Product category:
Distribution services and catalogues
News Release from: RS Components UK
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 January 2008
RS Components implements e-commerce
strategy
Electronics designers and maintenance engineers will reap the benefits of online investments as RS Components empowers its e-commerce strategy
As part of their e-commerce strategy delivery, RS Components announces the launch of a new website with an up-graded search and navigation engine powered by Endeca, the leading provider of information access software Through a powerful search engine and abundant product information, the new website enables electronics designers and maintenance engineers to save time and reduce their purchase costs when researching, selecting and ordering products from the website
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 1 May 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Furthermore, capitalising on the RS Components investment in the implementation of SAP to support its e-centric strategy has enabled RS Components to link its stock levels to the new website so that customers searching or browsing the site via the Endeca platform instantly receive accurate information on product availability and pricing.
With more than 230,000 products to showcase online, over 1 million product attributes and related technical documents, RS Components offers better, faster and more efficient web tools, so customers can easily and accurately select the best product they need.
As a result of an extensive intuitive analysis of customer expectations regarding web functionality, RS Components, in collaboration with Endeca, has developed a simple yet powerful solution that brings to customers the best online experience, based upon guided navigation, exposed product pictures, range and attribute filters.
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"Our website enables our customers to reach the right purchasing decision quickly and easily, with user-friendly search capabilities allowing easy access to the latest product information and prices," says Nik Patel, eCommerce Manager for RS UK.
The added value goes beyond its catalogue.
Customers who order via the website will reap the benefits of this substantial investment in RS Components' e-commerce strategy, specifically:.
* An improved and intuitive search and browse solution built upon enhanced data.
Through more intuitive web tools, customers are able to browse the full breadth of the product catalogue using integrated category and search filters.
Search results are summarised by product attributes so customers can easily evaluate the best available options, and determine the best solution for a specific need.
Visitors benefit by always viewing the most relevant products based upon their filtering criteria and specific product requirements.
* Daily publishing: RS Components as a leading distributor understands the importance of delivering what customers need when they need it in a more cost effective way.
To this extent, RS Online dynamically offers new products and technologies introduction information on a daily basis.
* One-stop-shop: Customers can access multiple suppliers products from a single place.
They can then compare and order any product in one click which enables electronics designers and maintenance engineers to save both time and money.
* Product attributes: Six key attributes including manufacturers brands, are displayed on the "search results" page from which customers can apply new filters to their search criteria.
Customers can then use up to 5 additional attributes from the results table to compare products.
"The development of the new websites has been driven from an in-depth review of customer needs.
The overall project, from research to concept, through to build and launch has taken over 12 months," says Scott Fawcett, Head of eCommerce at Electrocomponents plc: "We now have excellent foundations in place to enable us to accelerate our e-centric strategy and continue to grow our e-commerce business.
The new RS components website helps customers more easily explore the enormous breadth of their product catalogue, evaluate trade-offs based on the available options, and identify the best product based on each customer's unique needs".
"In essence, this experience is very similar to the conversation between a customer and their best customer service representative on the telephone," says Rob Swint, Industry Market Lead for Distribution at Endeca.
"What is particularly unique is the rich product attributes RS Components makes available which is usually buried in individual product detail pages and PDFs, and thus hidden from customers".
The new website from RS Components has been successfully implemented in the UK and across the Electrocomponents operational companies in Europe (Austria, Benelux, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden with a further 29 countries through the RS International Distributor Network (IDN).
The new website will be fully deployed across Asia Pacific later this year.
RS Components is committed to delivering the best online customer experience and to reflecting the dynamic nature of the market.
RS Online will continuously be improved to encompass new functionalities sought by customers.
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