In last month’s Natural Stone Specialist it was reported that among the awards won by Mandarin Stone in the Tile Association (TTA) Awards was Best Website, so I went on-line to have a look at their site.

First I visited the TTA to see what they say about Mandarin’s website. In the Awards brochure it states: “This site has a clean, simple visual design… first impressions are vital and this website immediately attracts customers and clearly and quickly gives them the information they require… Strong graphics and images… clear navigation and content… attractive homepage to a wide variety of visitors, from homeowners to architects.”

I would agree with all of that and praise them for keeping the website bang up-to-date – the best website award is there on the home page. Just a small criticism is that there is no news section with information about the award.

When you Google ‘Mandarin Stone’ these West Country suppliers come top of the list, even ahead of a Chinese company with the same name. It is important if your website is to work for you.

You can buy directly from the site, which is easier with tiles than it is with a lot of stone products. Nevertheless the warning is there that stone is a natural product and can vary in appearance.

The site also contains nice touches such as a page on which to place your favourites from the product range. Without having to log in or supply further details it retains the information about the products selected so they are still there next time you visit the site – a useful feature for people who want their wives or husbands, perhaps, to help in the final selection from a short-list.

Another clever touch to maximise sales and ensure customers have everything they need for a project appears when you go to the check out with your tiles. Before you reach the check out, pop-ups appear to take you to the areas to select the fixing and sealing products you will need. And in case you are not sure, you can submit your cart for review by salespeople and even choose how they respond to you (adding materials to your shopping cart, or responding with an email or telephone call).

It is all thoroughly user-friendly and confidence-inspiring. Rating: 94%