Hello Direct s web site won the 1996 Catalog Age Gold Award in the web site category. This is the first year the web site category was added to the awards presentation, and Hello Direct s site was one of four sites to make the final round of judging. Award winners were selected from among 104 finalists. Like all finalists, Hello Direct s site was evaluated for its home page presentation, for merchandising, design, copy, overall marketing and web catalog concept, and for customer service and ordering convenience. Hello Direct s site features a 250-plus product offering, secure ordering capabilities, and online customer service and support.
Users also have the ability to check prices, provide input on products, and suggest products.
Direct created its web site both in answer to rising postal and paper costs and as a means of prospecting for new customers. Now, the site has become an excellent alternative for customers who desire the convenience and freedom of 24-hour ordering capability. The online version of the Hello Direct catalog is updated at least monthly. Lead times for producing and adding pages are much shorter than the paper catalog and changes can be made within a matter of minutes. This allows new products, missing the paper catalog deadline, to be featured on the Hello Direct web site.