Willow Technology: Electronic components

About This Project

The Client

Willow, and their sister company AEC, provide thousands of different electronic components, which they source from over 40 different international suppliers.

The Challenge

They were keen to use web technology to enable engineers to check technical specifications, identify the exact component that they need and, where appropriate, buy it directly online.

The Paramount Solution

The sheer volume of data and the different formats in which it was provided by suppliers, presented a huge challenge so our first step was to develop a process that enabled Willow to input and verify all the product information and present it to the customer in a form that was consistent and downloadable.

The single database on which the Product information resides is shared between the UK and US operations so this process involved localisation of language and currency. Because of the extensive range of products we also needed a robust search function.

Although the primary function of the site is to enable engineers to identify the correct component, with the call to action being to place an order by telephone, there was clearly an opportunity to sell some products online so we added eCommerce functionality.

Results

Now users are presented with an online catalogue, which looks consistent across all the products regardless of Willow’s source. Their staff can quickly upload amendments or new products and customers can download technical information directly from the website, and in some cases buy product directly.