The New Standard: Merchantry Tourism's Show Platform Streamlined Business Processes while Enhancing User Experience and Engagement
- Website
- Web App
Evolution of a Brand
The project began with a core strategic initiative: to consolidate the well-established Anderson Brochure Distribution brand under the newly expanded identity of Merchantry Tourism, LLC. This move was designed to reflect a shift from a singular service provider to a comprehensive, multi-faceted boutique business. By integrating Anderson's legacy—which spans over 40 years as a leader in brochure distribution for the outdoor hospitality and travel industries—into the Merchantry Tourism brand, the company immediately broadened its market perception. The transition ensured that while the trusted brochure distribution service remained central, it was now strategically positioned alongside new offerings, including association management, marketing, and professional consulting, all operating under one cohesive Merchantry Tourism banner.
Enhanced Customer Engagement Experience
The development of the new Merchantry Tourism website delivered a radical upgrade to the customer experience, particularly with the introduction of its custom online show application and payment system. Previously, the process for signing up for key brochure distribution shows was cumbersome and manual, requiring customers to either print and complete a PDF order form or obtain a copy via mail or in-person pickup. Orders then had to be filled out by hand and submitted via mail with payment, or even by fax, creating a slow, fragmented process prone to delays and errors.
Driving Growth and Inclusivity with Key Integrations
The new Merchantry Tourism website is not just an operational platform; it is a smart, integrated engine for communication, analysis, and inclusivity. For outbound communication, the site seamlessly connects with Constant Contact, providing the marketing team with a centralized, efficient solution for email marketing and customer engagement.
To ensure every business decision is data-driven, the site is fully instrumented with Google Analytics, which allows the team to meticulously track user behavior, measure marketing campaign effectiveness, and identify key trends, paving the way for continuous content and operational optimization.
Finally, to uphold the highest standard of user experience, the website includes a dedicated accessibility widget, ensuring that the platform is as welcoming and accessible as possible to all users, regardless of special needs or disabilities.
Operational Transformation for Merchantry Tourism
The introduction of the custom show management system has delivered a profound, transformative impact on the internal operations of Merchantry Tourism, eliminating significant manual labor and implementing robust, time-saving automation. This efficiency begins the moment an order is placed: the system’s custom integration with the QuickBooks Online API ensures that every order is automatically imported in the correct format, eliminating hours of manual data entry and reducing accounting errors. Furthermore, online credit card payments, handled via a secure merchant processor API, are instantly reflected in QuickBooks Online and the website’s administrative area, providing real-time financial visibility and eliminating the time previously spent reconciling payments.
Beyond financial and data automation, the new platform fundamentally streamlines the logistical and preparation phases of every show. The administrative area actively tracks and displays the payment status of all orders, while the integrated material Reminder Email system automatically contacts only those customers who have yet to deliver their required literature. Most critically, a comprehensive show reporting system now provides the business owner with an accurate, detailed accounting of all customers, material requirements, and quantities needed for each event. This consolidated data has drastically reduced the number of hours required for show preparation, minimized the risk of missing or incorrect material quantities, and allowed Merchantry Tourism to allocate more time to strategic growth initiatives rather than administrative tasks.