Say you are a business that does not sell directly to the public. Something like Dutch design company Coulisse, which manufactures hip and modern blinds in pretty original colors and fabrics. So hip, in fact, that the products are featured in international design magazines like Wallpaper or Frame. Moreover, the company, certainly not a small and insignificant player, has offices in at least four other countries.
So I, a consumer, find these products in a publication or blog and really love what I see. Then, obviously, the next step is to search for a place to check these blinds in person. You know, a real bricks and mortar store. Naturally, I go to their website to see where such magical place could be found. Considering I am local to this business (in the sense that the business is located in the same country where I live!), I expect to see a list of distributors. Then I click at least ten times, towards ten different areas of the website (including a multiple span of clicks through their catalog, in Flash format!), in two languages (English and Dutch because I assume the info I need might be in one of the other languages) only to find… nothing! Just an address to their office and “design lounge”, which is a Business to Business facility (i.e not meant to sell a consumer a couple of colorful blinds to hang in their living room).
Whoever designed this pretty website needs to go back to school ASAP! If a potential consumer cannot find a place to buy your product, especially when said product is not exactly found in a supermarket and is certainly not a basic necessity with a recognized and pervasive brand, then your website is pointless. Open a Flickr account and show fancy pictures of your product. The end result will be the same. If a consumer had to click a dozen times to find basic info on how to access what you sell and finally left your site without this data, your website serves no purpose.
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