Mohawk Web-Enables Wood Finishing Professionals With the Industry's First E-Commerce Site

Furniture World Magazine

Mohawk Finishing Products has launched the professional wood finishing industry's first full-service e-commerce site, Mohawk-Finishing.com. The site immediately allows Mohawk's 26,000 registered customers to browse thousands of SKUs and order products on a round-the-clock basis with access to real-time price quotes that include shipping charges. The added functionality is matched with a wealth of new product information, application tips and troubleshooting techniques, including MSDS sheets for every Mohawk product. The ground-breaking e-commerce site is the result of a six-month Web development effort focused on delivering the user experience Mohawk customers want. By utilizing its parent company's (RPM) centralized, multi-million dollar e-commerce platform and systems consulting group (collectively known as RPM-e/c Inc), Mohawk was able to create, host and manage the site. Additionally, a customer advisory board consisting of a cross-section of Mohawk customers played a pivotal role in the development and usability testing of the site. The site provides a common ordering platform for Mohawk's diverse customer base, availing front-line refinishers of the same logistics technology supporting the country's largest furniture manufacturers and retailers. More importantly, the new site frees Mohawk's team of 50 customer service representatives from a laborious ordering process, allowing them to concentrate exclusively on enhancing customer experiences. By teaming with RPM-e/c, Mohawk's future phases will continue to take advantage of the most current and advanced technology and expertise for its customers. "With the launch of this site, Mohawk is giving a huge boost to tens of thousands of wood finishing professionals," said Bob Klusker, Mohawk's vice president of sales. "Not only do our customers now have 24x7 access to an always current catalog of our products that they can see and get real-time prices for, they'll also have much greater access to the knowledge our customer support people have. Instead of entering orders, we'll spend our time making a bigger difference in the ways our customers work." "The Mohawk site is an exciting example of the RPM Wood Finishes Group's major commitment to leveling the technology playing field for all of its companies, regardless of size," said Deborah Cook Wells of the RPM Electronic Commerce Group. "Mohawk now has a fantastic e-presence, in large part because of the synergies and the learning shared among the various RPM companies." "The site also draws heavily on customer preferences unearthed during design and development," said Wells. "Mohawk customers told us that they wanted to be able to track orders more succinctly and they wanted a variety of ways to interact with the site, for example. And the site will continue to evolve. You'll see additional enhancements based on the feedback we get." Registered Mohawk customers can choose from three different methods of ordering products: browsing through the product catalog, searching for particular products either by name or product number, or by directly filling out a product order form. The new site connects the front-end catalog with Mohawk's back-office order processing system, so once an order has been placed, the customer receives an email confirmation with the specific order number. When the order has been picked and shipped, the customer receives another email notification with the shipping number. Non-registered browsers also have access to a wealth of information. In addition to being able to peruse the product catalog, browsers can search through a thick portfolio of Frequently Asked Questions (using terms related either to a specific problem or its resolution), ask Mohawk's experts a specific refinishing question, look through Mohawk's training seminar listings or find the nearest Mohawk sales representative. Based in Hudson, N.C., Mohawk Finishing Products, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of products and hardware used to restore, protect and enhance wood furniture, fixtures and cabinets. In 1998, Mohawk became part of the RPM Wood Finishes Group, one of the industry's leading innovators in professional finishing products. The RPM Wood Finishes Group comprises six professional lines, Mohawk, Guardian, Behlen, Star, CCI, and Westfield Coatings, as well as the consumer brands Flecto and Watco. Through these brands, the Wood Finishes Group offers the most comprehensive line of wood products available today for everyone from the independent refinisher to the largest manufacturers of furniture, floors and cabinets. Products including wood finishing, augmentation, touch-up/repair and care items. The RPM Wood Finishes Group is headquartered in Hudson, NC.