Comparison, Advantage and Disadvantage of Petco and Petsmarts Webistes

In choosing to compare and evaluate two e-commerce websites. Team Big Dawgs decided to compare Petco and PetSmart’s websites. Pet stores have taken a turn over the last two decades and have become more than just your neighborhood pet store that sells food and basic supplies. Now your online shopping has made it even easier to pamper your beloved pet.

When you first visit each website you will find that they are very similar in design and layout. They both use the same color scheme on the webpage, a patriotic red, white, and blue. Their sites make it easy to find items and links specifically related to only dogs, cats, birds and fish. On top of the page, they both feature basic categories to allow the user to search for an item based upon animal type, the scroll down further to find a specific kind of item for that animal. Their sites are so similar that it is almost as though the same person designed each website.

PetSmart website is user friendly and easy to navigate. You get the latest news about the company and find out where stores are located. The site offers an extensive privacy policy including legal notices and conditions of use which ensure that customers feel safe when using their site. Petco’s home page, however, is set more like an advertisement page, a circular of different discounts they have of their products. It caters to a difficult type of customer, focusing more on the price line than the experience of shopping with them. There is slightly more investigation required to find the item you seek on Petco’s webpage.

Both companies use information systems to their advantage, tracking purchasing history, customer information and pet information. They both send coupons based on your purchasing history and they both keep track of your pet’s annual check-up and medication reorders. Both company’s website help increase their market reach with online shopping, free delivery and in store pick up.