AUTO LOCKSMITHS
NW Keys Ltd – nwkeys . co . uk One of the first E-Commerce web sites to sell keys !
Around the time that Amazon were becoming giants of e – commerce , NW Keys was in the process of adding all of their stock items to a computerised stock control .
» PART OF THIS NEW SYSTEM WAS AN e-commerce application , which the software team were keen for us to test out .
With the eagerness of Guinea Pigs – we set about developing the site !
This was 2003 , at that time we were still handwriting orders which would often include sketchy notes and drawings of keys .
Little did we know what a massive venture we were undertaking . Just adding the stock codes , pricing up and basic categorizing took around 12 months to complete .
Not to mention the images , descriptions and associated products which needed adding - in fact we ’ re still working on these 20 years later !
We launched our web site in February 2004 – A slow start with many customers still preferring to ring us !
At that time only 6.7 % of small businesses were selling online and we were the first to showcase such a massive range of key blanks – covering auto and domestic and with accessories and machinery to match .
Communication is key – the more information you can associate with a product , the more you can guarantee the customer finding and selecting the correct goods
The biggest challenge has been making such a complex site ( with a massive stock range ) easy to search .
Each stock item is allocated a department – so you search ‘ Ford ’ and our web site will show you the list of associated departments such as case only , central locking remotes , ignition locks , remote blades , lock picks and much more .
So , you want a Ford blade made by Silca ? Seach ‘ Ford ’ Filter Department > Remote blades and Brand > Silca You will then get a list of all the Silca remote blades that we stock for Ford .
We have additional product filters within each category .
So , you want an aftermarket remote repair case for a Vauxhall with 2 buttons and a flip out blade ? Select category Auto Locksmiths > Remote repair cases Product filters Make Vauxhall , Style Flip and Type 2 button .
We sell Silca and Keyline products but the web site is designed to search other brands .
60
MARCH 2024
locksmithjournal . co . uk Issue Takeover