Please show your ingredients list
“You’re allergic to chocolate.”
Simply put, I’m cacao intolerant. I found out when I was 16 through an allergen test. As expected, I was devastated.
Despite the list showing about 20 other things that my body couldn’t handle, cacao was the one that hit me the hardest. Being lactose intolerant, I thought, “At least I still have vegan chocolate”.
NOPE.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I just accepted it right away. I ‘rebelled’ and continued eating chocolate, only to have the effects worsen. The nausea and headaches that came with eating chocolate became so bad to the point my brain starting associating chocolate with pain.
Thus, my life of actively reading the ingredients list began.
Is it that hard to show the ingredients list?
When online shopping started taking off, sellers weren’t as intuitive as they are now when it came to showcasing their products. A picture of their product and a short description would be the only things shown on the product page.
I would have to scour the web to find the ingredients list. Most of the time, I’d just give up and buy it in person.
With this, I became someone who truly valued informative websites. If I didn’t have to use an external website to gain more information on the product, they were in the running for a gold star.
Today’s contestant for the gold star: CALPICO®
CALPICO® is a Japanese non-carbonated soft drink, manufactured by Calpis Co. Ltd., in Shibuya, Tokyo.
It’s been the bestselling beverage in Japan for over 100 years with fans getting hooked in more than 25 countries around the world. Being a pioneer of lactic acid beverage since 1919, its original fermentation process created its unique taste is with proprietary cultured milk.
The polka dots symbolise the Milky Way, also celebrating CALPICO®’s birthday, July 7th 1919, the day of the Tanabata (Star Festival).
Is the CALPICO® website gold star worthy?
Entering the website, you’re greeted with bright colours that match their ready-to-drink collection. The tagline, “Surprisingly fruity, delightfully refreshing!”, indicates that this collection revolves around fruits. It’s quick, easy to read and informative.
The website doesn’t have a menu tab. In my opinion, the 4 navigation tabs on the top are informative and efficient. Each navigation tab brings you to a section on the page; with each section having its own purpose.
The only downfall to this method is that by not having its own page, there is no designated website link. Thus, this brings an inconvenience to those that would like to send the direct link of a certain product, resulting in them having to use an Amazon link for example.
Starting with the ‘Products’ section (The Good)
Each product shows the different sizes available, along with the nutrition facts of each size and the ingredients list. At a glance, I didn’t realise that they showed the products’ differing sizes because it’s labelled in white.
By following their colour scheme, they burdened the users into having to put more effort when using their website. Moreover, the images can’t be magnified, creating a less favourable user experience for those with bad eyesight.
‘Where to buy’ (The Best)
The website provides a ‘where to buy’ function, which allows the user to search for the nearest store selling their products. They also have an ‘available on amazon’ button along with an additional ‘buy now’ button, leading to their Amazon page.
I would confer that the ‘buy now’ button is misleading because some might assume that it would be through their personal Calpico website. However, it’s still a straightforward process for users who wish to purchase Calpico products online.
Mobile page (The Worst)
Due to the fact that the website couldn’t even load properly on mobile devices, the immediate rating for this is 0 out of 10. I guess they didn’t pay much attention to it because their customers would simply Google ‘places to buy Calpico’ or ‘Calpico flavours’ instead of looking for their website.
Not gold star worthy
If I were to just take the website’s user experience via laptop into consideration, I would give it a silver star. The fact that it was pretty to look at whilst still having the necessary and relevant information regarding its products was a plus to me. It also provided easy access to purchase its products (via Amazon).
The lack of designated links for its respective sections or products removed the convenience aspect that most users would look for when it comes to sharing with their friends.
All in all, CALPICO® is a globally known beverage company with limited products. It doesn’t have a hard time retaining its current consumers, but if they aim to expand more, they need to work harder on improving their web design to make it more accessible and user-friendly.
