Centura was seeking to develop its web presence on a national scale, achieving this by uniting its regional distribution centers on a single website while adapting to local differences. The site needed to present the entire range of products, which varies from one region to another, and to offer personalized services to multiple markets with different needs: consumers, retailers, installers, architects and designers.
Centura is one of the largest distributors of floor and wall coverings in Canada. The company offers wide ranges of ceramic and porcelain tiles, mosaics, laminated wood, as well as installation tools and products for commercial and residential projects. With 14 distribution centers and a network of several hundred retailers, it has expanded from coast to coast.
Using ProcessWire content management system, Spiria developed a website featuring advanced functions that delivers specific information and customized tools to various types of users. For example, after registering their profile, architects and designers can order samples online, retailers can view the inventory status at their regional distribution center, etc. Also, visitors are only shown the products available in their own area. Product availability and prices can be updated daily with the Prophet21 inventory management system, and the webmaster is alerted when new specifications come in. Complex searches for products are made possible with an Elasticsearch server that delivers ultra-fast results. With a fully adaptive design, all the functions are easily accessible on a tablet as well as on a smartphone.
The foundation for Centura’s digital strategy is now an elegant, completely bilingual website. The site dedicates considerable real estate to graphics to better display the products. Much more than just an online catalog, its advanced features exhibit the quality and diversity of the product offering while complying with the operations of each department. With advanced customization possibilities, the website has enhanced its response to various clienteles — retail buyer as well as professional — and delivers to each of them a specific message. This new, evolving platform will soon include a blog, a regional news section and e-commerce features.
From my first meeting with the folks at Spiria, it was clear that they were eager to meet the challenge. Their ability to listen immediately put me at ease. Week after week, each person involved in every step of the process was professional, courteous and attentive to our requests and needs. In an initial presentation of the site to all partners in Toronto, we agreed that everything matched and even exceeded our expectations. Ultimately, the launch was a real success. Our customers and employees were thrilled. Congratulations to the very professional team at Spiria for the excellent work they’ve done and will continue to do.