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From Home Furnishing Business

I.O. Metro to Unveil New E-Commerce Site

May 8, 2014  by in Furniture Retailing, Industry, Internet   

Magento, the e-commerce platform owned by eBay, will power the new Web site for Lowell, Ark.-based I.O. Metro. The platform has received high feedback from consumers regarding the online shopping experience; and I.O. Metro also will be able to maintain promotional consistency between brick-and-mortar stores and the Web site.

"Translating the in-store customer experience to our Web site has been a goal, but the backend technology necessary to make an e-commerce platform switch possible just wasn't available previously," said Amber Langston, director of marketing for I.O. Metro. "As soon as we learned in summer 2013 the technology was ready that would link our inventory system to Magento, we were ready to make the investment for an all-new Web site."

I.O. Metro began seeking the firm that would help with the redesign and Magento integration last fall. In January, the retailer selected Los Angeles-based Spiegel Design Group.

Many new and improved features will make the Web site more customer friendly. The level of overall product information for each item will increase substantially, including details on origin, special materials, more detailed dimensions and specifications, availability, and more. Photos will be easier to view, and the company has begun the process of providing more photos and product video for customers to view. In addition, many products will include a "Designer Review," in which an I.O. Metro designer will evaluate the item.

"We're giving a taste of our free design service for the online customer," said Langston, referring to I.O. Metro's popular service that pairs in-store professional designers with clients throughout the entire home furnishing process.

Each store also will have its own page for such features as designer bios and examples of design work.

"We envision this becoming a great social hub for the stores, with tons of sharable content," Langston said. "That is a major goal of the Web site redesign as a whole."

I.O. Metro also will use the Web site to test the popularity of some items before incorporating them into store floor sets. 
 
I.O. Metro has 17 locations in eight states across the South and Midwest.