Fry Multimedia, Ann Arbor, MI, will build Crate & Barrel's first Web site, which will include an online store and gift registry.
The site, scheduled to launch next spring, will have a look similar to the company's stores and catalog, said Bethany Fenton, senior account executive on the project.
“We are going for a light, airy look,” Fenton said. “As soon as you walk into the stores, you see natural wood and a lot of light. We want to re-create that feel.”
The agency will use photographs from the catalog to create a look consistent with the company's other sales channels. The site will offer gift certificates, credit-card applications, a store locator and catalog request forms. It also will include some customer feedback and content sections, although content sections may not be incorporated into the site until after the initial launch.
Details of plans to promote the site launch still are being developed, but it is expected to be a soft launch, Fenton said. Content sponsorships on sites geared toward the home and some non-Internet-related advertising are likely to be used as marketing tools, Fenton said. The site probably will be located at www.crateandbarrel.com, a spokesman said.
