Competitive Analysis:

OurWedding.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 1st, 2006

Karen Dec, Karen Ford, Robert Scully, Chris Visel

INP 190: Web Development

 

Table of Contents

 

 

          Executive Summary                                                                        3

 

Competitor 1: TheKnot.com                                                          4

Content/Functionality                                                          5

Strengths                                                                              8

Areas for Improvement                                                       9

 

Competitor 2: WeddingChannel.com                                         10

Content/Functionality                                                          11

Strengths                                                                              13

Areas for Improvement                                           14

        

Competitor 4: WeddingSolutions.com                                        15

            Content-Functionality                                                          16

            Strengths                                                                              20

            Areas for Improvement                                                       21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Executive Summary

 

To assist in the development of the online wedding site OurWedding.com, a competitive analysis was performed. This analysis focused on three competitors: TheKnot.com, WeddingChannel.com, and WeddingSolutions.com.

 

All of the competitors offered a similar look and feel—pastel colors, certain duplicate navigation titling, such as, “Wedding Shop,” “Registry,” etc., and all had a personalized tools area titled “My ___” (this varied from “My Knot,” “My Wedding,” and “My Tools.”).

 

There were certain functions and tools offered that all of these websites seemed to contain. Some of these include:

 

• Budget Planner
• Guest List Manager
• Wedding Website
• Planning Checklist
• Various community forums/message boards
• Wedding shopping, including:

o      Favors

o      Invitations

o      Bridal accessories

• Registry area, including:

o      Find a couple’s registry

o      Registry Tips

·      Fashion and Beauty help, including:

o      Wedding Dress Search

o      Tuxedo Search

·      Vendor Locating tools

 

 

All of the competitors offered certain functionality unique to their specific site. Some of these may be valuable to OurWedding.com, and worth adding. These include:

 

• A notebook where users can keep ideas and articles as they plan
• Honeymoon Registry
• Vendor rating system
• Bridesmaid dress search
• Wedding Party/Service Provider Timeline
• “Real Weddings” (examples of other couples’ actual weddings)
• A separate area for advertisers
• Flower Picker

 

 

 

Competitor 1: The Knot (http://www.theknot.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Knot Home Page (home page extends bottom of screen at 1024x 768)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     The Knot Sub Page (extends bottom of screen at 1024x768)

 

Content/Functionality:

The Knot.com strives to provide every resource a bride and groom could possibly need while planning their wedding. Of particular interest to brides may be the “My Knot” section which contains multiple tools that can be personalized by the users. The site also contains a lot of planning advice, tips, and how-to’s. Finally, The Knot.com also offers full service registry and shopping options for any items the couple desires.

 

The content provided is as follows:

 

·      Personal Tools (My Knot) including:

·      Planning Checklist

·      Budget

·      Guest List

o      List/RSVP

o      Invitations

o      Gift Log

o      Seating

·      Wedding Web Page

o      Save The Date

o      Newsletters

o      RSVP Online

o      Notify guests of updates to page

·      Notebook (for keeping ideas as you plan)

·      Local Area (resources in your nearest metro area)

·      Gift Registry (including Create-A-Gift feature if you want money or charity donations instead of traditional gifts)

·      Wedding Photo Album

·      Beauty Checklist

·      Shopping List

 

·      Planning (articles and advice) including:

·      Planning

o      Budget and Basics

o      Wedding Style

o      Flowers and Décor

o      Wedding Cakes

o      Invitations and Stationery

o      Guests

o      Attendants

o      Ceremony and Vow Ideas

o      Customs and Etiquette

o      Music and Dancing

o      Photo and Video

o      Reception Ideas

o      Wedding Favors

o      Rehearsals and Brunches

o      Registering For Gifts

o      Destination Weddings

o      Sticky Subjects

o      Going To A Wedding

·      Getting Engaged

·      Real Weddings (examples of other couples)

·      Ask Carley (advice, Q&A)

·      Fashion

·      Beauty

·      Maids and Moms

·      Grooms and Guys

·      Honeymoons

 

·      Gowns (and other wedding apparel), including:

·      Wedding Gowns

·      Bridesmaids

·      Accessories

·      Rings and Jewelry

·      Tuxedos

·      Flower Girls

·      Moms

 

·      In Your Area (major metro area guides to vendors) including:

·      Reception

·      Ceremony

·      Wedding Fashions

·      Planning and Prep

·      Home and Life

 

·      Talk (community members are called “Knotties”) including:

·      Message Boards (Wedding, Local, Life)

·      My Bio

·      Chat

·      E-cards

·      Wedding Web Pages

·      Newsletters

 

·      TV (“KnotTV” segment plays as a Windows Media pop-up)

 

·      Registry Center, including:

·      My Registry

·      Customer Service

·      Shopping Cart

·      Find a Couple’s Registry

·      Registry Guide and Tips

·      Ultimate Registry Checklist

·      Two featured Registry partners: Michael C. Fina (china) & Target (everything else!)

 

·      Wedding Shop, including:

·      Reception

·      Favors

·      Attendant Gifts

·      To-Be-Wed Wear

·      Ceremony

·      Jewelry and Accessories

·      Planning

·      Beauty and Spa

·      As Seen on Knot TV

·      New Arrivals

·      On Sale

 

·      Link to The Nest (affiliated external site for newlyweds)

 

 

Support Pages, including:

·      Update Profile

·      Investor Relations

·      Site Index A-Z

·      Help

·      About Us/Press Room

·      Advertise With Us

·      Knot Jobs

·      Privacy Policy

·      Terms of Use

·      Log Out

·      Knot Store Directory

·      Shopping Cart

·      Customer Service

·      The Knot Wedding Rewards

 

 

Search Functionality:

·      Overall site search engine

·      Search for a couple’s registry

·      Search for a couple’s wedding web page

·      Import/export guest list

·      Search message boards

·      Search for a Knottie bride

·      Search the wedding shop

 

 

Technology Used:

In addition to the JavaScript and Flash that are required for viewing almost every page, the following technology is used on The Knot:

 

·      ASP – for the wedding checklist and many other personalized tools

·      CGI – for the guest list tool

·      Windows Media Player – for The Knot TV section

Strengths:

A major strength of The Knot is their clean, cohesive, and wedding-appropriate look. The fonts and colors used in the design are appealing to the intended audience (mainly brides-to-be).

The following strengths should be further analyzed so they may be improved upon and implemented for OurWedding.com:

 

• A global navigation less than eight buttons that remains constant throughout the website.
• Variety of well-crafted personalized tools to assist with the wedding planning process.

o      One unique tool is the Notebook where couples can store articles and ideas of personal interest to them, as well as pictures and information about gowns, tuxes, etc. that they like.

• Variety of well-crafted search tools to assist in finding things on the site

o      Most searches can be easily narrowed, in order to focus in on the desired information. For example, when browsing local reception venues, the user can narrow by geographic area, price, style, or room capacity.

• Numerous links to national and local vendors.
• Message boards where a couple can search for advice or share their experiences.

 

Areas for Improvement:

In terms of content, The Knot has it all. However, improvements can be made with the presentation and organization of the content.

 

Specific areas that should be considered for improvement include:

 

• Too many annoying pop-up pages when the user goes to a new page.
• Excessive use of Flash (multiple small, ever-changing images) and too much repetition of the same information. Brides-to-be already feel overwhelmed, so the site should strive to have a calming effect.
• The Knot TV section comes up without warning that it is going to automatically load streaming content. Also, the TV section occasionally (randomly) comes up on other pages (as an advertisement)
• Various plug-ins (JavaScript and Flash) are needed to view the site.
• Although there are links to a local section for certain smaller cities, many times it takes the user to a page of the nearest big city. This is misleading and confusing.
• The lack of an area for customers to leave remarks about their experience with a particular vendor.
• There is no “Home” button in global navigation (although the logo will take the user back to the home page).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Competitor 2: Wedding Channel (http://www.weddingchannel.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Channel Home Page (home page extends bottom of screen at 1024x 768)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Wedding Channel Sub Page (extends bottom of screen at 1024x768)

Content/Functionality:

The functionality of the Wedding Channel website is to provide a bride and groom with numerous invaluable tools to assist them in planning their wedding. Users have the ability to personalize the tools by simply registering with an email address, and can easily locate vendors in their area by entering a zip code.

 

The content provided is as follows:

 

·      Personal Tools including:

·      Budget Calculator

·      Guest List Manager

·      Planning Checklist

·      Scrapbook and Website Building Tools

·      Shopping List

 

·      Planning Tools and Advice including:

·      Cakes and Catering

·      Ceremony and Traditions

·      Flowers and Décor

·      Music and Dance

·      Parties and Showers

·      Photography and Videography

·      Reception, Parties and Showers

·      Styles and Themes

·      Fashion & Beauty

·      Guest Hotels

·      Honeymoon Destinations

 

·      Vendor Locating Tools including:

·      Ceremony Sites

·      Reception and Rehearsal Sites

·      Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties

·      Coordinators and Planners

·      Dance Instruction

·      Bridal Shows

·      Bakery and Catering Services

·      Flowers and Decorations

·      Musicians and DJs

·      Photographers and Videographers

·      Transportation

·      Marriage License

 

·      Gift Registry Tools including:

·      Links to national vendors

·      Links to local vendors

·      Links to various charities

·      Email tools to send your registry information to your guests

·      Area for guests to search registry information by wedding party name

·      Tips on selecting gifts to register for

 

·      Online Wedding store including:

·      Ceremony and Reception Decorations

·      Wedding Favors and gifts

·      Invitations and Music

·      Ability to personalize gifts with bride and groom names

 

·      A message board forum where couples can seek advice or share their opinions

 

·      A guide of all the upcoming showings on the Wedding Channel television station

 

 

 

Technology Used:

• Flash is used for some advertising as well as for viewing wedding channel videos
• ASP is used for surveys and checklists
• Java used to view website building demo
• Message Boards
• Secure Shopping Cart

 

Strengths:

Some of the strengths of the Wedding Channel website include a global navigation scheme that remains constant throughout the site. The labeling is simple to understand and the color scheme remains constant, providing the user with a comfortable environment.

 

The following strengths should be further analyzed so they may be improved upon and implemented for OurWedding.com:

 

• A global navigation less than ten buttons that remains constant throughout the website.
• No plug-ins such as Flash or Java are required to view the content.
• Login and site registration links that are available on all pages in a consistent manner.
• Personalized tools to assist with the wedding planning process.
• Links to national and local vendors.
• A community forum where a couple can search for advice or share their experiences.
• Headings provided on each page that match the global navigation titles.
• A search area on each page which allows friends and wedding guests to search for a couple by name.

 

Areas for Improvement:

One of the areas for improvement is the lack of presence of many local vendors. For example there are only fourteen listings for DJ/Musician services in the entire state of Michigan. Further analyzing should be performed on the Local Vendors area, and perhaps adding a feedback area for customers to leave comments about their experience with a particular vendor.

 

Specific areas that should be considered for improvement include:

 

• A lack of presence in the “Local Vendor” section
• The absence of an area for customers to leave remarks about their experience with a particular vendor.
• There is no Home button in the global navigation (although the logo will take the user back to the home page).
• The use of too many images, which could cause problems for users with a 56k connection.
• Not many pictures of potential venues to preview.
• The website uses a fixed width, centered alignment, which wastes lots of potential space.
• The tack of a demo in order to learn how to use the personalized services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Competitor 3: Wedding Solutions (http://www.weddingsolutions.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Solutions Home Page (home page extends bottom of screen at 1024x 768)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding Solutions Sub Page (extends bottom of screen at 1024x768)

Content/Functionality:

This is a comprehensive site that includes many helpful tools. In addition to offering tools for the bride, they also have a section for becoming a certified wedding planner. Their content may also be enhanced by the fact that the founders of the site are authors who have written over 20 top selling books.

 

The content provided is as follows:

·      My Wedding tools, including:

·      Checklist

·      Budget Analysis

·      Guest List

·      Service Providers

·      Stationery Items

·      Wedding Accessories

·      Wedding Party Timeline

·      Service Provider Timeline

·      Seating Charts

·      Gift Log

·      Budget Summary

·      My Registration

·      My Wedding Website

·      My Scrapbook

·      My Wedding Journal

 

·      Home Page

·      Photo Gallery

·      Advertising Opportunities

·      Advertisers Login

 

·      Fashion/Beauty, including:

·      Find a Wedding Gown

·      Wedding Gown Tips

·      Makeup Tips

·      Wedding Flowers

 

·      Vendor tools, including:

·      Photographers

·      Videographers

·      Caterers

·      Bakers

·      Musicians/DJ's

·      Florists

·      Transportation

·      Reception advice, including:

·      Options

·      Things to Consider

·      Reception Site Fee

·      Gratuity

·      Question to Ask

·      Disposable Cameras

·      Reception Forums

 

·      Honeymoon planning, including extensive details about:

·      Cancun

·      Hawaii

·      Jamaica

·      St. Lucia

·      Bahamas

·      Puerto Rico

·      Tahiti

·      Fiji

 

·      Shopping assistance for::

·      Planners

·      Invitations

·      Accessories

·      Jewelry

·      Gifts

·      Favors

·      Personalized Items

·      Best Selling

 

·      Registry area that includes:

·      Honeymoon Registry

o      Sample Registry

o      Registry FAQ’s

·      Find a couple’s registry

·      Manage your registry

·      Notify my guests

·      Gifts received

 

·      Forums, including:

·      Topics

·      My Journal

·      Calendar

·      Today's Post

·      Real Life Stories

·      Etiquette

·      Fashion and Beauty

·      Local Vendors

·      In Your Area

·      Honeymoon

·      Newly Weds

·      Planning Topics

·      Registry

 

·      Wedding Planning Tools, including:

·      Wedding Articles

·      Wedding Music

·      Things to Know

·      Wedding flowers

 

 

Technology Used

• Cold Fusion
• PHP
• Message Board
• Shopping Cart
• Preferences
• SSL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strengths:

This site has a lot of great information. The founders seem to have a reliable and impressive background that adds to the site’s credibility. There is also very little advertisements, no pop ups, and no plug-ins required to view a page. Everything is visually appealing, and the global navigation is usually consistent.

 

The following strengths should be further analyzed so they may be improved upon and implemented for OurWedding.com:

 

• When registering, the user can indicate whether they are a guest/family, already married, getting married or a wedding professional.
• The vendors have a great rating area where users can post feedback.

• No plug-ins are required to view the content.
• The forums offered are very extensive.
• An ability to search for a bridal/honeymoon registry from almost any page.
• Many extremely helpful articles.
• Appropriately titled global navigation, with user-friendly roll-overs that indicate the sub-pages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Areas for Improvement:

A big issue found was the lack of local vendor information, particularly for smaller cities. Also, some tools (like the flower-picking tool) were hard to relocate, after initially finding them. Difficulty in locating the tools came from the layout not remaining consistent area to area. Another problem was the redundancy of the links.

 

Specific areas that should be considered for improvement include:

 

• A lack of presence in the Local Vendor area.
• Difficulty in locating the many helpful tools.
• Alignment on some of the pages: specific examples include the “flowers” pages.
• Difficulty in knowing where the user is within the site: consider adding bread crumbs to the pages in some areas, to improve usability.
• The logo does not link to the home page.
• Unclear registration, i.e. city / zip.
• Poorly labeled tools: Some are given different names, but take the user to the same tool.
• An overly busy home page.
• An over-abundance of redundant links.