“I found your Assortment Styler information last year was very valuable to us as a mid-sized company, like none that I have come across in my experience of working in the industry. I look forward to the new edition.”
Our Website Report Card Survey Will Help
Right now, in the midst of changing consumer habits, brands that are thriving in our industry are those that are selling direct through their websites. One company we know has been selling throughout the pandemic closure period at a daily rate that is three times the rate they did on black Friday three years ago. They are running two shifts in their warehouse to keep up with the demand. No, this is not Amazon or a company that sells medical supplies or groceries. This is a company that sells bedding.
Why are they succeeding while others are failing? They have a great website. They also built their web business while they were building their business with retailers. They have long used their website to test new products and to offer their most successful products to retailers for their assortments. They have done their homework and taken the risks so that retailers don’t have to. They have been so successful with retailers that retailers have asked them to create private label goods for their brands.
Why has their website been so successful? Because they did a great job of translating their brand identity into their website. It’s not just another online store for bedding, just like Williams-Sonoma is not just another kitchen store. Their site has a brand identity. It has a feeling. It communicates who they are and what they stand for, which tells consumers you’ve come to the right place. What does your website communicate to your visitors?
Websites are like stores, advertisements, packaging and products in that they all communicate the positioning of your brand. You can be high, middle or low end based on your presentation. You can position yourself as trendy, contemporary, traditional, seasonal, etc. Consumers have a sense of what they want and where they will find it. If your presentation is not in line with what they are seeking they will quickly leave. Our Website Report Card helps you to understand how you are perceived by consumers. WRC explores the following issues (which are also relevant to brand names, logos, store environments, etc.):
-Do they get it? Does the consumer understand what I’m communicating?
-Do they care about this message? Is my message relevant to the target audience and their needs?
-Do they believe it? Consumers expect consistency. High priced products don’t fit in a low end environment. It produces confusion and confusion produces discomfort which prompts departure.
-Is it a unique message? Are you saying the same thing that everyone else is saying? Have you given them a reason to stay, to explore, to consider your brand and products?
-Is your message compelling? Does it communicate why your brand and products are just what they need and want?
-And importantly, does your website and brand message spur sales? Are your converting the browsing consumer to a sale, to loyalty, to repeat purchases?
If your website passes the muster on all the above, it will be successful. You will build your business and you will find a measure of stability in having your own distribution, free of brick and mortar partners.
Let us help you to that end through our Website Report Card. Download the free WRC overview to learn how quickly and inexpensively you can move forward with a much more detailed understanding of how consumers see your website today.