Imperial Home Decor Group is the world’s largest designer, manufacturer and distributor of residential wall-covering products.
But that doesn’t mean it stands still and enjoys its top spot. Rather, Imperial is focused on innovating to improve itself. Last year, Carolyn Resar, vice president of marketing and design, spearheaded a comprehensive initiative to apply Internet technology to all aspects of Imperial’s business.
“As we approached the idea of the Internet, we did not want to just look at the traditional corporate type of site that featured product and focused on the company,” says Resar. “We wanted to provide a useful tool to both the consumer and the retailer.”
The result was a three-pronged approach.
* IHDG.com. The consumer site was designed to make it easy for consumers to select products. It also has tutorials to assist in the installation process and an e-commerce function. Consumers can select from a list of retailers and buy online.
The company designed the system to be more intuitive, allowing consumers to search for wall coverings with words and descriptions they understand rather than terms established by the wall coverings industry.
* IHDG.net. This site gives the company’s retailers access to product search and sort capabilities, which provide assistance for consumer selections.
Dealers used to be limited to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, when customer service reps were on duty; now, they can place orders and check their status at any time. Retailers can also download marketing materials and other information they need to manage and grow their business.
* Web builder. “Since many of our specialty retailers are small businesses, they may not have the capital to invest in developing e-commerce capabilities,” says Resar. “We developed a system that would allow them to sell our products online utilizing our shopping engine.”
Each retailer site is customized to reflect its name, product offerings, history and pricing. Once completed, it is posted as a consumer option in the “buy online” area of the IHDG.com site.
The company added a fourth element for the media. Home editors for publications can access information such as room set photography and samples.
“We created this system because, as the leader, we believed strategically it was the right thing to do to grow our product category — not because of retailer demand or competitive pressures,” says Resar. How to reach: Imperial Home Dcor Group, (216) 3787-5204
