Aura is one of the products being offered online.

Posted by: Diane Capuano

Benjamin Moore is selling direct to consumers and delivering product to their homes via a new e-commerce addition to its website. Here is the company’s full press release announcing the move:

BENJAMIN MOORE LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE, SELLING ITS PAINTS & SUPPLIES ONLINE

Benjamin Moore, a company that’s been helping Americans beautify their homes with quality performance paints and coatings for more than 125 years, is now selling direct to consumers and delivering to their doorsteps via a new e-commerce addition to its Web site, benjaminmoore.com.

The Benjamin Moore “Shop Now” virtual store, accessible from the Web site’s navigation bar, features a range of the brand’s top-selling interior paints plus sundry painting  accessories, including brushes, rollers, trays, patching compound, and even a specially-created “application starter kit.” Color fan decks—Benjamin Moore has three distinct editions that are the optimum resource for viewing its complete offering of 3,300 colors—also can be purchased. They are indispensable in easing color selection and helping to inspire decorating choices.

The design and development of the online Benjamin Moore store reflects just as much planning and thinking as might have been applied to the building of a brick-and-mortar location. Nearly every consumer requirement or possible question that might typically arise when it comes to purchasing paint has been anticipated. There is information and assistance on what sheen (a/k/a gloss level) to choose for a project, color selection guidance, plus access to a paint calculator that helps figure what amount is needed based on square footage of the space being painted. Purchases can be made using Visa, MasterCard or American Express, and delivery is via UPS ground within one-to-five business days, with the option of two-day air also available. Shipping for orders of $75 or more is free; the shipping fee also is waived for those purchasing four or more of the two-ounce Color Samples, often a first-step in making a color selection decision before tackling a painting project.

The seven paint products offered online are from Benjamin Moore’s “Green Promise” portfolio and are distinguished by either low- or zero-VOC formulations featuring the company’s patented waterborne colorant technology. This lineup includes the über-performance self-priming Aura paint, that has become a favorite of interior designers; Aura Bath and Spa, for any high-moisture area in a home; Natura, considered to be the “greenest” paint Benjamin Moore makes; ben Interior; WB Ceiling Paint; Natura Primer; and, ben Primer. Both gallon and quart sizes are sold. The online color options have been simplified, with 2,500 to choose from. The Color Samples are available in 600 hues.

E-commerce shoppers who require expert advice and assistance while making their selections will have toll-free phone access to a Benjamin Moore customer service representative, available Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Orders are being tinted and shipped from the company’s main distribution center in Clifton, NJ. A policy for accepting returns and exchanges is posted.

The Strategy Behind the Move

In making the leap into internet sales, Benjamin Moore is heading to where DIY consumers are more likely to shop. It is a burgeoning audience that represents untapped potential for the company, which sells through an extensive network of more than 4,000 retailers throughout North America, primarily comprised of paint and decorating stores, hardware stores and lumberyards. This independent selling channel is an industry exclusive that has given Benjamin Moore a competitive advantage, helping to ensure its quality paints are being color-mixed and sold by trained professionals who are service-minded with expertise in the category.

“Online shopping increasingly is part of today’s lifestyle and demanded by consumers,” said Carl MInchew, Benjamin Moore’s director of product development. “Today’s purchase decisions more frequently occur during non-store hours. A product must be accessible and available on the consumer’s timetable, not the other way around. Any business that hopes to remain relevant and viable has to be responsive to this reality and incorporate it into its selling strategy.

“We’ve studied this e-commerce decision for a long time,” he continued, “and, we believe now is the time to add it into our marketing mix. While we remain steadfastly committed to our retail partners, we hope they share our vision that this move will allow the brand to cast its net wider and capture new and more consumers, a benefit to us all.”

About Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore & Co., a Berkshire Hathaway company, was founded in 1883. One of the country’s leading manufacturers of premium quality residential, commercial and industrial maintenance coatings, its products are distributed via a network of independent paint and decorating retailers throughout North America. Benjamin Moore has been a longstanding steward of the environment with a relentless commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices plus the ongoing development of the most eco-responsible formulations possible. Its portfolio of Green Promise® products continues to grow and includes Aura, über-performance low-VOC paint; Natura, the true zero-VOC interior paint, remaining zero in any color, any sheen; and EcoSpec zero-VOC paint for commercial interiors. Benjamin Moore ranks as one of the top 35 GREEN Companies in the U.S., according to GreenBiz.com from an Eco-Insights survey conducted by Earthsense with more than 30,000 respondents.

Tags: Benjamin Moore, e-commerce

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