I couldn’t agree more. Not because I’m your brother and not because I’m in the business of developing digital media signage for one of the largest networking companies on the planet, but because I’m one of those gen 2 socialites that utilize all media platforms to learn about products, obtain customer testimonials via Facebook, Twitter, you name it.

As I build my house this year, I’ve been to numerous websites looking at kitchen and bathroom products and I’m amazed at how “low tech” or behind the times these sites are. In fact, the higher-end and more luxurious the products are, the older the website seems to be. There’s nothing worse than trying to evaluate a lav faucet with just a thumbnails point of view. Or, walking into a showroom and not being able to walk up to a digital kiosk with touch screen capabilities (selfish plug) to look at the product catalog or determine what faucet goes with what sink.

What works for me? Research products on a comprehensive website that’s easy to navigate, allows me to view products categorized intuitively with good sized images (no broken links or picture coming soon messages) and company links to social networking sites for customer testimonials. Depending on the product, get a hands-on experience at a local, reputable store with a knowledgeable sales team. I value the human connection. If I can learn more about a product then what the spec sheet states, then I’m more apt to buy from the store.

Congrats on the new site and thanks for the DRS Jots area.

I’ll post an update to the progress of my kitchen and bath purchasing adventure soon, and may even rate a few sites along the way.

Andrew