Case Study: Ghirardelli Chocolate

Founded in 1852, Ghirardelli has the richest heritage of any American chocolate company and continues to honor its heritage to this day. Ghirardelli’s premium, slow melting chocolates embody the same sophisticated and intensely rich elements of the City it’s synonymous with — San Francisco. Those same elements that began with confections in San Francisco are now represented in beverages and baking products distributed throughout the Unites States.

As part of Ghirardelli’s effort to better accommodate their ever-expanding product line and consumer base, and project an image that equals their high quality, premium products, the Company recognized the need to redesign their Web site. “Understanding the Internet is a powerful communications tool, we recognized that we could do much more online,” said Fabrizio Parini, Vice President of Marketing at Ghirardelli. “Not only should our Web site represent Ghiradelli’s position in the marketplace as the chocolate expert that creates moments of timeless pleasure, but we needed to provide our customers with timely information.”

As a company with deep roots in San Francisco, Ghirardelli felt it important to search for a quality Web firm that would not only meet their numerous objectives, but also understood the rich heritage of the City. Marker Seven proved to have what it takes… and then some.

Ghirardelli conducted a thorough selection process — looking at Web firms of all sizes. Marker Seven made Ghirardelli a priority from the start. Although the Company received proposals from several local firms, Marker Seven was the only vendor to come to Ghirardelli’s office and present in person. Ghirardelli was not only impressed with Marker Seven’s understanding of their goals, but also with their references and vast portfolio.

Before beginning the site design and development, Marker Seven worked with Ghirardelli to clearly define and understand their goals and objectives. This effort ensured Ghirardelli’s Web site met all immediate expectations and would serve as the foundation for its long-term Web related goals.

Ghirardelli had many clearly identified goals for their new Web site including:

• Project an image equal to their premium, high quality chocolates
• Provide up-to-date product information to consumers
• Create a robust Baking section
• Improve customer service with easy-to-find contact information
• Create a site that could be easily maintained and updated by their internal departments.

Marker Seven designed and developed a site that represents the essence of Ghirardelli’s company and brand — intensely rich chocolates that provide moments of timeless pleasure. The easy-to-use navigation and opulent colors and fonts make the site more modern and engaging from a consumer standpoint.

Ghirardelli’s baking products represent a significant and profitable source of business to the Company. The Baking section on Ghirardelli’s legacy site was static and underrepresented the products’ potential. Marker Seven created a dynamic ‘Bake With Us’ section with many new features including appetite appealing pictures and Recipes and Where To Buy. Recipes are a great way to engage users and draw new customers. The new Recipe area offers so many features including different ways to print, save, modify and scale to size of servings. Additionally, the Products area is so comprehensive that a consumer can search for a specific chocolate bar and find the location closest to purchase.

Keeping information fresh and accurate is important and empowering to Ghirardelli. Marker Seven developed a user-friendly site with an administrative interface that makes it easy for Ghirardelli to make edits. It’s important for functional departments within a company to feel a sense of control and independence. The new architecture allows Ghirardelli to maintain and update much of the information on their own. For instance, the Human Resources department can now post jobs to the Web site without the help of a skilled Web expert — saving Ghirardelli time and money.

Marker Seven launched Ghirardelli’s new Web site in mid-April 2006. “As an early indicator of success, we went from zero to 20 consumer inquiries within the first two hours of the site going live,” said Parini. "Our Web site is now a leading part of our marketing mix.”

Marker Seven helped orchestrate the type of site that Ghirardelli needed to complement their premium brand. Ghirardelli continues to be very pleased with the response and flexibility Marker Seven has afforded them. Not having much experience in the Web arena, Marker Seven guided Ghirardelli throughout the process. Ghirardelli looks forward to working with Marker Seven on Phase II of the Web site project.

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is a manufacturer and marketer of premium chocolate products. Ghirardelli is one of the few companies in America that controls the entire chocolate manufacturing process, from cocoa bean to finished product.

About Marker Seven
Marker Seven is a premier provider of Web-based solutions designed to maximize business sales and communication efforts. Headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 2000, its skilled, cross-disciplinary team tackles every facet of Web development with a common bond and vision - to deliver value, high-quality work, and exceptional service. Marker Seven's professional team of business strategists, designers, and technical experts deliver solutions tailored to each client. Proven ability to understand client's business issues and technical needs allow its team to hit the ground running, take ownership and fully manage every project. Marker Seven remains focused on and dedicated to each project, delivering a polished look with clarity and consistency. Whatever the initiative, Marker Seven implements and delivers success.