71Three

RK International

The Problem

Technology online moves at breakneck speed – and yesterday’s cutting-edge website design can look like today’s eyesore. RKI’s website – created in the mid-2000s – was outdated to the point which the brass hardware manufacturers were embarrassed to use it to showcase their products. RKI approached us asking for a website that was sleek, modern, minimalist, and most of all a professional showcase for their products so that they stand out in a fiercely competitive digital landscape.

The Solution

We listened carefully to RKI, pinpointing their need to have a minimalist online web space where they could showcase their products. RKI, like many manufacturers of its caliber, has a broad demographic spread across the United States and Canada. As a high-end manufacturer, it was important that the website exuded an air of high-quality, giving the products an attention to detail that befitted their status on the general marketplace. It was equally important to make this large catalog very easy to explore, keeping browsers engaged and on-site. With over 2,000 dealers around North America to supply RKI products to local markets, we created a searchable database of the dealers. This database allowed website visitors to search the site, quickly and efficiently finding their nearest dealer by entering a zip code. RKI’s huge line-up of products – easily going into the thousands – also necessitated an easily searchable online catalog. Our developers took RKI’s current online catalog and put it online with a searchable database that allows visitors to find the item they want with logical search fields including finish, style, and collection. If the customer has a part number, this can also be entered for direct access to the part. The website’s catalog can also be browsed manually from the storefront, with zoomable, high-quality photographs of each line item showing off the design – as well as linking to different finishes to give browsers quick access to a finished product that is in line with the interior design vision they wish to achieve. Knowing that RKI is often changing and adding things to its line-up, we also future-proofed the website with an easy-to-use CMS which allows the employees of RKI to update the catalog with just a few clicks. Additionally, we provided a customized solution for major product catalog changes. Rather than having to insert each item, line by line, in a painstakingly slow process, importation and exportation of the entire database can be done quickly via excel. Now, RKI offers its visitors and dealers the best website in the industry. Rather than being embarrassed to show potential clients their website, it is now a showcase of the company’s streamlined efficiency and products. Dealers of RKI have also praised the website for directing fresh new business to them, thanks to our simplified zip code search which sends interested leads to them on a regular basis. The website which we designed does not just look modern, minimalist, and professional – the back office of the website has also enhanced the productivity of employees responsible for administration within the company, further boosting its profits and reputation in the industry. As a high-end manufacturer, it was important that the website exuded an air of high-quality, giving the products an attention to detail that befitted their status on the general marketplace. It was equally important to make this large catalog very easy to explore, keeping browsers engaged and on-site. With over 2,000 dealers around North America to supply RKI products to local markets, we created a searchable database of the dealers. This database allowed website visitors to search the site, quickly and efficiently finding their nearest dealer by entering a zip code. RKI’s huge line-up of products – easily going into the thousands – also necessitated an easily searchable online catalog. Our developers took RKI’s current online catalog and put it online with a searchable database that allows visitors to find the item they want with logical search fields including finish, style, and collection. If the customer has a part number, this can also be entered for direct access to the part. The website’s catalog can also be browsed manually from the storefront, with zoomable, high-quality photographs of each line item showing off the design – as well as linking to different finishes to give browsers quick access to a finished product that is in line with the interior design vision they wish to achieve. Knowing that RKI is often changing and adding things to its line-up, we also future-proofed the website with an easy-to-use CMS which allows the employees of RKI to update the catalog with just a few clicks. Additionally, we provided a customized solution for major product catalog changes. Rather than having to insert each item, line by line, in a painstakingly slow process, importation and exportation of the entire database can be done quickly via excel. Now, RKI offers its visitors and dealers the best website in the industry. Rather than being embarrassed to show potential clients their website, it is now a showcase of the company’s streamlined efficiency and products. Dealers of RKI have also praised the website for directing fresh new business to them, thanks to our simplified zip code search which sends interested leads to them on a regular basis. The website which we designed does not just look modern, minimalist, and professional – the back office of the website has also enhanced the productivity of employees responsible for administration within the company, further boosting its profits and reputation in the industry.

The Client

RK International, Inc. (RKI) is a leading manufacturer of specialist solid brass decorative hardware for the home and office. The company’s expansive collection can be found in high-end kitchen and bathroom showrooms across North America, and the brand’s prestige is reflected in the ornate designs that are a signature feature of RKI’s product line-up. Based in Houston, TX, RKI offers both traditional and contemporary designs with a variety of finishes for customized styles to suit the interior decor of the end-user perfectly. With the hardware being the star of the show, RKI realized that they needed a website that delivered on that promise. Based in Houston, TX, RKI offers both traditional and contemporary designs with a variety of finishes for customized styles to suit the interior decor of the end-user perfectly. With the hardware being the star of the show, RKI realized that they needed a website that delivered on that promise.