Etenga.co.za is the online retail arm of technology consultancy Computers Etc, taking the company`s offering of IT-related products to consumers online. Computers Etc has been running since 1988; etenga is a much younger child.
Touting itself as the online IT superstore, etenga recently revamped its Web site, promising even more user-friendliness for consumers.
Appearance
The site is cleanly designed and well laid out, living up to the company`s aims of having a "professional look, with an easy-to-use feel". The site design makes good use of the signature green, white and blue etenga colours, and apart from the very tiny text on the click-through buttons, is really very easy on the eyes.
Hot products are pictured on the front page, and are flanked by navigation bars linking the user through the regular sections, such as hardware, software, consumables and books, and bars offering users the chance to click directly through to vendor showcases and more hot picks for the day.
Navigation
Finding your way through this site is never difficult - navigation bars anchored to both the top and bottom of all pages means you can find your way through to the beginning of all major sections. Once you`re in a category, the threaded navigation works just fine.
Functionality
The site`s offerings work well - the only complaint I have is that some sections are not hyperlinked, which would really aid users in finding what they want.
Content quality
There is a broad range of products to choose from, as well as a dearth of information to aid the hapless newbie or the temporarily confused regular. However, there is just not enough of the right information to keep me happy.
Litmus test
I decided to stock up on disks. After identifying the box of disks I wanted, I checked out - at which point I was prompted to login, or register.
The registration process is standard; I noticed, however, this is one of many South African e-commerce sites using a rather American standard - that of sending invoices to street addresses only. There is no option to be billed at a postal address - which, considering our street postal service, is rather worrying. Also, the field space is far too short. I wasn`t able to input my correct street address for this precise reason.
On top of that, I managed to input my details incorrectly - I only realised this after the purchase had gone through (which it did very smoothly, indeed).
I tried to fix things myself, but to no avail. I clicked through to the Shopping Assistant (read - a glorified term for Help) where I was faced with a total lack of information regarding updating personal details. I was prompted to visit the Customer Care site, but there was no link to be seen.
In fact, the Customer Care site, I later found, is run from the Computers Etc Johannesburg branch (tough luck to customers based outside of Johannesburg - just accept those sky-high phone charges stoically), manned by two people (neither of whom were available when I phoned), and only operates during office hours, Monday to Friday.
I eventually resorted to mailing helpdesk@etenga.co.za - a good call, since this is one of the etenga offerings that really does work. Less than an hour after my mail went through, I received a response basically stating that I`d be given the option to edit my personal profile the next time I made a purchase online.
On the whole, the etenga offering is impressive - delivery is fulfilled very quickly through Sun Couriers, and is free - a major bonus. However, the content quality and call centre service aspects definitely need some attention.
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