Business Challenge

The existing Harvey Norman Commercial website was basic, containing only static pages with minimal information. A functional website was required to meet the needs of customers in the building industry including architects, designers and builders.

The website would need to provide theses customers with easy access to product information to assist them in specifying products for building projects. With a large database of suppliers with products that change on a daily basis, a web content management system was also required to allow staff to easily keep the site updated.

As Harvey Norman Commercial customers are “trade only”, the website needed to be secure to provide registered clients with access to specific information.

Solution

Armed with a thorough understanding of Harvey Norman’s needs, BlueArc designed and developed a website based on IgnitionSuite Web Content Management System (CMS). IgnitionSuite allows Harvey Norman content authors to easily update the website, without the need for technical skill.

The site enables registered members to browse the extensive product catalogue online and then build a personal shortlist which can be forwarded to a relevant showroom.

A custom Product Module was integrated into the website for the management of approximately 2,000 stock items. The Product Module displays comprehensive product information including images, datasheets and specification sheets.

The site also features powerful product search, shortlist functionality and an extranet module for secure, members-only access to specific content.

Customer Benefits

The new website is user friendly and gives customers the ability to easily search and compare products over a wide selection of categories. It provides customers with a one stop shop for all of the major brands stocked by Harvey Norman Commercial. It also empowers staff to keep the site up-to-date with the latest product information.

What the client said

“When we first set out to build a new website we were a bit apprehensive having to deal with IT/web designers as we found in the past they over complicate things and used a lot of jargon we weren’t familiar with."

"BlueArc basically held us by the hand and went through each phase step by step. The team at BlueArc were absolutely great to work with and we look forward to working with them again in 2010 as we continue to improve the site."

Sandra Richardson, Marketing Manager, Harvey Norman Commercial Division