Sandro: SWOT Analysis

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Addressability makes the customer feel as though the company truly cares about who they are by addressing the customer by name and remembering certain details about them: where the customer is located (through GPS located inside the computer), what language to automatically display the site in, and by addressing the customer by name throughout the website.
Sandro is relatively weak in addressability. The homepage to the site does not display my name upon logging in. "Megan Heal" is only displayed once I choose to see my account details. However, once I choose to see the details of my account, Sandro remembers where I have billed and shipped my previous orders, or where I have stated that I would ship orders. The site has the ability to save multiple orders, so if I chose to send an order to my parent's house as opposed to my apartment, the site will remember both addresses for future orders.
Furthermore, Sandro provides its customers with the option of subscribing to its newsletter. Though I am currently subscribed to the service, I have yet to receive a letter in the three months since signing up.
Finally, in the account details section of the Sandro website, Sandro gives the customer the option of creating a wish list with the merchandise on the website.

Interactivity is the ability of the customer to connect with the website and make the experience feel as close to shopping in a brick-and-mortar store as possible. Often - especially in this economy - customers do not necessarily want to purchase items when they go shopping. In a brick-and-mortar store, it is easy for the store to accommodate: the customer can walk around the store clutching an item and place it down at the last minute; the customer can even try on the item without promise of purchase. In e-commerce, it is slightly different, because the customer can't hold on to an item ad infinitum in an online shopping cart. Most websites have a time limit that merchandise can be held.
In order to accommodate the browsing customers, Sandro offers their registered customers the option of creating a wish list. As the customer browses through the products on the website, they have the option of clicking a button and adding the product to a wish list. Additionally, there are comment boxes adjacent to the (small) pictures of the products in the wish list. The comment box is convenient for the customer who wants to make notes about the item, perhaps about fit concerns, or ranking which item they wish to purchase first. Finally, wish lists are, conveniently, able to be shared. As the holiday season is quickly approaching, wish lists that are easily emailed or shared with social media are a fast way to finish all holiday gift shopping. Additionally, the customer gets the sensation of adding items on their wish lists to the bag through the "Add to Bag" feature. When the customer clicks this button, they see the item moved from their wish list to their bag, similar to the action of physically placing an item in a shopping cart or on a cash wrap.

Memory accesses the ability of the site to remember details about the customer's preferences. Again, this is established through the wish list that registered customers can create. Sandro alerts these members when items in their wish list go on sale by displaying their prices in bright red font. However, the customer is not notified by email. Instead, the customer has to visit the website and check their wish list to keep tabs on their preferred items. More sales could be realized if the site generated an email to their registered customers as soon as items that they marked as preferred go on sale.

Control refers to the amount of management on the site in regards to searching items; it refers to the way in which the site is organized and merchandised. There are three ways to search through the Sandro site: categorically, by wish list, and by keyword. Additionally, merchandise can be viewed by collection and by curated pieces from popular blog, Refinery29. Unfortunately, the site is not organized once the customer chooses how they would like to search or view the merchandise; there is no color story that makes the merchandise easier to see, and there is no way to sort through a category once it is chosen. More organized websites, like Net-a-Porter will organize their pages by color, so the customer can easily scan through product to find the color that they are looking for. Or, instead of organizing by color, the website will give the customer options of how they would like to view product: sorted by price, style, color, or fabric. Sandro only offers the customer the option of sorting by ascending or descending price.
The edited merchandise is no better organized than the general merchandise. Picks are not displayed by outfit, nor by category. The viewer is left to mix-and-match the product for themselves.
Finally, there are no suggested items paired with selected merchandise. There is no attempt by Sandro to up-sell or cross-sell.

Accessibility refers to the ease of viewing the website, aesthetically, and whether or not it is accessible to customers with disabilities. It also refers to the ease with which the customer can contact the company.
Sandro is relatively strong in accessibility. The high contrast of the predominantly black and white website not only reads luxury, but it easy to see to someone who is color-blind or has difficulty seeing. Additionally, Sandro is easy to contact if the customer has a question or concern. There is a link to send an email to the company and the site gives the corporate office's address and phone number. Finally, the company is transparent with their social media. There are links that give real-time updates to Sandro's Facbeook and Twitter accounts. Clicking on either of the logos for the social media sites takes the viewer to Sandro's account with them.

Digitalization of a website refers to the quality of the images used and other technicalities in creating the site. Sandro has extremely high quality images that show detail in garments - even ones made in dark colors. Additionally, the customer can easily link products on the site to their personal social media accounts. This is becoming more and more important in the social media boom of the last five years. It gives the customer ease in knowing that the company is proud of their products and the customer can easily share their preferences with others.