Untitled Document



Inventory of Web Sites

BEST		SITE


Company: URL: Logo:	Sauder Manufacturing Company http://www.sauder.com



Upper Portion of Sauder Home Page








Lower Portion of Sauder Home Page



Soundings regarding Sauder....

The Sauder Company (The Sauder Manufacturing Company)...If someone happened upon this site not at all intending to purchase furniture, the image the site projects has such a positive impact that one will most certainly remember the site and wish to do business with the company this site represents.
1. Site colors are subdued and placid, subliminally representing the soft wood tones utilized in the furniture being manufactured; i.e., white, tan, and a darker brown. The navy blue used in the site most generally depicts the preferred business environment (rather than casual). Pages representing the various furniture categories are color coded in conservative hues; blue for office/computer, lavender for entertainment, green for bedroom, tan for shelving/storage, turquoise for kitchen/utility, and tan for the collections.
2. Very little of the home page resides below the fold. All essential navigational tools reside in prime real estate on the left side of each page and above the fold.
3. Since these products are not sold directly from the site itself, of utmost importance is to so deeply impress the viewer that he/she will pursue the products locally. A dynamic web site can bridge that gap between manufacturer and consumer, hoping that the retailers who represent the manufacturer will provide a reinforcing, rather than a distracting, consummation of the sale. Because of the confidence the site represents to me, I would prefer being able to deal with Sauder directly, but their person-to-person customer service helps to fill that void.
4. Navigation is a a surfer's dream. No broken links were detected and the site map hierarchy is reasonable, sensible, and well articulated. The wealth of knowledge when one reaches either the third or fourth level of the hierarchy is rewarding enough for the pursuit. Specific product information is wonderfully comprehensive...all measurements, wood finishes, prices, etc. contained within a single specification sheet.
5. No noticeable distracting pop-up windows, blinking images, or offensive java scripting.
6. Product searches can be conducted through a Furniture Finder page, concise, but complete and effective.
7. New products are shown on a New Products page, as well as within their respective collection grouping.
8. Photographs of room vignettes are tastefully feathered, introducing the softness shown on few sites. Conversely, product photographs show clean, clear, precise lines and details. Rendering is rapid, so I suspect all photographs have been adequately optimized for web usage.
9. The company is clearly keeping current on site technology. Rollovers, thumbnails, and magnified product shots all contribute toward ease and visual enjoyment on the site.
10. Customer service is actually a live humanoid! When I've had questions on a couple of occasions, I've been able to phone (their site lists their phone number!...most sites don't want to deal directly with the public, so they intentionally omit the phone number). On the last occasion when I phoned inquiring about the availability of a specific item, the Sauder employee answered my inquiry with courtesy and knowledge. It was extremely late at night, but someone was there to "receive" my call. Sauder is located in Ohio and I was calling from Washington State, so I was keenly aware of the difference in the time-zone element.
11. We are customers. The packaging is appropriate. The techniques and instructions are simplified, understandable, and most adequate. Our den is populated by bookcases, lateral files, coffee table, end tables, telephone stand, computing storage unit, night stands, and two armoires...all in the Heritage Hill Collection, cherry finish, by Sauder. Our room offers the comforts of Sauder's warm wood tones and our high tec equipment. It is in this room that we spend the majority of our productive working hours. Many visitors comment on the warm comfort of this room...and they end up at the Sauder web site!