NEW YORK, July 20 -- Smith+Noble, America`s leading resource for window treatments and select home furnishings, is now offering the latest achievement in online image enhancement on their website with the help of technology provider RichFX. The solution allows users to enter a Design Center, which enables them to literally "click and customize" products by choosing from hundreds of different styles and colors.
As online shoppers become savvier and more experienced, they expect more customization options on retailers` websites. Smith+Noble selected RichFX`s Rich Design(TM) to provide the highly innovative visualization tool that allows shoppers to configure and build products online. It is a perfect way to extend their business model of providing hassle-free customized products online.
In the online Design Center for the wood blinds product, shoppers use a simple, visual 3-step process to select the slat finish, ladder tape and tape valance. Switching the selection is simple and fast because the picture does not require a screen refresh to display the updated image. Once the shopper completes the design process, he or she has the option of printing the item, adding it to the order or sharing the custom designed photo with the email-to- a-friend feature.
Christine Magtoto, Associate Online Store Manager at Smith+Noble, is excited about providing this experience for its customers. "Photos are important to the Smith+Noble story. Our customers want designer quality products and a great selection, and the Design Center is their tool for visualizing their decorating possibilities."
The business case for Rich Design is strong. It will increase sales and decrease product returns by giving the customer more confidence to buy online by viewing the fully customized product before purchasing. The product leverages existing photographic assets and enables literally thousands, or even millions, of product combinations. Rich Design also has no minimum bandwidth requirements. Dial-up users and broadband users experience real- time response because Rich Design uses client-side versus server-side technology to render the images.
Christophe Cremault, Vice President of Marketing for RichFX, "Rich Design continues RichFX tradition of providing retailers with groundbreaking merchandising tools, online and offline. Rich Design gives consumers a fun and easy way to design a complex, mass-customized product with potentially millions of combinations, in seconds. We have engineered Rich Design to stand head and shoulder above any other solution in terms of image quality, usability, scalability, and most importantly, merchandising results."
From modifying automobiles to decorating a room, Rich Design`s interface is unique for each client. Users select and combine options that utilize a wide range of rich media including text, images and sound. For Smith+Noble, offering the custom design experience online is a critical part of the business model, a feature that their customers have come to expect.
About RichFX
RichFX is the market leader in online visual merchandising solutions, enabling retailers to leverage existing visual assets and turn them into powerful and cost-effective marketing tools. Since 1997, RichFX has been combining its online merchandising expertise, patented technology and consumer research to offer solutions that enable online and multi-channel retailers to achieve measurable results. Repeated analyses have demonstrated that RichFX solutions increase conversion rates and total e-commerce sales by boosting comfort levels and buying confidence online.
About Smith+Noble
Smith+Noble is America`s premier provider of designer quality custom window treatments. We offer an ever-evolving line of products, directly to consumers through catalogs and a web site. Most products are designed by an in-house design team and are exclusive to Smith+Noble. Products are custom made-to-order for each customer and most styles are shipped 1 to 5 days after the order is placed. Customer service representatives are highly trained and expertly guide customers through product selection, measuring, ordering and installation. By selling direct, Smith+Noble will continue to offer better quality, design, and value than what is generally available in retail stores.
Contact Information:
Sarah Glasser
RichFX, Inc.
(646) 274 3912
sarahg@richfx.com
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