Marketing and the Internet, Fall 2003
October 28, 2003
Assignment #6
by Dave Reiss
West Wight Potter 15 & 19 sailboat manufacturer
International Marine
web: www.westwightpotter.com
International Marine (IM) is the California-based manufacturer
of two successful models of sailboats, the West Wight Potter (WWP)
15 and 19. This company has produced these two models for over
thirty years, and bucking industry trends sells factory direct
only, bypassing the usual distribution channel of regional dealers.
They have a fiercely loyal customer base, with active clubs and
associations across the country. Their boats are well-made, safe,
easy to sail, affordable, and can be towed by most vehicles. And
since almost every boat is built for a particular customer, a
high level of customization is available.
I had the pleasure of ordering a new West Wight Potter 19 as my
first sailboat in 1997 (pictures are on-line at http://www.potter-yachters.org/stories/AvidSalr.htm).
At that time their website was little more than an on-line version
of their brochure. Gathering information and ordering a boat was
done through many phone calls to their sales representative, Trishia,
and the exchanging of written materials by mail. Having ordered
a boat through these traditional methods, I was very interested
to see how the company has integrated their web site as tool for
marketing, sales, and distribution.
The first thing you notice about the home page is the marketing
of next year’s models. This is a fundamental change in company
culture, marketing, design, and manufacture philosophies as previous
models changed little from year to year. A preview of 2004 model
refinements highlighted upgraded hardware with high quality photographs
and short descriptions. Also mentioned was an upgraded delivery
service with shrink wrapping of each boat prior to shipping (they
arrive on a flatbed truck.)
Next the About the Potter page is very much like the brochure
for each boat model, and the content and pictures provided look
very much like their old website. The About Us page is more brochure-like
information about the company and employees who build these boats.
The Outfit Your Potter page is the most radical integration of
marketing and on-line sales, as you actually can go through and
build a customized boat to your exact specifications, with a running
total being calculated as you add options. This is a fast and
intuitive way to outfit a new boat.
The Potter Shop page also integrates the website by offering a
virtual catalogue of all the Potter parts for sale. The categories
include clothing, mast and boom, sails, rudder, hardware, electronics,
interior fittings, exterior fittings, windows, and trailer.
There is a FAQ page with the typical customer questions and responses,
and finally a Contact Us page with toll free and local telephone
numbers, as well as the company mailing and email addresses. (International
Marine encourages potential buyers to tour the factory if they
are in the Inglewood California area.) And of course there are
links to everything from detailed specifications and photographs,
as well as club and association websites.
The most successful marketing and sales integration on the website
is the Outfit Your Potter page, which offers potential buyers
the ability to customize a boat on-line and have the running price
updated in real-time. This process speaks volumes as to how the
company sells their products. There are no hidden pricing schemes
as with other big ticket items like cars. They do offer several
options packages that combine many individual upgrades together
for a discount, but the pricing structure feels honest and straightforward.
The Potter Shop page also offers an easy way to research and purchase
parts for existing boat owners. This e-commerce integration is
a natural extension of the IM factory direct sales philosophy.
What doesn't work with the IM website is the dated feel of the
layout and design. The text is big and clunky, and even though
the main categories are navigated easily, additional content is
buried in layers of pages. What the site needs is a clean redesign,
creating essentially two environments: one for information and
another interactive ordering and related e-commerce. Right now
those two environments are lumped together, and although the interactive
ordering pages are very effective, the rest of the site suffers
and important information is hard to locate.
Also, since this company manufactures only two models of sailboats,
the WWP 15 and 19, it would make sense to segment the customers
from the start. Right now, both models are combined in the entire
process, with the user having to define which one they are buying
for at every purchase point. This is a missed opportunity to focus
on each model's potential buyer, as the WWP 15 is more of an entry-level,
less-expensive product, and the WWP 19 is more of a luxurious,
expensive product.
As a whole, the on-line medium has enhanced the International
Marine brand and WWP products. The West Wight Potter brand stands
for value and proven seaworthiness (trust). The factory direct
sales and distribution model provides for a direct link to customers,
and for thirty years this has proven effective in building positive
customer relationships bordering on the fanatical. Reinforcing
the value aspect of the brand is the ability of IM to produce
customized products at wholesale pricing to the customer, with
no dealer markup. And since each boat is built to suit for each
customer, this makes every boat owner feel that their boat, and
themselves as well, are special and unique.
The company continues cultivating relationship by offering a high
level of customer service after the sale, and strives to keep
all their customers happy — even the ones that own boats
out of warranty, or are second owners of older boats. Owners of
these boats have created virtual communities and share information
through email lists, club websites and events, and are a very
enthusiastic and helpful for folks looking to purchase an old
or new Potter. In fact, the primary sales tool for IM is this
virtual word of mouth, augmented by a few small ads placed in
regional sailing magazines.