OUGD504 - SB2 - Design for Screen - Response Ideas

After analysing the desktop and mobile versions of Amazon Marketplace and Prime, two main ideas became clear in terms of responding to the problem set.

1) Re-market Amazon Prime so that the entire platform is promoted. One aspect that was highlighted from primary and secondary research made is that the marketing of Prime is not very clear. Many people that I spoke to in person thought that Amazon Prime is a rip-off, due to the £90 charge after the trial is over. Furthermore, a very small amount of people knew that Amazon Prime encompasses Amazon Video, Music and unlimited photo sharing - not just 1-day delivery. A few of Amazon's commercials this and last year focus purely on the 1-day delivery of Prime. Amazon did make a promotional video for the Amazon Fire Stick; however, it does not highlight clearly what Amazon Prime offers either.







The marketing campaign should aim to attract not only the 15% of online users that don't use Amazon, but the entire online and offline audience too. It should highlight what Prime is, how much it is and the difference between the Fire Stick and Prime itself.

Alongside re-marketing Prime, the user experience should be developed in response to some of the problems identified. One aspect that was highlighted was how Prime does not separate certain programs areas from one another. This means that a child program could be next to an adult film. Simon said that this is particularly frustrating as his child could click on an inappropriately aged film with easy. Whilst Amazon offers parental controls, this requires a password to be put in on certain age-restricted material. This is beneficial in preventing your children from watching programs they shouldn't; but, can become very frustrating when trying to watch multiple shows on your adult account, as you would have to continuously fill in the passcode. This is one user experience that could be overcome.

Solutions:

• A much clearer marketing point that fully explains the entirety of Amazon Prime.
• A developed user experience - the functionality and design of Prime should be built on to answer some of the problems identified.

2) Rebrand Amazon Marketplace so that the site appeals to the 15% of online users that do not use Amazon. Online shoppers who don’t use Amazon are motivated by different things than Amazon shoppers - they are motivated more by a sense of belonging, care about a knowledgeable staff/easy return policy and appreciate the personal touch of smaller online retailers. Many non-Amazon users do not enjoy the complexity of the platform and much prefer the simpler, more straightforward process of ordering items that smaller online retailers offer. The analysis made highlighted a lot of problematic areas in which the user experience could be improved dramatically - the main aspect that comes across is that the Amazon site is all about advertising rather than the user experience. This will be investigated and changed accordingly.

In this sense, some ideas will be generated to try and widen Amazon's target audience. Current users will need to stay engaged with the website too, therefore a fine balance in terms of the site's change will need to be considered. The main emphasis of this response will focus on the user experience more than anything.

Solutions:

• A complete redesign of Amazon's desktop, tablet and mobile site. The mobile site is a main priority, as the majority of users visit Amazon on this device.
• A moving outcome that physically shows how the website works. This could be a mockup video made in After Effects to a fully working site.