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TheMoodieReport.com: "Website of the week: Copenhagen Airport Tax-Free Shop - 09/08/06
Source: �The Moodie Report
By Soharni Tennekoon
Email Print
Website of the week: Copenhagen Airport Tax-Free Shop - 09/08/06
Source: ©The Moodie Report
By Soharni Tennekoon
Email Print


Green, white and grey with splashes of red make up this site. The image is smart and professional while still being consumer-friendly. The layout is contemporary, methodical and well sign-posted
Website of the week: Copenhagen Airport Tax-Free Shop

Founded in 1925, Copenhagen Kastrup Airport was one of the first civil airports to open and is now Scandinavia’s leading passenger airport. Direct connections are available to 132 destinations worldwide, 19 of which are intercontinental, 84 European, 22 Nordic and seven domestic.

The Tax-Free Shop www.tax-free.dk is a dedicated shopping website created by Copenhagen Airport off its main Shopping page and is supported by duty free concessionaire The Nuance Group.

Style

Green, white and grey with splashes of red make up this site. The image is smart and professional while still being consumer-friendly. The layout is contemporary, methodical and well sign-posted.

Product images are of good quality, with enlargeable thumbnails for close-ups. Although pictures are not fixed on the page of the product tables, you can click on the camera icon to view the item.

Content and usability

“The Tax-Free Shop: Buy online for DKK1,000 and save an extra 20%” announces the bold header. And below this solid, encouraging start, in small print reads the following: “The discount applies in June, July and August and will be deducted from the payment. The goods must be picked up before departure” - so we know that this website is on its toes, with constant updates.

“Order from home and pick up your products on the way to the airplane” – simple, easy instructions. We immediately learn that there is a pre-order service onboard this website. But little do we know how efficient and precise it is. We’re in for a treat.

The homepage contains two high-quality product images. These images are regularly varied during your visit, so that every time you return to the homepage a different set of items is displayed. The product details – name, volume and price – are all included. It doesn’t stop there – there is even a price comparison, including city price (recommended retail price) and special offer price (tax-free price). Underneath this lies the option to either Add to wish list or Add to basket. Choosing the former allows you to keep it ‘bookmarked’ and decide later whether to buy, discard or send to a friend. The latter does what it says. Clicking on one of the images takes you to the page with other products from that category. More on that later.

Back on the homepage is a list of step-by-step instructions on how to use this site to purchase your desired items, prefaced by “Please note that orders must be placed no less than 48 hours before departure when ordering online.” The instructions include selecting your destination country so you know which items you are permitted to buy.

On the extreme left and right sit two vertical columns which stay rooted throughout. On the left: Home, Special Offers, Men’s Fragrances, Women’s Perfumery, Wine & Liquor and Tobacco. And on the right: Login (users are encouraged to become members), Wish List, Currency, Shopping Basket, FAQ, Customs Regulations, Sales Conditions, Security, Pick-up Point and Contact us.

Products
Clicking on one of the product categories gives you a list of further options. For instance, Men’s Fragrances includes an extensive drop-down list of Brands, from Aramis to Montblanc to Versace. Or if you know what type of men’s products you’re after, there are further drop-down menus to choose from: Body care, Hair care, Perfumes and Skin care. Perfumes has ten options such as Aftershave, Deo spray and Eau de toilette. Selecting one shows you the list of items in this category. If you were to choose edt, for example, there are 213 items, in table form, listed alphabetically (A-Z or Z-A options are both available): Brand, product, picture, the wish list option, city price, online price and the add-to-basket option. Items range from Bulgari Aqua Pour Homme Eau de Toilette Spray (50ml) at DKK375 (RRP) or DKK300 (tax-free price) to Lancôme Homme Complete Revitalising Treatment (50ml) DKK350 (RRP) or DKK280 (tax-free price).

To celebrate the launch of our new Travel Retail Web-Wide Index, each week we put the spotlight on one of the growing array of dedicated travel retail websites or web sections. Click here or on the image to read the index.

The 213 items take up several pages and are numbered, but there is also the option to view all 213 in one single page. This is a very useful device. All in all, this product showcase is highly comprehensive yet comprehensible.

Similar set-ups apply for Women’s Perfumery, Tobacco and Wine & Liquor. Women’s Perfumery includes the categories Body care, Cosmetics, Hair care, Perfume, Skin care and Sun products in drop-down style. Brands on offer include Christian Dior, Dior Manicure at DKK369 (RRP) or DKK295 (tax-free price) and Donna Karan Be Delicious at DK500 (RRP) or DKK400 (tax-free price).

Wine & Liquor offers Whisky, Cognac & Brandy, Other spirits, Liqueurs & Fortified wine, Wine and Beer. Brands like Jack Daniel's Black Label DKK500 (RRP) or DKK400 (tax-free price) and Rémy Martin XO Special DKK1,298 (RRP) or DKK899 (tax-free price) feature.

In the Tobacco section you have cigarettes, loose tobacco, cigars, cigarillos and cheroots to choose from, with brands like Benson & Hedges to Davidoff both at DKK199.95 (tax-free price) on offer.

The main page of each product page illustrates an item with details (as mentioned earlier) and even better, a list of the top ten and most popular products within that group, which is a neat touch.

Special Offers for August consist of ten items in table form – as in the case of products - including Clinique High Impact Mascara Travel Set at DKK148 (tax-free price) and Absolut Ruby Red at DKK124 (tax-free price).

Shopping basket displays the contents of your basket, where you have the option to add, edit or purchase. The pre-order system is methodical and easy to use. Navigation is commendably simple despite the comprehensive nature of this site. There is usually a ‘back’ option on each page so you don’t lose your place or forget which items you were viewing.

Currency presents 64 currencies to choose from. However, it also states that the user can only pay in Danish Krone.

Customs Regulations comprises a host of useful information from duty free allowances and age requirements to the procedure for declaring goods.

Sales conditions is also a handy page to view when pre-ordering.

Pick-up point shows you a map to find the relevant point in the airport to collect your goods.

A search engine is also available and in clear view.

What we like:
Extensive product showcase
User-friendly pre-order system
Good sign-posting and layout and easy navigation
Smart, contemporary image

What we think needs improving/adding:
A Sense of Place – there is nothing particularly Danish about this site. A selection of destination merchandise would be a good addition.

Visit www.tax-free.dk

COMING SOON: The Moodie Report Travel Retail Worldwide Web Awards.

Sponsored by P&G Prestige Products

Which websites offer the best service to consumers? Which are most user-friendly? Which are the most stylish? And which, crucially, offer the greatest incentive to shop?

Every year we will judge, through a combination of industry polling, consumer opinion and specialist judges, who is doing most to wow travellers on the web. International and regional awards.

The main award – Travel Retail Website of the Year – will be unveiled at this year's 'Oscars' of the industry: the Frontier Awards in Cannes. More details coming soon.