The Sedbergh-based Roof Box Company has achieved significant increases in turnover this year through the use of some clever web technology.

The Roof Box Company, the UK’s leading mail order supplier of car roof boxes, roof bars and bike carriers, realised the potential of the internet very early on and launched their first website in 1998. Since then, the company has increasingly recognised that many customers prefer to conduct the whole buying process online, from research to order.

The company realised that an efficient, information-based web site would not only cut out most of the time taken to introduce their products to the market, but would also make it easy for customers to do their own research.  With customers effectively inputting their own orders, the company would be able to increase their turnover without increasing their fixed costs and they therefore decided to invest in an e-commerce system.

Managing Director, Martin Gray, reviewed various off-the-shelf packages. “These were too prescriptive and too limited for our particular requirements. There are literally thousands of different products and product combinations for our vehicle-specific load carrying gear. We therefore decided to approach someone who could create a bespoke system and invited Alan Jewitt from Web by Numbers in Kendal to come and talk to us.”

“The web systems that Web by Numbers have created, both B2C and B2B, have driven significant increases in turnover as well as massive management productivity gains - tasks that used to take hours now take minutes.”

Since installing the e-commerce system, Web By Numbers has continued to work with The Roof Box Company, developing more sophisticated tools with which customers can select products.  They have also incorporated search engine optimisation into the website, resulting in increased traffic, and implemented a sophisticated email management system for improved customer contact.

Managing Director of Web by Numbers, Mr Alan Jewitt comments “We enjoy working alongside organisations such as The Roof Box Company and becoming part of their team.  They appreciate that IT systems can help increase turnover and reduce costs, especially time and that they can be a real asset to a business.”

For further information on The Roof Box Company, visit www.roofbox.co.uk.  If you would like details of how information technology can help your business, contact Web By Numbers on 01539 741461 or visit www.webbynumbers.co.uk.