TOPIC 3: Questions on Digital Design

1. In two paragraphs explain why a customer centric Web site design is so important, yet so difficult to accomplish.
Customer centric web site design is very important but is difficult to accomplish because consumers are ever changing. Customer centric websites are websites which basically are designed specifically for customers to cater for all their wants and needs (Pivarnik, 2000). A customer centric website is very important yet difficult to accomplish because the company has to aim the website to cater for the consumer’s wants and not necessarily what the company thinks the consumers want and need thus advertising products which are somewhat popular and not products which do not sell. The company needs to advertise products which consumers want and advertise them on the website (McGovern, 2006).


When designing a customer centric web site the website has to be easy to use. If the website is difficult to use then the consumer will not stay on the website very long (McGovern, 2006). When designing a customer centric web site the company has to ensure that the website is catering for the consumers needs of “convenience, speed ( doesn’t take long to download) and price (advertises the price)” (McGovern, 2006). This means that by having a website online the consumer can look at the website and either buy and enquires online about a product. The issue would be that if the website takes too long to download particular pages of certain products then the consumer will leave the website. By showing the price of products it gives the consumer an idea of the product. By not stating prices the consumer might become impatient since that might be the only reason they went onto the website in the first place (McGovern, 2006).

Pivarnik, C. (2000). Is Your Web Site Customer-Centric?. Retrieve on March 23, 2009 from the 4hb website: http://www.4hb.com/0520cpcustomercentric.html
McGovern, G. (2006).Catalog success. Retrieved on March 23, 2009 from the Catalog success website: http://www.catalogsuccess.com/article/e-commerce-10-tips-more-customer-centric-web-site-41482_1.html


2. Define the term 'presence'. Write an additional paragraph that describes why firms that do business on the Web should be more concerned about presence than firms that operate in the physical world.
The term presence can be defined as “being present; existence, occurrence or attendance at some place or in something” (Your dictionary.com, 2009). While looking at the ‘Your dictionary.com’ I found that this definition is what presence can mean in terms of websites and business.

In my opinion firms/businesses that do business over the internet on websites have to be more concerned about presence because consumers may not know about the businesses and would then most likely never search for that particular product/service. Online businesses have to be more aware of presence rather than businesses in the physical world because businesses in the physical world have shops and people can see the shop physically so it is easier for the business to be recognised. Businesses that are online have to advertise and try and make sure they become present and have a presence in consumers’ minds since a consumer is unlikely to know about the business if they have not made an impact.

Your dictionary. (2009). Presence. Retrieved March 23, 2009 from Your dictionary website: http://www.yourdictionary.com/presence

3. Write three paragraphs to briefly describe the things that Real Estate Agents can best accomplish through (1) their web sites (2) Mass media advertising (3) Personal contact
Websites:
Real estate agents use websites since most people use the internet to find out information. With people using the internet more real estate agents have caught onto the idea and used it to advertise property, houses, land and other things so consumers can see the product and not have to leave their home or work. This is easier for the customer since they can look at the website anytime and see if there is anything they are interested in, instead of physically going to a house or property which does not interest them. Such websites as Netlab show real estate agents/companies what should be on a website to increase sales. Such suggestions as having virtual tours, pictures and information about the house/property allows the agents to cater for the needs of the consumers by given them such information which lets the consumer a) see the house through tours and b) know what the house has to offer (Netlab, 2009). This allows busy work people look at the websites and homes in their own time and not have to worry about office times and looking through houses they would not want.

Netlab. (2009). Website Design Services for Real Estate Agents. Retrieved March 23, 2009 from the Netlab website: http://www.netlab.com.au/real-estate-website-design.htm


Mass media advertising:
In my opinion Real estate agents use mass media to advertise not only their business to receive recognition but to show potential buyers houses which might interest them. The best way agents can use mass media is to advertise their company on television, the radio, the newspaper and catalogues. In most local newspapers there are pictures of houses for sale in the newspaper which give the consumer a description of the house and a price. Potential clients can look at these pictures and see if they are interested in what the agents/business is offering. Although by using mass media such as television this give the business recognition because consumers physically see the business and can put an image into the consumers mind about the business. This can cause the consumer to look further into the business and what they are offering.

Personal contact:
In my opinion real estate agents use person contact to create a relationship with the client to make the client feel comfortable. Personal contact allows the real estate agent to be able to see what the client is looking for and is able to give help in the way of searching for things in their clients’ price range. Personal contact is in a way allows the agent to have a personal one on one contact with the client and are able to try and cater for their needs and wants.