trader joe's slideshow

Caroline Cappelli

The Quest to Locate Frozen Pizza

Customer Journey documentationSummer Semester 2011 – Adjunct Professor Alisan Atvur

How do I find the frozen pizza in this Trader Joe’s location?

Differences in Navigation:

I was fairly lucky that the Trader Joe’s location I visited on Peachtree Street was relatively small and I spotted the frozen aisle in my first few steps into the store. Unlike other larger grocery stores, there are not endless rows upon rows of merchandise to get lost in. I chose to look for a specific food item because Trader Joe’s does not have coupons, discounts, or any prominent customer service area. Since they do not display all products online, I hoped that pizza would potentially be displayed somewhere on the site. While the store was inviting and friendly, I almost missed the unmistakably aisle markings. It was by pure coincidence that I found the frozen section and then the pizza. Likewise, I initially had a knee-jerk reaction and clicked Thai-Chicken Pizza on the right hand menu, even though I later realized it was a link to a recipe. Simply seeing the word pizza made me jump to click it. Next I clicked Products & Guides and was able to find a frozen pizza product.

In-Store Navigation Difficulties:

While I stated above that the store was warm and welcoming in its design, it was sometimes difficult to read information or quickly navigate due to their use of hand-written chalk signs. The varying colors, handwriting, and patterns did not make for quick identification. Also it was a bit confusing that the first things the customer sees upon entrance are rows of flowers. It almost appears to be a florist shop at first glance. Also, the attire of the employees (Hawaiian themed shirts) is a Trader Joe’s tradition, it is sometimes difficult to locate someone for assistance as they tend to blend in as customers.

Online Navigation Difficulties:

Trader Joe’s is a unique grocery store in that their website offers information on very specific products that change frequently. Nothing ever seems to be stable on the site, as new recipes, food, drinks, and other items are being highlighted. In addition, nothing can ever be purchased from the website, and it was extremely lucky that I was able to find information on any type of frozen pizza on the site due to these conditions. In fact, my reason for choosing such a standard item was precisely because I anticipated this predicament. Had I chosen teriyaki sauce, for example, I doubt I would have achieved a successful result.

The Store Wins:

Absolutely users looking to buy frozen pizza or obtain information about frozen pizza would opt to go to the store. It was a gamble to assume that the item in question will be featured on the website since it only represents a very small percentage of their products. In the store, users can inspect all aisles, feeling, seeing, and smelling for themselves. While in today’s world of technological efficiency it seems everything can be done easier and quicker online, this is not the case with the Trader Joe’s website. The website is simply for specialized info and for the user to get a sense of the company’s overall identity.