Russell & Mackenna has reason to be happy. Several months ago they decided to re-route the money they had been planning to use to open another physical store to showcase and sell their cottage style furniture into an e-commerce Website. And not just your run of the mill e-commerce site. This Website needed to let potential buyers customize their furniture to their exact preferences, to match the options experience the company has been offering via catalog and in-store for the past several years.

Fastspot worked diligently to make sure the user interface was easy yet engaging, and we were all banking on the idea that if you let users create exactly what they want, even entire collections of pieces they want, that they will make the big decision and actually purchase. There are big ticket items, when you buy from Russell & Mackenna - you are purchasing hand crafted, made in America, beautifully designed and conceived furniture, ideally suited for your house in the Hamptons or your imaginary house in the Hamptons wherever you happen to live.

While usability and customization were our top priorities, we also wanted the design of the site to tell the story of this brand. We looked at Emeco as a great example of how a brand’s story and marketing can help support a high price for a high quality piece of furniture, especially when cheaper, lesser quality knock offs are easy to come by. We certainly stand behind the importance of well conceived and produced interactive design, but this was the first time we would be putting that to the test with online purchases in a retail environment. And it didn’t help that as we neared the launch date, the economy continued to nose dive.

So, the site quietly launched in late February 2009, and on March 3 an email went out to about 2000 names (gathered from past customers, people who had requested catalogs, or who had simply provided the info so they could get emails) announcing the new site and offering a 2 week discount offer for online purchases. We waited, and as the weekend approached (when we expected these shoppers to actually sit down, discuss with the significant other and make the purchase) the sales started coming in.

I am very happy to share with you what Russell & Mackenna shared with us recently. When they compared their sales from March 2008 to March 2009, they were up 425%. Yes, you read that correctly, 425%. And yes, most of that was from the Website. They were making money while they slept, while they ate breakfast on Sunday mornings and while they juggled more orders than their builders had ever seen. Needless to say - we have a very happy client.

So, next time you think about ROI and how much the Internet can impact a business and a brand, think about this post. When you compare the impact to that of a traditional print ad, billboard, commercial or even a physical store, there is simply no comparison. Not only is the Web accessible to millions, 24/7, it is accessible to the exact people who are looking for “you”. How many people flip past an ad because its not compelling to them, or drive past a billboard and never think of it again? Online, these same buyers are actively searching for the brand, the company, the product. And with the Internet, you can tell who they are, when they come, what they do, what they look at, where they leave from, how long they stay, the list goes on. In fact, the next post will be a long long list of all the reasons why every company out there should be devoting their budgets to Interactive, I have too many for this story.

Feel free to join the discussion, and if you are a retail brand that isn’t doing what Russell & Mackenna is, I suspect you are already dialing our number. In fact, I will probably be expecting to hear from you since I will have seen you in our analytics.

I work with clients every day trying to help them determine what their unique value proposition is and it’s more difficult to identify than one might think. However, it is critical to any brand or organization to identify what is unique and appealing about them before they can convince anyone else to pay attention, let alone spend money. At Fastspot, we have identified our own unique value propositions and we promise these things to every client we work with. We provide creativity, problem solving, customer service and solutions based on achieving identified goals. We do these things better than most other companies in our industry and we back up these propositions with client references, testimonials, ROI reports, analytics reports, awards and, of course, increased revenue for our clients. It’s very important to support your value proposition, especially if it’s not completely unique — for example, we don’t propose to be really good at one specific niche type of work. While our value propositions aren’t in and of themselves unique, the level to which we deliver on them is the unique factor.

This idea of value propositions came to mind during a recent trip out to Tacoma, Washington, to visit one of our clients, The University of Puget Sound. During our research phase at the beginning of our engagement, we found that many people had a less than optimal view of Tacoma as a city, and it was often seen as the ugly step-child to Seattle and Portland. During our first visit to the city, I was impressed with what I saw: a fantastic hotel to stay at (The Hotel Murano); many accommodations within walking distance to a very new looking convention center; several art museums; lots of local restaurants and brew pubs. The city of Tacoma was clean, friendly, picturesque, and had a very clear unique value proposition. It is a city devoted to celebrating the art of glassblowing.

The Pacific Northwest is known for its fondness for glassblowing and many world-renowned artists keep studios in the region, including probably the most notable contemporary glass artist, Dale Chihuly. Wandering around Tacoma and even within the hallways of the Hotel Murano, you begin to understand the importance of glass and, more importantly, the creative process and role it plays in the identity and unique value proposition of Tacoma.

Glass blowing is both a volatile and fragile process with happy accidents resulting in beauty as often as shattered destruction. The molten materials are constantly spun, heated, cooled, hammered, melded and joined. The process requires a team of people who work together like a well-rehearsed improv dance crew, handing off and negotiating around red hot art and even hotter tools and equipment. The end results are breathtakingly beautiful and evoke senses of nature, both explosive and calm, violent and gentle, warm and cool. The process reminds us of the region and its volcanoes, mountains, rocky shores, lush forests, and turbulent oceans. It literally feels like the region has created these works of art and this is why it’s such a unique and befitting value proposition to experience this celebration of glassblowing and glass art in a city like Tacoma.

Ultimately, the city is celebrating something that is a perfect fit and it is even better to enjoy this art within the area that has given rise to so many talented artists. Even the Hotel Murano, which I have now stayed at three times and highly recommend, makes art —particularly glass art— the focal point. Sure, the hotel provides beautiful rooms, fantastic service and a friendly staff, but shouldn’t all hotels? What makes the Hotel Murano unique is how every floor features a different local glass artist, including large color photos of the artist at work, showcases featuring actual works by the artist, and sketches and other 2D pieces presented as wall art within the rooms.

As you walk down the street towards the Museum of Glass, the Glass Bridge further immerses you in the art of glass, with an entire outdoor bridge installation flooded with Dale Chihuly’s pieces. During your walk, you pass the train station, also adorned with Chihuly works which completely transform the entryway. For me, the final experience came as I entered the library on the campus of The University of Puget Sound and was greeted with another breathtaking contribution from Chihuly’s creative genius. It seems fitting considering his status as one of the preeminent glass artists working today.

I now have a permanent concept of both Tacoma and the places I have visited during my time there, and that concept is indelibly linked to glass, art and the creative process. In fact, I would expect to see Tacoma continue to gain traction as a desired tourist destination with its convenient access to those bigger cities, as well as other prominent sites like Mt. Rainier, top tier accommodations at affordable prices, great local restaurants, shopping and cultural highlights and an extremely impressive-looking convention center. The city and its inhabitants definitely have identified their unique value propositions— now they just need to get the word out.

I find it ironic how often clients overlook this very basic and important element during their design or rebranding processes. After all, how can you sell what you don’t truly understand? Once we help our clients really focus in and determine what makes them unique, it’s our job to go out and make sure the world hears about it and responds appropriately. This very simple, yet critical element can have a significant impact on a business— just ask our client Russell & Mackenna. Their revenue is up 425% in the month since their new Website launched compared to that same month in 2008. No, that isn’t a typo. Our next blog post will explore exactly how we accomplished those stunning numbers, by focusing on their unique value propositions.