
- “Carrier and salary growth are considered a platitude”
- “Require more freedom and flexible working hours”
- “Have higher appreciation for their own value”
- “And contact and the creation of communities are a lifestyle”
When considering these
characteristics, it is important to cater to them when marketing to them,
especially online. Because of what this generation has been exposed to over
their lives, means that traditional forms of marketing may work, but it is
better to reach to their level to reach them more effectively. What Cambal and
Zibrinova suggest for marketers looking to reach Generation Y, is to be
practical and give clear information about the product, while also hinting
towards a humorous undertone. Make sure your advertisement is focused on
design, making sure not to underestimate details, and more importantly, focus
on the lifestyle of Generation Y (Cambal & Zibrinova, 2011) . With this in
mind, there are millions of websites that cater to the needs of Generation Y,
two of which are Wanelo, and Etsy.
Wanelo
In
2010, Wanelo launched their online shopping platform. Wanelo stands for “want,
need, love”. Wanelo brings together stores, products, brands, and consumers in
one visually appealing setting. Like other social media platforms, the stores,
brands, and consumers all have accounts and news feed. However, Wanelo allows
you to actually shop from your news feed, taking your directly to the shopping
cart of the product of your choice. When you first create your Wanelo account
you are asked to follow brands and stores of your choosing, from there,
whenever that store posts new items, it is automatically linked to your feed.
Similar to the social media website Pinterest, Wanelo allows you create boards
and save items in them for your followers to see, or for you to save for later
on. Another key function on Wanelo is their search bar, which allows you type
in any product and it instantly brings up results from all their stores for the
product you were searching for. According to an analysis done by Alexa over half of Wanelo’s visitors are women
between the ages of 18 and 30. These women either have some college, or full
college degrees, and the usually browse their Wanelo while at work (Alexa) . Alexa also
found that members usually visit their site about seven times per day, and
spend at least 4 minutes and 35 seconds on the site each time.
Etsy
Etsy
launched their website in June 2005, and is an e-commerce website where people
can sell their handmade items, vintage accessories, supplies, and unique
merchandise. Etsy is made up of consumers and sellers. Each seller has their
own page where they can market, describe, and sell their products. Consumers
have their own pages with products they have found and saved for later, saved
searches, or products they have already purchased. Etsy is a website that
specializes in unique products that draws attention to the generation that
wants to stand out. Their range of products is also incredible, almost anything
you could think of, such as “Harry Potter iPhone covers” and pages and pages
worth of products would open before your very eyes. Most of Etsy’s consumers
and sellers are from the United States and more than half are women between the
ages of 18 and 50, based upon which products they are searching for. Women
looking at these products have some college, full degrees, or no college at all
and prefer to shop Etsy while at home. The average visitor looks at Etsy 11 times
a day for about nine and half minutes (Alexa).
Evaluation
Both
Etsy and Wanelo attract Generation Y users because of the instant information
they provide, their easy navigation, their high expectations, and their
non-traditional platforms. Etsy and Wanelo offer their users an easy, relaxing
place to shop and experience products they might have missed looking from store
to store. Between the both of them, Wanelo has better qualities relating to
Generation Y. I support this conclusion based on the effectiveness of the
Wanelo website and how they bend more to their audience. While Etsy is
comparable to Wanelo, Wanelo takes it a step further. Most Etsy stores are also
featured on Wanelo as stores you can follow, making Etsy reachable through
Wanelo. Etsy sells things that are sold only through their website, while
Wanelo relates to Generation Y by multitasking as much as they do, by searching
every store in their database for the product that they are searching for. Wanelo
is also a great marketing tool for larger corporations to sell their
merchandise as well. Wanelo as a whole is an innovative form of social media
that is visually appealing, easy to use, and attracts a very specific target
market to make it successful.
In
order to attract an audience at all, whether it be Generation Y or anybody
else, you must have a website that is easy to use and visual appealing. While
there are many websites that are ineffective, Wanelo and Etsy do a good job of
keeping up websites that adjust with the changing themes and are easy use.
While examining EvaluatingWeb Page Design, I will conduct an analysis of Wanelo and Etsy.
Each
website has a clear purpose of what they are trying to do. Each site is trying
to get you to purchase some of their products, whether it is Etsy’s own
products, or stores that marketing on Wanelo. Both sites target market are
women, and were both designed to be visually appealing for women. Using soft
colors and creative fonts, this is a page that a women would feel comfortable
spending large amounts of time on. While there is content for men on these
websites, most content is skewed toward females. These websites satisfy the
needs of the consumer, because if the consumer is searching on these sites,
they are more than likely looking to buy something. In the case of Wanelo,
their need might just be to research what they would like to buy and seek
recommendations from other people looking into the same products. The
information for both of the sites is very clearly stated before you become a
member. They both vow not to send your information to other parties, and Etsy
allows you use your PayPal account when purchasing products to protect your
account.
Each
site’s navigation is simple to use and allows for easy access to searching and
your own profile. When opening Wanelo, you are first brought to your feed,
where the stores and people you follow shared their postings. On the top bar
you can select “Wanelo” that will take you back to the home page, “my feed”
that will take you back to your news feed, “trending” that allows you to look
at the posts beyond the stores and people you follow, and allows you to see
what is popular or in style. From there, there is a search bar where you can
click an already selected product, or type in your product to search. And finally, on the right hand corner is the
option to post your own material, and an icon with your profile picture on it
to take you to your own boards and account settings. This set up is very easy
to look at, and does not take much time to figure out. Etsy’s website is set up
very similarly. When you first open the page, there is not a feed, but a few
items that are either new on the Etsy page or are popular. On the left side
panel there are categories for you to choose from such as art, weddings, and
home and living. On the top tool bar
there is an “Etsy” tab that allows you to return to the homepage, next to that
there are three icons that allows you to see your activity, if you have any
messages, and what you have in your favorites. From there, you can use the
search bar to search anything you desire, and next to that is your shopping
cart and your account information. Both sites are very inviting and designed to
attract women.
Each
website has links that work every time you click them. The only instance of
links not working is when they are linked to external sources, but any internal
link works. The pages do not take long to load, both on the computer or on
mobile apps. The status bar has very simple URL’s to access the homepages; www.wanelo.com and www.etsy.com. There is no plug needed for either
of these websites, there is little animation and most of the sites content is
products to purchase. Both of these websites are interesting and are relevant
to those who are looking at them. If someone is visiting these websites, they
are probably looking to purchase something for themselves or as a gift. Each of
these websites has a “feed” when opening their pages, while Wanelo you can choose
which stores you follow, and Etsy has random objects, each feed shows which
items are new on their websites. What keeps visitors on these sites is their
need to purchase something, whether they are looking for a bookcase, or a wall
decal, they are on these websites for a reason and will search till the find
something they like and purchase it.
The
visual appeal of these websites reflects how they are relating to their
audience. Wanelo keeps with a very simple layout. Their logo is written in
green, blue, and yellow, to reflect that each section means want, need, love.
Their page is between white and gray and the blue, yellow, and green pops up
when you click links, or when you roll over them. Their feed is neatly laid out
in in boxes with the company logo and who posted the product. Etsy’s color
palate is Etsy in an orange color, the rest of their website is in gray, blue,
white, and green. Their tool bars are in gray, and their bolded fonts are
showcased in blue. On the product information the product is written in black
with the prices in green. Their layout is similar to Wanelo with the neat lines
and boxes that showcase the maker of the product, and the photo of the product
itself. Each website is visually appealing and grasps the attention of their
market with its neat lines, and soft colors that do not strain their eyes.
Conclusion
Generation
Y is a very broad target, however they have very specific needs. Wanelo and Etsy speak to their needs and
create shopping environments that are simple, instant, intriguing to the eyes, and
promote items a new and different way. These websites allow people to be
unique, and lets them showcase their findings for the world to see. Generation
Y has developed social media into a world of their own, and everything they do
is connected to it, including their shopping habits. Wanelo and Etsy utilized e
marketing to every advantage they have, their websites are both popular among
their target market, and they generate Internet traffic to their own sites but
also to their vendors. E marketing is the new world, and Etsy and Wanelo have
figured that out.
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