News

Benjamin Moore retail network getting mobile sites

March 29, 2012

ChannelNet has announced the launch of mobile websites for Benjamin Moore's Retailer Website Program. The Retailer Website Program has been available to over 5,000 of Benjamin Moore's North American retailers since May 2009.

Benjamin Moore & Co., a Berkshire Hathaway company, was founded in 1883. One of the country's leading manufacturers of premium quality residential, commercial and industrial maintenance paints and other coatings, its products are distributed via a network of independent paint and decorating retailers throughout North America.

"With so many customers using mobile phones today, it is critical for us to have a mobile-friendly website," said Josh Turner, owner of Turner's Paint Store in Missoula, Montana. Mobile devices play a key role in completing home repair or home improvement projects. Retailers report that their customers take and store measurements on mobile devices. They use the device camera to take pictures of troublesome areas. Handy homeowners simply take a photo of a missing or broken part to share with their local hardware experts.

With all these features, mobile devices are becoming a necessary tool to complete home projects. It's a natural extension, then, to use the device to expedite their research and shopping. Consumers are 51 percent more likely to purchase from retailers that have mobile-specific websites (Mobile Shopper session at NRF 2011).

"Consumers are using their phones to look up store info and driving directions as they are out shopping and running errands," Turner said. "Many Benjamin Moore retailers are from a generation that may not understand the importance of mobile, but smartphones are THE navigational tool of this decade. This is why I'm happy that our current website has been optimized for mobile users ... and that we have one company and solution that keeps both sites up to date for us."

"Multichannel is no longer just bricks and clicks — it's become bricks, clicks, call centers, mobile, tablet, and more," said Paula Tompkins, ChannelNet CEO and founder. "Busy weekend warriors get more from their errands with mobile optimized websites. For manufacturers and retailers, it supports the growing expectation for multichannel home improvement access. Our patented multichannel Web platform, SiteBuilder, enables our clients to extend their customer experience strategies to mobile devices and to seamlessly integrate with existing web sites, customer service centers, and brick and mortar locations."

SiteBuilder is designed to work across all major smartphone operating systems including iPhone, BlackBerry and Android.