MacMall.com Site and Service Review
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When it comes to buying Mac products, most of us either head to the nearest Apple Store or go online to Apple.com. However, there are some alternatives out there and chances are, you’ll be able to save some money. If you’re looking for Apple computers, or components, MacMall has some terrific prices and a very extensive selection. Let’s see whether or not they deserve your business.
PCMall, which was founded in 1987 actually owns and operates MacMall. It’s always nice to see more Mac-centric stores and we remember when they finally opened up the MacMall. At that time, there were not a lot of places other than Apple to go and there weren’t that many new Apple stores. Fast forward to today and MacMall is now the #1 reseller of Mac products, beating out the huge competition posed by Amazon.com.
The company has done a great job of going the extra mile in many cases, which we will cover in more detail here in a few minutes.
The first impression of the site is that it is very cluttered. While the most important links are easy to find, it does feel as though they were trying to cram as much information onto that front page as possible. While this isn’t a bad thing, and in this sector, it really cannot be avoided, we still couldn’t shake that virtual feeling of claustrophobia.
The site could also benefit from a redesign to make it a little more current. They are not taking advantage of some new technologies that could make the design a bit better and more intuitive. However, we will give them that they have done a great job working with what they have.
It’s difficult for companies that are this large and have this many products to come up with a really clean design that is not cramped, and it’s obvious that MacMall is trying to make it as easy as possible to find everything. There is no silver bullet when it comes to handling this problem, but they do seem to have done the best that they could.
All of the right design elements and navigation elements are there, which is the main reason we can overlook the clutter. Right at the top you’ll find their toll-free number, how much it costs to ship your order and any specials that are pertinent. They’ve made it very easy to find your account links, and their customer service link is in a very prominent position. It’s nice to see a company not burying this away, so they did earn points for that.
The center of the main page focuses on the best deals that are going on, and the two sidebars are set aside for general navigation. They’ve divided up all of the products very logically into sections and it is very easy to find what you are looking for. Even though everything is visibly cramped, they haven’t made it impossible to find stuff, and that is the key.
They’ve included some social bookmarking features at the bottom of the page, but honestly, it feels a little superfluous. While a few people may need to use these sites to bookmark or share the site, it’s such a simple domain that it just seems that this feature is a bit like overkill.
Our other main quibble is over the sheer amount of images they’ve put on the main page. It does slow the load time down a bit and although we recognize that customers are generally visual people, there are simply too many graphics. It takes away from the site instead of adding to it and makes the clutter seem all that more imposing.
If you want anything Apple, you’ll find it here. From the latest iPods to the latest iPod accessories, computers and everything in between, MacMall has it. They also offer a few other non-Mac related items, but their main focus is of course, on Apple products. We though the prices were very competitive and loved the fact that they will engrave your iPod for free.
They also stock a lot of Mac compatible software and this is a great place to go if you’re looking for the latest titles. We thought their Adobe products were very well priced and were surprised by the selection of Apple software that they do carry. You can also find some great Apple monitors here as well as numerous other peripherals for your Mac.
If you’re buying an actual Apple product, please keep in mind that you will not be able to return it. This is a bit of a bummer, but since most of these items are covered by their warranties, it’s not that big of a deal. A few other brands have also been marked as non-returnable, such as Sony and Lenovo. If you do manage to find a product that is returnable, you’ll have the option of returning it pretty much if it is damaged. Since the store sells mainly software and other merchandise that is commonly not returnable, we can’t really fault them for that.
Shipping is a flat fee and provided by UPS. If you are not served by this carrier, they do have a few other options available. If you do decide to refuse your order, it will be subject to a restocking fee, even if you have not even come close to opening the package.
Overall, MacMall has great prices and great products. They fall down a bit when it comes to their return policies and their site design could use a little work. Bottom line, if you want an Apple product and you want to save money, start shopping here. Just make sure that you are absolutely sure that you are getting what you want before you buy it.
We still love MacMall, simply because of their selection and prices, so we can’t be terribly harsh with them. A few tweaks to their site design and they’d be just about perfect.
About MacMall
PCMall, which was founded in 1987 actually owns and operates MacMall. It’s always nice to see more Mac-centric stores and we remember when they finally opened up the MacMall. At that time, there were not a lot of places other than Apple to go and there weren’t that many new Apple stores. Fast forward to today and MacMall is now the #1 reseller of Mac products, beating out the huge competition posed by Amazon.com.
The company has done a great job of going the extra mile in many cases, which we will cover in more detail here in a few minutes.
First Impression
The first impression of the site is that it is very cluttered. While the most important links are easy to find, it does feel as though they were trying to cram as much information onto that front page as possible. While this isn’t a bad thing, and in this sector, it really cannot be avoided, we still couldn’t shake that virtual feeling of claustrophobia.
The site could also benefit from a redesign to make it a little more current. They are not taking advantage of some new technologies that could make the design a bit better and more intuitive. However, we will give them that they have done a great job working with what they have.
It’s difficult for companies that are this large and have this many products to come up with a really clean design that is not cramped, and it’s obvious that MacMall is trying to make it as easy as possible to find everything. There is no silver bullet when it comes to handling this problem, but they do seem to have done the best that they could.
Site Design and Navigation
All of the right design elements and navigation elements are there, which is the main reason we can overlook the clutter. Right at the top you’ll find their toll-free number, how much it costs to ship your order and any specials that are pertinent. They’ve made it very easy to find your account links, and their customer service link is in a very prominent position. It’s nice to see a company not burying this away, so they did earn points for that.
The center of the main page focuses on the best deals that are going on, and the two sidebars are set aside for general navigation. They’ve divided up all of the products very logically into sections and it is very easy to find what you are looking for. Even though everything is visibly cramped, they haven’t made it impossible to find stuff, and that is the key.
They’ve included some social bookmarking features at the bottom of the page, but honestly, it feels a little superfluous. While a few people may need to use these sites to bookmark or share the site, it’s such a simple domain that it just seems that this feature is a bit like overkill.
Our other main quibble is over the sheer amount of images they’ve put on the main page. It does slow the load time down a bit and although we recognize that customers are generally visual people, there are simply too many graphics. It takes away from the site instead of adding to it and makes the clutter seem all that more imposing.
Products
If you want anything Apple, you’ll find it here. From the latest iPods to the latest iPod accessories, computers and everything in between, MacMall has it. They also offer a few other non-Mac related items, but their main focus is of course, on Apple products. We though the prices were very competitive and loved the fact that they will engrave your iPod for free.
They also stock a lot of Mac compatible software and this is a great place to go if you’re looking for the latest titles. We thought their Adobe products were very well priced and were surprised by the selection of Apple software that they do carry. You can also find some great Apple monitors here as well as numerous other peripherals for your Mac.
Customer Service
If you’re buying an actual Apple product, please keep in mind that you will not be able to return it. This is a bit of a bummer, but since most of these items are covered by their warranties, it’s not that big of a deal. A few other brands have also been marked as non-returnable, such as Sony and Lenovo. If you do manage to find a product that is returnable, you’ll have the option of returning it pretty much if it is damaged. Since the store sells mainly software and other merchandise that is commonly not returnable, we can’t really fault them for that.
Shipping is a flat fee and provided by UPS. If you are not served by this carrier, they do have a few other options available. If you do decide to refuse your order, it will be subject to a restocking fee, even if you have not even come close to opening the package.
Overall Opinion
Overall, MacMall has great prices and great products. They fall down a bit when it comes to their return policies and their site design could use a little work. Bottom line, if you want an Apple product and you want to save money, start shopping here. Just make sure that you are absolutely sure that you are getting what you want before you buy it.
We still love MacMall, simply because of their selection and prices, so we can’t be terribly harsh with them. A few tweaks to their site design and they’d be just about perfect.