Clipsal brings products to life with digital product guide

With live online updates, 3-D modelling and search and browse capabilities, Clipsal's new digital product guide gives customers fast and up-to-date access to items in its extensive product mix.

E-product guide

Developing a digital version of its trade product guide would help Clipsal re-affirm its position as a leader in data communications, industrial and home automation.

Clipsal sought a highly interactive solution that incorporated the principles of information architecture in order to help customers easily navigate its extensive and diverse product range for fast access to prices, brochures and other product information.

After evaluating several software vendors, Clipsal selected Solentive as their preferred technology partner.

Feature-rich solution

Solentive developed the digital guide known as Alfred for distribution on CD-ROM, with a browser-based thin-client interface developed in ASP.NET. Alfred, a highly modular form-based application, links to an SQL backend via web services, and serves data directly from Clipsal's website to CD-ROM for remote content updates, including product information and formatting changes to the user interface.

Version two: Alfred 2007'

In 2007 Clipsal commissioned Solentive to develop version two of Alfred. The upgrade provides sales quotes and uses an API built in .NET to integrate with MYOB. Additionally, it features a contents search engine and 3-D modelling for high impact presentation.

Developed for business readiness in a four-month build cycle, Alfred has become the primary method for receiving Clipsal product information.