Family Means Everything at iVillage.com
- By Kyle James
Upon arrival at the iVillage.com website I am immediately immersed in an
online experience like no other. In terms of context, the first thing I noticed was the logo. It is very simple, yet elegant, with the words iVillage.com in a
contrasting blue color. The words under the logo, "the internet for women", immediately tell me the
purpose of this website. I immediately get a feel for the vast amount of knowledge on the iVillage.com
website due the large number of clickable categories found on the homepage. Yet, due to the aesthetically conceived category structure I do not
feel overwhelmed by the information.
In terms of context functionality, the iVillage.com website is easy to
navigate and information is simple to find. Whether a woman is looking for articles on parenting issues, health
topics, or beauty secrets, the search bar found at the top of the homepage
makes finding it easy. After doing your initial search, the navigation structure is set up in a way that
encourages extended exploration. This is due iVillage.com creating every page with related topics and
"tip-bits" that are often irresistible and spark the mind's curiosity.
Content
The content found at iVillage.com is extremely vast. The offering mix includes information and services. The information at iVillage.com includes women's health, pregnancy,
parenting, relationships, and career issues. Services include an interactive
pregnancy calendar, baby name finder and free virtual makeovers.
Much of the content on iVillage.com is time sensitive as new styles,
views, and opinions are always being developed. Thus, iVillage.com is a website in constant motion as new information
is constantly being added and old data is being removed. Upon arrival at the website, I got the feel of a "fresh" website
due to headlines that included the Golden Globe Awards fashion review along
with current articles on politics. Fresh
content goes a long way in building strong customer relationships. I found in my online business experience that web users will come
back to a website everyday if the website in consistently updated with new
information. If the website is only updated once a month, there is no need to re-visit the website as the
content is very stale. iVillage.com does an excellent job in creating fresh, on-topic content.
Community
Online community is created when the user feels they are part of
something greater than themselves. iVillage.com
has done just that. They have
over 1,800 message boards where women can get together and talk about issues
like politics, weight loss surgery, online dating, and child care to name a
few. The community that iVillage.com has built has created strong relationships built on common
interests. Community goes a long way in creating repeat visitors as users want to chat with their online
friends about the topics of the day.
The community message board at iVillage.com has even gone so far as to
create a sense of emotion. They use small pictures, called emoticons, to symbolize the message's
content or tone. When you add a reply or start a discussion, you can choose
an emoticon for your message. These
emoticons include icons that stand for happy, question, and important, to
name a few. What a great way to communicate feelings in a digital world.
Customization
iVillage.com does a terrific job creating a customized customer
experience. The most important thing they have done is create a login registration process. By registering you get access to the message boards as well as
members-only discounts, Coupons and freebies. You also get your choice of
more than 50 newsletters delivered right to your virtual mailbox. Through the registration process iVillage.com can better understand
the needs and likes of their users. Conversely,
iVillage.com users benefit by only receiving the information that interests
them.
The most interesting example of customization that I found on the
iVillage.com website was the personalized pregnancy newsletter. This newsletter allows you to enter your pregnancy due date and then
sends you a week-by-week guide to your nine-month journey. This type of tailored customer experience creates valuable and
lasting relationships.
Communication
iVillage.com does an admirable job of communicating with its users. This is best exemplified by the 50 newsletters that are available to
iVillage users. These newsletters allow the company to communicate to its users on a variety of
topics which include changes to the website, new features, and special
coupons. This type of communication brings users back to the website which is critical for
success.
The website also has a feedback section that allows users to communicate
with iVillage.com. Users are encouraged to voice their opinions on how iVillage can serve them better. Along the same lines, you can visit the 'Frequently Asked
Questions' section to get help or answers on a variety of topics related
to the website. The lines of
communication have to be a two way street. iVillage.com does a great job of doing this by letting their users
communicate with them which gives them crucial feedback on how to improve
the online experience.
Connection
iVillage.com has a high degree of connectivity with outside websites and
resources. For example, on the
homepage you can click on seven different online magazines. They include Cosmopolitan, Country Living, and Good Housekeeping to
name a few. When you click on one of the magazines you are taken to an online version of the current
edition. This is all done withinthe iVillage.com website and template. This
falls into the category of outsourced content.
The iVillage.com website also has strong connectivity through links to
other websites. They gain content and resources through links with their sister sites, Women.com,
GardenWeb, and iVillage UK. This allows users to get more information on topics that they just read
about on iVillage.com.
Commerce
As stated earlier, the offering mix at iVillage.com includes information
and services only. They do not sell anything. They do however direct you to online commerce sites that they highly recommend.
For example, after a user reads tips and secrets on cosmetic usage,they will be directed to a list of online cosmetic retailers. These retailers will often have Coupons and specials that are only
available to iVillage.com users. This is as close to online commerce that iVillage.com gets. They appear to make their money from online advertising and affiliate
agreements with online retailers.
© 2005, Kyle James
