WhatTheyThink recently reported an innovative consumer-oriented ecommerce site launched by Mohawk Fine Papers. That prompted our friends at Pitman to contact us about their new ecommerce site launched this week. According to Joe Milici, Vice President of Information Technology, and Nancy Opresnick, Director of eCommerce, the primary driver for the new site was to improve ease of use and make better search tools available. Milici said, "We are using Easy Ask as the search engine. The analytics behind the search engine and its natural language engine makes the site much easier to use from an order entry standpoint. We have the ability to monitor customer useage and to use that data to make the site even better. For example, if we see customers misspelling an item, we can add that misspelling to the search engine. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible to get in, find what you are looking for, and check out with no hiccups."

Opresnick added, "Another key function is real-time inventory. We know our customers have tight deadlines and it is important for them to know if an item is in stock. Our back-end network also identifies the four or five locations from which the item might be shipped in a timely fashion. So not only do they know we have it in stock, but they know they aren't waiting for it to be shipped across the country."

Pitman has also beefed up the content on the site. There is a WhatTheyThink news feed, of course, and a lot of relevant content that allows visitors to research products. Among other things, the next phase will including easy access to MSDS sheets. The analytics underlying the site will allow Pitman to tailor the experience to each visitor as well, making the experience much more relevant. For larger accounts, Opresnick indicates that they can have as many as 500 to 800 ship-to addresses that can be easily managed. In addition, multiple orders can be built within a single login for submission as necessary. For example, a central buying service might accumulate orders from various departments throughout the day and then execute them at all the end of the day .

Pitman will continue to augment the site over time, including customer-specific special offers, video seminars and frequently refreshed content. "We have a well-trained ecommerce support staff available to answer questions as well," adds Opresnick. "This week, we have been able to get back to customers within 20 minutes of their questions coming in. If we need to offer an alternate product for any reason, an email goes right out to that customer explaining the options."

Long gone are the days when the "brochure" web site is adequate, and it is good to see companies like Mohawk and Pitman bringing these innovative services to market. I am sure there are many other great examples out there in the industry. Let us know about your favorite sites and what it is about them that puts them on your Favorites list. If you have a chance to visit the Mohawk or Pitman sites, I am sure they would appreciate your feedback (and kudos for a job well done) as well!