By Bridget McCrea
Ever wonder what your electrical contractors are looking for when they visit your company’s website, and whether they’re really finding what they’re looking for during those visits? In this series of short articles we’ll hear straight from the contractors themselves about what they want, whether they’re finding it (or not), and how the online experience impacts their buying decisions.
This is the first installment in this series of articles. Click on the names below to read other contractors’ comments on distributor websites:
Terry Cool
Jimmy Baltodano
Richard Hall
Electrical Contractor: Ray Nebiker, president, Ray Nebiker Electric in Ringwood, N.J.
What are you looking for when you visit an electrical distributor’s website?
Definitely item descriptions. Very often I end up in the office late at night and I’d also like to be able to place orders online. Most distributor sites don’t offer this capability.
Do you generally find what you’re looking for on the websites…or not?
Yes, I do in most cases. However, while some of the larger electrical distributors have very useful sites that are up with the times, a few others do not.
How does the online experience impact the way you shop for electrical products and services?
I like to see items to make sure that they are the correct products that we’re looking for. I usually stick to two or three electrical distributors within my geographic region and most have sites where I can find what I’m looking for.
What could distributors be doing better when it comes to their websites?
I’d like to see easier, more user-friendly site navigation – and the ability to actually “see” the items before we hit “buy.” We do a lot of work in the water and sewer industries so the items we need are not at Home Depot. Making sure we’re picking the right parts is very important.
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McCrea is a Florida-based writer who covers business, industrial, and educational topics for a variety of magazines and journals. You can reach her at bridgetmc@earthlink.net or visit her website at www.expertghostwriter.net.
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