Jill Hecht Maxwell is a reporter at Inc. Technology.
The savvy entrepreneur's guide to buying office furniture online
Comments
|
Would CEOs go back? |
What is the site good for? |
CEOs' quick take |
| www.furniture-online.com |
"No." |
"Nothing in particular." |
"An amateurish generic site that sells bland generic furniture." |
| www.nextoffice.com |
"When I have a specific need." |
"The space-planning feature seems cool." |
"Functional and straightforward, but its furnishings didn't interest me at all." |
| www.ofconcepts.com |
"When I have a specific need." |
"Nice flow of information." |
"I wish I'd had access to this site when I was buying our conference table." |
| www.officebydesign.com |
"Occasionally." |
"Courteous and responsive customer service." |
"Very hip site, from the look and feel, to the products offered." |
| www.officefurniture.com |
"Occasionally." |
"I found the ergonomics section helpful." |
"Very good selection, and the prices are comparable with those in catalogs I receive." |
| www.ofusa.com |
"No." |
"Window shopping." |
"Very well organized, but if you need help, it's difficult to find." |
| www.shop121.com |
"When I have a specific need." |
"Detailed product information." |
"A very professional, comprehensive site." |
Grades
|
Navigation |
Inventory |
Ordering |
Customer service |
Reliability |
Value |
Average grade |
| www.furniture-online.com |
B- |
C+ |
B- |
B- |
A- |
B- |
B- |
| www.nextoffice.com |
B+ |
C |
B |
A- |
A- |
B |
B |
| www.ofconcepts.com |
B |
B- |
B |
B |
B |
B- |
B |
| www.officebydesign.com |
A |
A- |
A |
C- |
A+ |
A- |
A- |
| www.officefurniture.com |
B |
A- |
B |
A- |
B |
A- |
B+ |
| www.ofusa.com |
B- |
C |
B |
C |
B+ |
C+ |
B- |
| www.shop121.com |
A |
A |
B+ |
A- |
A |
A- |
A- |
Our Panelists
Ty Austin, chairman, M-Cubed Information Systems Inc.; president and CEO, NetX Information Services Inc.
Bill Blount, general manager, Precision Shapes of Virginia
Chris Charuhas, CEO, Visibooks
Gregory S. Howe, president and CEO, BMS Corp.
David L. Jacobs, president, Spyder Active Sports
Aaron Kassin, president and CEO, My Contact Lenses Inc.
Taketoshi Natsui, president, Disco International Inc.
Susan S. Nedell, president, Wyndemere Inc.
Beran Peter, CEO, Instruction Set Inc.
Robert Rogers, president, the Chesapeake Center
Jean D. Sifleet, lawyer and certified public accountant
John Spinale, CEO, Bitmo
John Webster, CEO, PermitsNow Inc.
David Whitman, president, Whitman Global Carpet Care
Please e-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.
