What is their content and how is it being remediating?
Both websites feature apparel, shoes, and accessories related to sports for men, women, and kids. The items are sorted into categories and you can browse a variety of items from multiple categories. Aside from their main brand, they also list their acquired brand’s items as well. Nike has Converse, Hurley, and Air Jordans, while Adidas has its various Adidas brands. The online retail platform is remediating the paper order catalogs, which remediates the walk-in retail store experience. In a similar fashion to retail stores and catalogs, the website has its featured items front and center, with the rest of the items grouped. The process of shopping is also similar in that you browse from category to item in sections and steps. You then proceed to checkout in a similar fashion by placing items in your cart as you would do in a brick-and-mortar store.
Use of Immediacy
Similarities in use of immediacy
Both sites use models to allow the user to experience the clothing through self insertion. The different poses and angles allow for a close to full 360 experience as if they were wearing it themselves. The models themselves are also so similar fit to each other so even if models are different from product to product, users don’t have a difficult time seeing the fit of each of them.
Differences in use of immediacy
Adidas has the model in similar poses on the browsing page which allow easier comparisons between different styles and fits. Adidas also has videos that play for some apparel. From what I have searched, I cannot find an item from Nike that does something similarly. I think the video adds a better visual dynamic for the buyer to see for themselves what the outfit looks like in a moving format. The video gives a 360 degree view as well as how the clothing moves in action. Adidas also lists the model’s height and the size of the product they are wearing.
Use of Hypermediacy
Similarities in use of hypermediacy
Both sites use a main navigation on the top of the website, with the store pages having an additional side navigation. With similar groupings, users should have an easy time looking for what they need. Both sites also use a hover function on their products when browsing to show all the different colors they have for that one product, saving the user from having to click into it. This saves them time and lets them have a better browsing experience. It also improves the efficiency of how the user interacts with the website. Having similar menus and locations to most online distribution services make the experience guessable for the user and more intuitive.
Differences in use of hypermediacy
While both sites use filters in the form of a side navigation, I feel like Nike does a better job by utilizing check boxes in their selections. This allows the user to select multiple sports for example, and gives the user an easier experience. On the Adidas site, users would have to click in and out of different sports to get to different lists of items. Not allowing for multiple selections hamper the shopping experience, decreases the efficiency, and makes the user go through a few extra steps to get to what they want to see.
Side Navigation Filter for Adidas.com
Side Navigation Filter for Nike.com
Which is Better and Why?
I think the overall user interface is cleaner and more efficient on the Nike website. The addition of check boxes enhances the shopping experience so much by making it less tedious to filter selections. While both sites have a similar amount of hypermediacy, this small detail makes the experience of hypermediacy better in favor of Nike. However, the videos on the Adidas website makes the decision really close because it provides a greater immediacy. I’m able to get a better feel of the product and the listing of the model’s height and size reinforces my perception, which is very important when shopping.
Are there any ways in which either product could do a better job in terms of immediacy, hypermediacy or remediation?
As mentioned, Nike could definitely take Adidas’ idea of video preview as well as listing the model height and the size of the outfit they are modeling and Adidas can take Nike’s check boxes for better filter browsing. One thing that online shopping can’t replicate (yet) is the sense of touch, but the closest thing we have to that is the product specifications of fabric and material. Adidas shows this under their product while Nike does it in a blow up full screen lightbox, which is inefficient for the user to get to.
*Important note for this assignment: I browsed as a “guest”. If I were to make an account, there are additional features like favoriting products and members exclusive listings to take into consideration.