It’s Not The Avon I Remember

Avon

I remember Avon from my high school years, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a catalog or made an Avon purchase. For some time now, though, I’ve been meaning to buy Avon Skin-so-soft lotion for its mosquito repellant benefit, so I went to the website to see what Avon had to offer. Wow! This is not the Avon I remember; and I was pleasantly surprised.

Avon’s home page is a fairly simple with various links. The main four links include one for shopping, one for special deals and offers, one to locate a sales representative in your area (for those wanting the human touch) and one for information on how to become an Avon sales representative. In addition, the home page features a special offer (currently the offer is for a free trial size skin cream with every order), links to corporate information about Avon, a search field where users can locate specific products, and a link to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade page with information about the Avon 3-Day Walks.

Rather than just searching for the Skin-so-soft lotion, I decided to shop the site and see what was available. I found the site well organized and easy to navigate. The shopping home page features special items from six different product categories: beauty, gifts, specials, Avon wellness, jewelry and accessories, and inspirational treasures. The featured items are either new items or items offered at sale prices. By clicking on these items you can read more information about each, view a larger picture, and place an order. There are also tabs at the top of the page to shop for more items in each of these six merchandise categories. Clicking in the tabs, I found that in each category, merchandise was clearly divided into various “departments” which made shopping very easy! For example: In the beauty category, products were organized into departments for make up, skincare, bath and body, fragrance, outdoor protection, and salon & spa. Each of these departments was further categorized. The make up department had individual links for lips, eyes, nails, face, and gift sets. The way the site is organized, makes it very easy to locate specific products or to browse through the entire e-store’s inventory. I was pleased to see that sales items are shown in both the “specials” department and their “home” department giving shoppers the ability to either comparison shop or zoom in on bargains.

While I was expecting to see a full range of make-up, skin care, and jewelry products, I was surprised to find wide merchandise assortments in the gift and wellness categories. From candles, to children’s toys, to diet aids, Avon offers a broad assortment of items at reasonable prices.

My intention was only to buy Skin-so-soft lotion. I ended up also purchasing a Bally Total Fitness Calorie Counter Jump Rope, two trial sized Nailwear nail enamels, and two Glazewear lip glosses. Since this review is about the site, and not about the products, I’ll simply say that I am pleased with all of my purchases and with the value that I received. Avon always offers various special incentives. When I placed my order, I received free shipping with an order over $30, and a free gift with an order over $40. Ok, I admit it, I purchased that last lip gloss to get the free gift — it was worth it! My free gift included Sun-so-soft SPF 8 spray sunscreen, a full sized Skin-so-soft bath and shower gel, Bug Guard plus insect repellent with SPF 30, Sun-so-soft lip balm with SPF 15, a trial sized container of Advance Techniques hair conditioner, a tube of black waterproof mascara and a cute plastic-lined canvas tote to carry these items to the beach. I can honestly say that this is a free gift that I will actually use!

As I shopped, the system tracked the items in my “shopping cart”, and check out was quick and easy. I received an e-mail confirmation of my order that same day. Two days later I received an e-mail telling me that my order had shipped, and less than one week from the date of purchase my order arrived at my home. I was very impressed by the way my products were packed. The shipping carton seemed slightly larger than I expected. Opening it, I found it to be lined with pretty purple tissue paper. It’s a minor thing, and not one that I would want to pay extra for, but it made me feel like I was opening a present. My products were wrapped with care, and for what it’s worth, it made me feel like Avon values me as a customer. Inside the tissue paper, all of my items were wrapped in bubble wrap to protect them during shipping. It was a nice change from shredded paper and styrofoam peanuts. Also packed with my shipment was a complete packing slip detailing my order and explaining the return policy. Everything is 100% guaranteed, and can be returned for any reason.

My only complaint about the website is not specific to Avon. I find it difficult to select make-up colors from pictures. While Avon’s site does a good job in showing all of the available colors, I did find that the colors I received were not what I expected. Luckily, I liked them very much. It worked out well because I would never have intentionally ordered these shades, but having tried them on, I’m very pleased with them. I will keep both lip glosses and both nail polishes, but it’s nice to know that I could have easily returned them if I so chose.

All in all, I have to give very high marks to Avon. I’m pleased with the products that I purchased; my shopping experience was pleasant; and I did it all from the comfort of my home. In addition, I feel good about supporting Avon because of all of the support that Avon has provided towards finding a cure for breast cancer. As The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade webpage states:

“Avon’s corporate vision ‘to be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service and self-fulfillment needs of women globally,’ isn’t just talk. It’s action. Because one of women’s most important needs is good health, Avon has raised approximately $190 million for women’s health programs in 30 countries through a variety of fundraising programs, including the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day walks.”

– D. Igo