Furniture Manufacturer

Situation – The client, a manufacturer of specialty furniture sold primarily through distributors, wanted to expand its Web presence. With limited resources, the company had built a first generation brochure-type site. The site drew traffic, but generated only incidental business.

Challenge – The client had a solid traditional distributor-based business, and did not want to jeopardize this lucrative channel.  However, they wanted to be able to offer a limited line of furniture direct to customers on the web.  Precision in customer targeting and product offering was a must.

Solution – A site architecture was developed that honored the company’s traditional lines of business, yet directed customers to a select group of furniture available for purchase on the web.  Customers were directed to different parts of the site based on customer type (laboratory vs. classroom, etc.) and urgency of need.

Results – The site, with minor updates, is still highly functional and productive several years after the new architecture was implemented.  Web-based sales have continued to grow and now represent a significant percentage of the client’s overall revenue.