HP.com Online Store Review

A better easier store...
Overall
5

Just yesterday, I wanted to research and order a new fax machine for our office, so I went to shopping.hp.com, the HP Online Store. I personally own an HP laptop and an all-in-one multi-function printer; I also had a desktop computer that was by HP back in the good old days. Now when I think about anything that prints, I immediately think HP. I frequently use this online website to download regular driver updates for my all-in-one and get technical help also.

DESIGN & FEATURES

HP has designed the site so the store and the main site are one. You will not have to go to another site to make a purchase. Just select the product you want and buy it right there. Basically they used more color to freshen up the site whereas it used to be a greenish color in the past. All products for sale are nicely organized in categories so you can find what you are looking for quickly and easily. There is a search feature so you can find what you are looking for faster.

As soon as you log on to this online store, you will notice several buttons and tabs on the very top that show you the nine main categories for the whole website; one of which is Store Home. Others include: Desktops, Notebooks, Handhelds, Printers, Ink Toner & Paper, Photography, Entertainment, Outlet, and See All.

The Store Home tab is automatically selected and you will see three columns; on the left-most column, you will find the shopping cart, product support, contact information, and additional product information links. The middle column shows you all the categories with pictures and the new and featured products by HP. The column on the right has your recently browsed products and related accessories, and a list of all top-selling products from HP.

To shop: if you are looking for the new fax machine, you would simply click on the Printers category (either the tabs or the picture links). Doing so will take you to a page with all printers, fax machines, and multi-function machines. You then have to scroll to the appropriate section and select the HP faxes and copiers link to see a list of all fax machines available. You can also compare several products to see what features they have; I have tried comparing up to ten items (may be possible to compare more) without any problems. You can select the specific product you want by clicking on the model number to see detailed information and the option to add it to your shopping cart. If you already have an online account, just log in and complete your purchase. If you do not, then simply create an account by entering information.

EXPERIENCE

I completed my purchase from HP Online Store in just a little more than ten minutes because we already knew which fax machine we wanted to get for the office. I did not encounter any problems with the site’s ability to perform its duties or any design flaws. I personally think the site is designed so almost anyone can use it without much difficulty.

Once you setup your account you will just have to login every time you want to make a purchase from the store. To set up an account, you will need to provide your name, address, email address, phone number, and of course, you have to pick a password.

After you have your added products to your shopping cart, all you do to complete the purchase is click on the Checkout button. You will then have to verify your billing and shipping information, your payment information, pick a shipping method, then complete the purchase. You can use most major credit cards like Visa, Master, Discover, and American Express cards or you can use HPshopping.com e-financing which I personally have no experience with. All I can say is that it would probably work just like a credit card. When I placed my order, HP had a free 5-7 day shipping option which was really pleasant.

After the purchase was completed, I received a confirmation email with detailed information about the product I had purchased and shipment tracking information. My package arrived on time as promised without any problems and the product was packaged properly so it would not get damaged while being shipped.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I enjoyed my experience with HP Online Store and did not have any problems before, during, or after making the purchase. Although the prices are not always the cheapest, I would highly recommend this online store to everyone for all their HP product or accessory needs. The confirmation email I received had customer service contact information if there was a need to contact them. Overall I had a pleasant experience with the HP Online Store.