Daisy Manufacturing Co. (Web Page Review)

Daisy Manufacturing Co.

Rogers

www.daisy.com

If Daisy Manufacturing Co.’s technicians had returned our e-mail, their Web site would have gotten five stars. Response time to Web-based inquiries, however, is one area where nearly every company is still trying to improve.

Overall, www.daisy.com is a nifty place for B.B. gun and air rifle enthusiasts to learn and shop. An interactive site, Daisy customers can quickly click their way through six different product lines to purchase a seemingly endless variety of merchandise.

Being the sentimental types, we decided to click through the purchase of the world famous 1938 model Red Ryder B.B. gun. It was just like Christmas.

The B.B. gun retails for $39.95 plus $5.95 for shipping and handling ($45.90 total), but you avoid Arkansas’ 7.625 percent sales tax by buying on the Web. There are numerous geographic areas listed where air and CO2 guns may not be shipped, but Arkansas is not one of them.

We were very impressed to find that no Daisy air gun products may be purchased without first filing an “affidavit of age” with the company. It requires that the customer be at least 21 years of age and requests a verifiable driver’s license or social security number. Even for time-tested youth models like the Red Ryder, such precautions show Daisy is committed to safety.

The site, whether to a DSL line or a home office modem, loads faster than a Max Speed-ing BB pellet. It was updated March 2 and is designed, produced and maintained by Interface Computer Center LLC of Fayetteville.

Our reviewers could not find any design or logistic flaws to the site. In fact, all three Web experts who helped us look Daisy over could not say enough good things about its aesthetic appearance and easy-to-navigate menu and links.

One smart thing the company has done is list 16 distributors and retailers where Daisy products may be purchased, including www.walmart.com. It’s a sign that Daisy has already caught on to the Web business philosophy of “coopetition.”

One of our reviewers really liked the visual affects and mouse-overs offered on www.daisy.com. The site’s script language is Java Script, which the reviewer noted made loading and touring the site super smooth.

We had no trouble finding Daisy and the Red Ryder with numerous Internet search engines. We realized why after reading through Daisy’s metatag which, interestingly enough, was written in a complete sentence: “Daisy Manufacturing Co. is the world’s oldest and largest producer of airguns, BB guns, pellet rifles and CO2 pistols.”

These key words used to help customers find Web sites through search engines are normally thrown together at random, so even in its Web site programming Daisy is conscious of marketing.