This document discusses site navigation and content marketing strategies used by retailers Debenhams and Marks & Spencer's to develop competitive advantages in e-commerce. It analyzes how each retailer uses search functions, product filtering, images and other tools on their websites. It also assesses the key processes used, how the operations are activated on sites, challenges faced by each retailer, and opportunities for future development. The document concludes that both retailers have activated operations well to help customers navigate and compare products, but that Debenhams could improve search effectiveness and predictive search functions while Marks & Spencer's continues enhancing its site.

1. ID-MKT41010-CASE_Kanika Verma
STUDENT NUMBER- 15204010

2. 1. Describe the E-Commerce Operation and assess how the retailers are using it to
develop a competitive advantage.
SITE NAVIGATION & CONTENT MARKETING
The pull down menu found at the bottom of each page, helping the users in navigating each
and every section of the website without making use of the back button on the browser is
termed as Site Navigation. On the other hand, Content Marketing is a process which involves
distribution of relevant and valuable content for attracting and engaging customers towards
the website of the company.
There are certain factors that will outline a comparison on the use of site navigation and
content marketing by Debenhams and Marks & Spencer’s for competing in the online world
of retailers :-
Factors DEBENHAMS MARKS & SPENCERS
Search Box Design It is in direct contrast with
the colour of the website
which is black and is easily
visible to the visitors without
giving them trouble.
It is on the left hand side of
the page, which is more
typical place to appear and
remains there throughout the
search and expands when
you click on it.
Auto Suggest It does not provide any sort
of predictive suggestions to
the customers, in the context
of the items but, the positive
part is dealing with
misspellings and providing
correct results.
It provides suggestions based
on the popular items
available but, does not
provide correct results on the
misspellings typed in which
troubles the customers.
Presentation Debenhams has a neat and
attractive page, presenting
various models wearing
clothes giving customers an
idea about how they will
look in reality.
Marks & Spencer’s provides
the customers with large
images as well as boldly
highlighted items.
Search Effectiveness While searching items on the
website visitors have to be
more specific other than
usual. So, the search is not
that effective here.
Here the search is very
effective as it provides all the
necessary and possible
results.
Synonym Management It deals with plurals as well
as singulars and effectively
manages the searches
including synonyms
providing satisfactory results
to the customers.
It also effectively manages
the synonym searches and
gives the customers what
they are looking for with
ease.

3. Filter Search Here, the filters are generally
fine, not as much detailed as
on the website of Marks &
Spencer’s but there is one
positive element about the
filters that they are coloured.
This is an attractive part of
the website of Debenhams.
Marks & Spencer’s has
made a wide range of filters
available on its website
having neat column charts
and also the ability to show
those items only that are
available in the stocks. Here
the filters are more detailed.
Conclusion It is lagging behind and
should widen the arena by
providing predictive
suggestions and dynamic
images to flourish in the
market and to increase its
sales.
It has excellent search result
pages and assists the
customers in the best
possible way and provides
easy filter options. It is
somewhere better in
comparison to the
Debenhams website.

4. 2. Describe the key processes and tools associated with it?
Key processes and tools associated with Site navigation and Content Marketing used by
Debenhams and Marks & Spencer’s are as follows:-
DEBENHAMS
 Search Box- One of the tools is a search box which is placed on the top of the website
and takes the queries of the customers related to the brand names, products, keywords,
etc, and provides them with relevant results in accordance to their search.
 Navigation Bars- There are various departments of Debenhams.com that are under
the top navigation bar. When you click over a department like- Men, you will see a
drop down menu containing other categories within the same department. By clicking
on the category you will be guided to another page where you could see different
products falling in that category.
 Refine your Search- Finding a product has become much easier on this website now.
After selecting a category customers can refine their search by colour, size, price,
brand, etc, simultaneously. So, if you want a casual shirt in size 42 and black colour
then the Debenhams site will show you the same.
 View the number of products- This option on the website tells the customers about
the number of different products available in the category that has been chosen by
them. This gives the customers a wide range of choices and the customer can pick the
best amongst all and add to the cart to buy it.
 Sort by- The products are also categorised under aspects like- bestselling, newest,
price and name. So, the customers can sort the orders of the products on the basis of
above mentioned categories.

5. MARKS & SPENCER’S
 Search Box- Marks & Spencer’s website also has a search box that is placed on the
left side of the screen in which customers can type in what they wish to buy and then
certain results will bump on the screen showing what customers want.
 Navigation Bar- There are different categories mentioned on the Marks & Spencer’s
website like- Men, Women, Beauty, Furniture, etc, and these have sub- categories as
well like- Men (Clothing, shoes & boots), etc. So, this categorisation of items helps
the customer in finding the relevant and desired product in an easy manner without
troubling them and also serves as an essential tool for the website.
 Store Finder- It is a tool which is placed on the top of the Marks & Spencer’s website
that asks the customers to type in their location, postcode, town or city so, that they
can find out the nearest Marks & Spencer’s store where they can go and shop. This
particular tool has been made for the convenience of the customers and to give them
ease in their shopping experience.
 Checking Out- It basically refers to the dynamic basket that helps the customers in
reviewing quickly what they are buying, it also provides information about the price,
its delivery as well as it return policy and this information is of great importance for
the customer

6. 3. Assess how the operation has been activated on the retailer’s sites?
Site Navigation and Content Marketing are of utmost importance and needs to be
considered for the betterment of the websites. Below are some points that will explain
how these elements are activated on the websites of Debenhams and Marks &
Spencer’s:-
DEBENHAMS
 It makes use of drop down menu that provide ease to access all the categories
on the webpage. In this drop down all the items are listed vertically under the
heading that helps the visitors in finding the relevant items without taking
much time and go through the content of the website without any confusion
and trouble.
 Another positive feature of Debenhams website is that they assist the
customers in getting effective results even if the customers misspell the query.
It is again an important element to be considered on the website for better site
navigation as it helps the customer in getting what they are looking for even if
they misspell the word.
 The checked out process on the Debenhams website has been made trouble
free by enabling the visitors to fill their billing information before they begin
with their registration. This facilitates great number of sales and helps
Debenhams in fetching huge customers.
 In case of International delivery, the visitors are provided with a link to “view
details” of international delivery. This link will open up a URL and provides
all the necessary information related to the price of the products, etc and helps
the users in placing their order conveniently.
 It also displays some services on the website to help the customer in shopping.
They also use this for the purpose of marketing so, that they can attract them
the customers and influence their buying behaviour. These services are- Free
standard delivery over 30 Euros, Free click and collect from a selected store,
etc.

7. MARKS & SPENCER’S
 The Marks & Spencer’s website has changed and improved a lot to provide a
good experience to the users and the biggest improvement is in the
navigational options. It has reduced the text content to some extent as now a
day’s people don’t have much time to read the entire paragraph and they want
precise material so, they have made the layout clearer to see and navigate. The
images of products on the site now appear to be 50% bigger than the previous
site and featuring either a model wearing clothes or cut-outs making the site
look more attractive for the visitors.
 Another important element is the improvement in the function of Store Finder.
Earlier this feature make the customers go away from this website as it was
quite clumsy and was not according to the way and manner in which the
customer wanted it to be. But, now it has improved and appears on every page
keeping in mind the view of customers so, that customers can be satisfied to a
great extent and have a pleasant shopping experience.
 Marks & Spencer’s also provides the customers with predictive suggestions on
the popular items available on the website to help them out in finding the
right item, this provides the customer with ease in shopping and also reduces
the time spent on it.
 The website provides detailed information about the services that they have
like- Free delivery, Extended returns, Secure payment, Order by phone,
Sustainable business, etc. These options are explained briefly by some
statements to make the customer understand the exact meaning of these. The
basic reason behind displaying these services on the website is marketing their
products and the brand.
“These operations have been activated on the sites of retailers in a great manner and
help as well as assist the customers in understanding the content of the website,
navigate with ease and finally buy products after a great comparison. Both the
retailers are working in the direction of accomplishing the business as well as
customer goals.”

8. 4. Indicate the resources required and challenges for the retailers?
Challenges for Debenhams in the market:-
 EMERGANCE OF SMARTPHONES
High usage of smart phones by the customers is a big challenge on the part of
Debenhams and this is putting it into a lot of pressure. So, to overcome this it has to
improve the mobile retail experience and has to get proper balance between desktop
and mobile experience to fetch huge number of customers.
 RISE OF 4G NETWORK
Another challenge faced by Debenhams is the rise of 4G network that has made
people use tablets to browse the website. But Debenhams team has created a desktop
oriented website that won’t work properly on tablets. 4 G has an adverse impact
Debenhams and will create issues for the desktop users assessing the site. So,
Debenhams has to figure out the solution to this challenge to give its customers a
better experience.
 COMPETITIVE UK MARKET
The UK market is very challenging and competitive having numerous talented and
well- established retailers who posed a great challenge in front of Debenhams. This
affected the performance of Debenhams to a great extent in terms of Clothing sales
that were lower than the expected sales, the Promotional environment which was
quite intense and complicated and lastly, Convenience that had become of great
importance to the customers and they wanted high level of comfort and convenience
in their shopping experience. This made Debenhams face a great challenge in terms of
satisfying the customers in the best possible manner it can to be in the market for a
longer period of time.
 PARTNERSHIP WITH KOREAN BRAND DEBEN
Debenhams partnered with a Korean retail outlet ‘Deben’, a well- established and
recognized brand in Korea. So, what Debenhams had to do here was to influence the
consumers in Korea to buy more of its products which was a big challenge on its part
as it was a difficult task for foreign brands to win market share in Korea. The question
here was that whether these European clothes will match Korean sizes, tastes and
preferences of consumers or no as people had a perception that clothes that are
imported to Korea are always overpriced. So, Debenhams has to work a lot in the
direction of attaining market share in Korea and impress the consumers there.

9. Challenges for Marks & Spencer’s in the market:-
 INFLUENCING CUSTOMERS TO SHOP ONLINE
Mostly the customers prefer in- store shopping at Marks & Spencer’s store so, the
challenge that pop up here is to persuade the customers to make purchases online
rather than offline to increase the online sales to a great extent.
 ENTERING EUROPEAN MARKET
Marks & Spencer’s was almost an unknown brand in Germany and people were not
that much aware of it. So, it was a challenge on the part of Marks & Spencer’s to
develop awareness amongst people when already there were popular and famous
brands existing in the market. Marks & Spencer’s had to compete with these retailers,
communicate policies, packaging and labelling to the consumers to survive as well as
prove that they can be the better brand amongst other brands in the market.
 ONLINE SUBSTITUTE SELLING COMPETITORS
There are many retailers available online who are selling same sort of clothes at
affordable prices, for example- Formal suits are quite expensive at Marks & Spencer’s
whereas, they are affordable at other online stores. Consumers has a wide range of
choices in the market and they will select the product which is affordable and
simultaneously, qualitative. So, it is again a challenge on the path of Marks &
Spencer’s and it has to figure out relevant strategies to overcome this challenge.
 BAD USER- EXPERIENCE
Marks & Spencer’s website was creating huge trouble for the users, they had to re-
register their details on the website and this annoyed the customers to a great
extent, giving them a bad and frustrating user- experience.

10. 5. Discuss the opportunities for development and potential strategic moves in the operational
area, for the selected retailers.
OPPORTUNITIES AND POTRENTIAL STRATEGIC MOVES OF
DEBENHAMS:-
 GLOBALIZATION
There is an increased acceptability of Western wear by the consumers across the
globe so, Debenhams has an opportunity to globalize as well as expand in
different areas of the world and should make use of it in the best possible manner
and provide the consumers with best quality of western clothes at affordable
prices.
 CUSTOMIZED GOODS
Debenhams has the opportunity to customize its products in terms of colour,
comfort, size, etc by getting a deep insight about the market trends, tastes and
preferences, demands, desires, etc, of consumers. This will help Debenhams in
capturing the market share, increasing the sales and revenues as well as gaining
more and more popularity.
 REAL OPPORTUNITY WITH KEY AGE GROUPS
Debenhams provides clothes for all generation of consumers and it main target is
the consumers between the age group of 15-35. For this age group fashion holds
great importance and they want to look fashionable most of the time. This
particular age group of people in Western Europe are fashion leaders and want to
remain the same, which is a great advantage that can be taken up by Debenhams
by mainly focussing on them.
 WORK ATTIRE BECOMING CASUAL
Nowadays it can be noticed that people are more interested in wearing casuals
other than formal dresses even if they are going for work. Debenhams has an
opportunity here as it provides the consumers with best casual wears that are
fashionable as well keeping in view the perception of people. So, it can keep
working in this direction for gaining success and flourishment in the market.
Debenhams are putting efforts in the direction of its expansion and will open 11
new franchise stores in the next few years and will try to be innovative and time-
bound for ensuring future growth in the market.

11. OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL STRATEGIC MOVES OF
MARKS & SPENCER’S:-
 SUCCESS OF ONLINE SHOPPING
Online shopping has become the most convenient and comfortable platform for
the consumers to buy their desired products not only in UK and USA but in other
countries as well. In the coming years consumers will mostly shop online and this
platform will keep on flourishing so, this invents the opportunity for Marks &
Spencer’s. It can make use of this opportunity that will enable Marks & Spencer’s
to fetch great amount of revenues from all the countries across the globe.
 EXPANSION
Another opportunity that Marks & Spencer’s has is to expand its chain in the
highly populated countries in the world, India and China. These are the countries
which can bestow great amount of sales and revenues to Marks & Spencer’s
resulting in fastest growing markets.
 IMPROVING THE IN- STORE EXPERIENCE
Marks & Spencer’s has an opportunity to improve their in- store shopping
experience by adding up more and helpful services for the consumers like-
assisting them while shopping by giving suggestions, timely answering their
queries with relevant answers, etc. Improvement is always better and can
transform the negative elements into positive and favouring the company to gain
success.
 BRAND EQUITY AND QUALITY
Marks & Spencer’s provide the customers with high standard and good quality
product that builds its brand and also serves as an opportunity. It should render
such products to the consumers in every point of time to live up to the
expectations of consumers and also for remaining and surviving in the market for
a longer period of time.
Marks & Spencer’s are building up strategies to improve their infrastructure to be
more competitive in long- run. It also has a team of 200 people who are working
in the direction of improving the website. There is a positive part about the new
site of Marks & Spencer’s that it provides monthly updates, functioning of tablets
is improved and the performance has also become even better in comparison to
previous performance.

12. REFERENCES:-
How John Lewis, M&S and Debenhams handle on-site search | Econsultancy. 2015. How
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handle-on-site-search/. [Accessed 27 November 2015].
Debenhams UK - Searching for products . 2015. Debenhams UK - Searching for products .
[ONLINE] Available at: http://www.debenhams.com/customer-service/new-
customers/searching-for-products. [Accessed 27 November 2015].
2015. . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.marksandspencer.com/. [Accessed 27 November
2015].
http://www.digital-tonic.co.uk/digital-tonic-blog/went-wrong-marks-spencer-website-
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http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2272518/debenhams-and-littlewoods-tackle-ecommerce-
challenges-posed-by-tablets-and-4g