At least for the time being, according to the recent survey. Instead, what respondents sought most was detailed product information and—gasp!—pricing information.In an exclusive survey conducted in January by Frambach & Co. (Milford, NH), 100 PW readers were interviewed by telephone to discern what they like and dislike about packaging suppliers’ Web sites.
Reflecting the ongoing difficulty users experience at most sites, the most important feature of a Web site is one that’s easy to navigate (Chart 1). This is confirmed by Chart 2, in which the No. 1 complaint about supplier sites is that it’s too hard for respondents to find the information they’re looking for. And Chart 3 shows that the Web’s “killer app”—computer lingo for ‘thing they use most’—for survey respondents was quicker and easier access to information.
After Web site usability, what respondents sought most was detailed product information. Many packaging vendors have long been known to skimp on the details for fear of tipping off competitors. But the mandate from the survey respondents was clear: Find a way to make the details available.
Also conspicuously absent from nearly every packaging Web site is detailed pricing information—understandable because most suppliers don’t want to reveal pricing to competitors either. Yet this rates as the third most important feature desired in a Web site, according to respondents.
One possible solution to satisfy prospects and suppliers alike: Make site visitors fill out a brief form with their e-mail address, company name and phone number, promising a return e-mail within four hours (fifteen minutes is even better) granting access to a password-protected portion of the site containing all the juicy stuff. Suppliers get to screen out competitors while screening in bonafide prospects. And buyers get access, albeit slightly delayed, to the goods they seek.
