Pets USA launches an eCommerce web site

Project Components

• Web site redesign
• Database development
• eCommerce shopping cart system
• Online inventory management system

The Client: Pets USA

Pets USA is a manufacturer and distributor of an exclusive, award-winning line of all-natural dog bones and treats.

Goals and Challenges: Improving customer service

Since 1996, Pets USA has been privately packaging and distributing its products through select retail locations. In 2003, Pets USA moved into online marketing with a site that had limited eCommerce features that involved customers ordering from an online text form. For enhanced Internet performance and better customer service, we outlined the following areas for improvement:

1. As your business evolves, your web site should evolve, too.

   Seek out ways to improve customer service and enhance the visitor experience on your web site.

   Pets USA’s first web site provided customers with a simple online order form. As Pets’ business evolved, they wanted to provide customers with a robust shopping cart ordering system.
2. With growing online sales, Pets USA needed a way to manage and modify customer and order information efficiently.
3. Pets USA wanted to encourage repeat-buyers and maintain long term relationships with their customers. They needed a simple and effective way to manage their post-sales process.

The Project: An online storefront and editable database information

To meet Pets USA’s customer service needs and expand their Internet presence we developed the following:

• Individual product pages with product information, pricing and photos – customers could browse each product, add selected items to their carts and save those items for checkout at the end of their visit.
• An upselling feature – since Pets USA offers free shipping on orders over a specific dollar amount, we built a prompt that would remind customers who were within a specified range to add the required amount to their carts in order to take advantage of the free shipping offer.
• A fully editable database – through a content management system, Pets USA staff could edit all customer details, including billing and shipping addresses and order information, without needing any technical knowledge.
• An “automatic reorder reminder” feature – customers would receive a reorder reminder within a specified time after their previous purchase.

The Benefits: Improved customer service, a more user-friendly web site and streamlined business processes

• Save time and money. Online customer orders were entered into Pets USA’s database, where they could then be modified and managed electronically through a simple online interface. In addition, the content management system allowed Pets staff to modify product information that appeared on the web site, eliminating the need to outsource site maintenance.
• Improve customer service. Customers receive an e-mail confirmation of their order, followed by a second e-mail containing shipping and tracking information. The automated system reduces the amount of time that sales associates spend on recurring tasks, giving them more time to devote to customer service.
• Add value. Customers receive an automatic e-mail reminder to reorder a product near the end of the product’s life expectancy.

Production Notes

We have worked with Pets USA through two iterations of its web site. The second version included a full aesthetic redesign in addition to upgraded features.