As you can see, the differences in the home page are drastically different.
American McDonald's Homepage
- Simple design that focuses on their food
- Describe their products as being delicious, famous, and having a rich history
- Small, simple selection of tabs that are easily located
- Small color selection of red, black and some gold
- Design incorporates many different themes that include food, pop stars, and children
- Foods are described as being juicy or tasty
- Home page not only has a scrolling tab feature but every tab has a subset of tabs and related news articles and page links
- The main page is composed of various colors, layouts, and graphics.
All of these differences seem to be appropriate for each market. McDonald's is continually trying to become more sophisticated in the American market and reaching out to adults while they still advertise heavily to children and teens in Japan. This shows the different market segments and target marketing performed by McDonald's in each market in an effort to build new customer relationships and maintain current ones.
Another market that has become recently accessible to large American retailers is China. This country not only presents a problem for a company in identifying the needs and wants of the people, but also must be very vigilant to the Chinese government. A mistake by a company who has not done their research about the corporate environment in China could very well find themselves no longer allowed to operate in the region. Companies must also ensure that they meet other internet regulations so their online content is not censored.This next example will look at the world's largest retailer's homepage in America compared to that of their Chinese page.
The Walmart's American homepage is typical of what you would expect as an American consumer looking at a retailer's homepage. A big "free shipping" entices the shopper to click on college supplies while the rest of the website is full of links to other shopping areas. It is apparent by this website that the American demand is for retailers to provide online shopping at good prices so the consumer does not have to leave their home. The American Walmart site has catered to the American market demands by incorporating this format and only includes other company information in small links at the bottom of the page.
The Chinese Walmart website is quite different than the American Site. You won't find any links that go to an online shopping center. Instead, the website is geared heavily toward informing the consumer of the positive social and economic impacts and responsibilities that Walmart holds itself responsible for in China. Most of the tabs redirect you to pages that are intended to inform the reader of Walmarts commitments to China and its people.This approach is very different than its American marketing mix because Walmart is not only trying to build a new brand with people but also showing that it cares for the people. This is particularly effective in China because it is a manufacturing intense country where employers are more concerned with increased profit than their effect on the environment and worker's welfare. This societal marketing approach will assuredly hit home with the Chinese people as they identify the increased benefits of having a Walmart in their community.
Walmart's China website maintained it's traditional company colors and symbols, keeping brand recognition congruent in diverse markets. They included color sale advertisements that you would see in the American mail system and websites. Importantly, Walmart also carries their own brand name products as they do in America, even including the same labeling in English. These brands are more advertised on their Chinese product fliers than their American, most likely preying on the desire of the Chinese to buy American products.
The last comparison of international website will be that of Sony
The Sony Greece homepage was very straightforward. It highlighted their new products while providing easy navigation to the rest of their product lineup. Online shopping was easily accessible along with any other information you were looking for. The interesting thing about international Sony websites in Europe is that they were all exactly the same. No country got any special treatment in regards to design or product promotion. This might be an attempt by Sony to cover a multitude of countries in a close density without bias towards one or another. Sony uses a central shipping hub in the European Union so keeping all product lines similar is likely important. Sony's Greece and European homepage is very direct in marketing to its customers, knowing that consumers want the online shopping experience to be as easy, fast, and natural.
The Sony American Homepage is much different than its European pages. Reminiscent of the McDonald's website, Sony has incorporated a simple but elegant design that showcases one if it's products. Also highlighted on the homepage are new movies and video games being released. This is important in reaching the American consumer who generally are very interested in pop culture and technology. Both the American and Greek website had the same products, it is probable that the European electronics were made for different voltages, something a company must consider when selling electrical devices outside the United States. The American Sony website included tabs at the top to navigate to other areas of their products, just more subdued than the European site.These three retailer's websites go a long way to show what companies now face when it comes to a global market place. With many different market segments, companies must be more vigilant than ever to ensure they are capturing the desire of consumers in all markets. This takes a dedication to note every small detail of cultural significance and detail that might otherwise be ignored to remain competitive in the modern marketplace.
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