Dell Is Still For Me
Dell 4 Me Home Online
Michael Dell is a marketing genius whose self-serving autobiography pitches his company's website with a URL printed at the bottom of every page. After several hundred pages of the www.dell.com image burned into their brain, any reader would simply recite the name when asked the company's location.
The company decided three years ago, however, to embark on a mission to sell bundled computers, software and services squarely aimed at the consumer market. The program was called Dell4me and included then-cutting edge product offerings such as broadband excite from Excite. And while Dell and its founder have experienced their share of marketing misfires, few companies in any industry marshal their forces to support an initiative as effectively.
Dell4me has now morphed into Dell's standard web site. Entering the URL will redirect visitors to a modified version of the Dell main page. There is no differentiation between business and consumer here; instead, major links are separated into product categories. Simply accessing Dell.com currently yields a different page that does allow business users to choose servers, rack cabinets, networking and professional services. Consumers thus are able to refine their surfing experience by using the Dell4me brand, which is certainly not heavily promoted any longer.
Dell's Daily Deal
Perhaps the most frustrating issue with shopping Dell online is the ever-changing sale. Dell constantly tests price breaks versus additional software versus hardware upgrades, all in an apparent effort to create a Darwinistic direct response model. I respect this approach that prods consumers to purchase what many view as a commodity product. I even practice the same approach in many elements of my job.
But Dell runs a risk of freezing shoppers in place by having them always ask the question — is a better deal coming next week?. And make no mistake that a new, although not necessarily better, deal is coming. Much like auto manufacturers have become trapped in a zero percent financing rut, so too is Dell with its constant offers. And like the automakers, stopping the sale merry-go-round could result in some short term competitive losses and cash flow decreases. With a jittery investment community that still overemphasizes short-term earnings, consumers are unlikely to see any changes to the omnipresent Dell sale.
What this means for you is that, having chosen Dell, you'll have to chose your sale. Do you want free shipping? That offer pops up every so often? How about a memory grade or a free digital camera? Using clickstream analysis with cookies, Dell marketers can tell what combination of offers close at the highest rate. The power of the web even allows them to analyze what computers someone has assembled, but not purchased and what finally caused a purchase.
So will the sales end? Probably not. Dell announced this month that the company would begin selling private labeled printers manufactured by Lexmark. Industry leader HP saw that move coming weeks earlier and began a battle of the brands. Free shipping and upgrades will no doubt continue to be offered on the site, but don't be surprised to see a big push to the new Dell-tagged printers.
Shopping Dell
A variety of pre-bundled computers and refurbished models await casual shoppers. The ubiquitous specials pop up as banner ads and in the configuration description. Dell's configuration module though is what makes shopping fun at the site. Combine a variety of boards, peripherals and software and you can assemble your personal dream machine.
The module has enough rules programmed to alert shoppers to potential conflicts, as well as shipping delays that may occur when selecting items that are not easily assembled together.
Shoppers should be tread carefully around the "Dell Recommends" pre-selections. In many cases, the unwary shopper will find themselves purchasing extended service contracts, ISP service, and in one egregious example, a package of CD-RW discs. These add-on items may be appropriate for you, but you should make sure to carefully review each screen to avoid purchasing items you don't want or need. Build your own — that is the fun here.
Through several layers of configuration, the site allows you to update projected shipping dates and price. You typically will not be able to see the shipping cost until you place the assembled computer in your basket, but my experience has been that UPS service runs approximately $100 to the continental United States. You'll also want to check your sales tax at that time. In some cases, the tax is extremely low — under $10. I am sure that this is not the case in all states and would expect to see taxes of $50 or more in some. Again, keep checking your price and ship date.
A final word about ship dates: Dell has long practiced the Disney service mechanism of underpromise and overdeliver. Do not despair when you receive a message that your computer will not be ready for shipping for a week or so. Dell continues padding these dates to take advantage of the moment of delight when the computer is shipped earlier than promised.
The ordering system is easy to use once a computer is selected. Paying for the computer is no more difficult than purchasing a book at Amazonm and an easy-to-use fulfillment system lets you keep tabs on your order's status. Once your system ships, the tracking number is also including, allowing you to mark your new machine's journey across the country with the click of a mouse button.
How Much Did I Spend Here?
I didn't retain my customer number from previous orders, but using the same email address and physical address allowed the system to automatically match my new order to previous orders. Through a generous program at work, I have access to an interest free computer loan of up to $2000 that can be spread through two years. I found it amusing that my previous Dell orders all occurred in the same week and were within one dollar of each other. Mind you, that is for a Pentium 2, Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 machine. One thing I can do is stick with a budget!
Interestingly enough, the system retains all detail from previous orders. I was able to access orders placed several years ago and see what machine was ordered, its specifications and delivery dates. I have no idea why I might need that type of information in the future, but I found it oddly comforting that the thousands of dollars I have spent there are neatly categorized and attributed to me. Who knows, maybe I will get a nicer mouse pad when I hit four orders.
The Bottom Line, Clicks and All
Accessing the system via Dell4me may provide a more consumer friendly initial view than simply accessing Dell. Meanwhile, this industry leader continues to improve on its direct to consumer sales model. I have not yet had a problem of any sort — from shipping to payment to quality — in multiple purchases over multiple years. All online transactions should be this easy.
Five Things To Remember From This Review
1. Dell4me is a three year old legacy site aimed at consumers that
will redirect you to the company's main site.
2. Carefully check your order so that helpful items such as blank media
are not included.
3. There always is a sale — if you are not in a rush, you may be able
to wait out the current sale (they usually last a week) and see what other
goodies you can get. But check the site anyway — some sales are unadvertised
and very lucrative.
4. Dell is going to recommend bleeding-edge equipment. You may save hundreds
of dollars by choosing carefully.
5. Taxes may not be as much as you thought, but shipping will cost you
approximately $100 in the lower 48 states.
