Case Studies
Whitebox is an online shop selling a wide variety of domestic appliances such as washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, fridges, freezers, etc.
The aim of Whitebox is to provide unbiased, complete and easily accessible information to help customers make an informed choice about domestic appliances, find the best product to match their needs, and to deliver it at the lowest possible cost direct to their doorstep.
Requirements
Whitebox wanted to use the power of the Internet to do three things which give power back to the consumer:
- Provide an unrestricted choice - any product available for sale in the UK should be available through Whitebox.
- Provide detailed information about the products. Choice and information will make sure that the customer can always find the product that best matches their needs with no-one pushing, so that the customer is always in control.
- Put consumers in touch with factories, so missing out the middle men and making purchasing an appliance cheaper. To this end Whitebox are developing their own brand of products from a manufacturer based in Slovenia who supply a lot of appliances to the German market but have very little business in the UK.
The Solution
The Whitebox site is innovative and unique.
It provides a database of all products and their specifications, including look-up and comprehensive search tools to help with research and information gathering. It is intended to be unbiased and factual.
The products are separated into categories - washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, fridges, freezers, cookers, etc. |
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The sophisticated search engine allows the customer to search on many different features such as, ratings, "must haves" or brand and model.
All appliances matching the search criteria are listed by brand and model or price, with details of their specifications. |
It is then possible to "drill down" further into the product information for a compre-hensive features list, a glossary to interpret those features, and a photograph.
You can even add products to a shortlist to compare them while deciding what to buy. |
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The site also contains all the information required to make an online shop successful - the Whitebox "promise", delivery, warranty, after-sales service, customer rights, payment and security details and links to the manufacturer web sites.
The site was constructed using the latest Microsoft ASP.Net technology. The product details are stored in a SQL Server database. |
On-line payment clearance uses the Datacash service and incorporates pre-authorisation of credit cards with final billing following shipment of goods.
Whitebox is accredited to the Which? Web Trader Code of Practice for UK-based web sites which encourages the highest standards among online traders to ensure consumers are treated fairly when shopping online.
The site is secured by a Verisign Secure Server certificate which ensures secure communication between the web site and visitors to that site.
Reviews
"Whitebox is a brilliantly informative and well-illustrated site that tells you almost everything you need to know about washing machines, dryers and dishwashers. My favourite feature is the one where you can programme into its search engine your specific requirements and it will find the relevant models."
Daily Telegraph - E-shopping
"This Which? Web Trader-accredited site specialises in washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers and washer-dryers. The choice is good and the site has great extra product information: all the appliances are rated, with detailed specifications. The search feature is impressive - you can state your maximum price, when you need the goods delivered and the dimensions of the space your appliance has to fit into."
Sunday Times - Online Web Shopper Challenge
