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Since 1946, Wenger Corporation has been manufacturing innovative products
servicing a variety of markets including elementary to post-secondary music
education, the performing arts, theater, places of worship and more. They are
recognized as an industry leader with a reputation for supplying durable and
versatile products with real value and proven return on their investment.
Located in Owatonna, Minnesota, Wenger now offers nearly 600 products to
customers worldwide and employs over 500 people.
With increased market diversity, Wenger recognized a need to redesign their public web site to be more market driven, allowing their prospective and current customers to access products and information specifically designed for their individual market segment. Wenger also recognized the need to create a site that demonstrated leading edge technology and was alive with images of their products.
To assist with the design of their new site Wenger contracted the services of Accompany Software in Minneapolis. Accompany conducted a thorough review of the existing site, interviewed Wenger staff to develop user requirements, and worked closely with Wenger's marketing staff to develop a site infrastructure that satisfied the demands of the varied markets and customers that Wenger services.
The web site was developed using Flash which projects a progressive and crisp image, indicative of Wenger's product line. The site is served by an Apache web server and data is delivered to the Flash front-end by WebSmart programs developed in a joint effort by ExcelSystems and Wenger's IT staff. ExcelSystems also developed an HTML version of the site for non-Flash compatible browsers, the HTML site is accessible via a link on the page.
Figure 1: Wenger Corporation Shopping Cart (Click image to enlarge)
In addition to the unique combination of Flash and WebSmart programs, the site is also entirely driven by dynamic content. Product images, information and page layout are all determined by content derived from a database designed cooperatively by ExcelSystems and Wenger programmers to deliver ultimate flexibility. This allows Wenger to deliver market specific information for products that in fact may exist in multiple markets.
Joe Lutterman, IS director for Wenger Corporation states: "The design of the site maximizes visibility to Wenger products by providing access by market or product line. The HTML version of the site allows customers who do not have Flash the ability to fully navigate. The successful design and implementation was a cooperative team effort between our two partners, Accompany Software and ExcelSystems."
The site went live in May 2006 and is accessible at www.wengercorp.com.
For further information about how this application was developed or for details on our consulting services, please contact Kevin Cronin.
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