Thanx Media, an enterprise solutions provider headquartered in Chicago, is pleased to announce the successful completion of a project with Blick Art Materials to upgrade the site search engine on DickBlick.com. After an extensive search, Kathryn Kollett, Web Program Director at Blick Art Materials, and her team selected Google Commerce Search (GCS) to replace their prior search technology, as their existing solution wasn’t meeting their customers’ needs. According to Kollett, Google recommended partnering with Thanx Media to ensure a smooth implementation of the new search platform.

“We were looking for a search platform that would provide an excellent customer experience and require little manual intervention to configure and maintain. In addition we needed a partner that knew the product and could guide us through the implementation smoothly and quickly to ensure our success,” said Kollett.

Wesley Rizal, a Professional Services Team Lead at Thanx Media, led the effort. The Thanx Media approach is founded in industry best practices combined with an authentic interest in the success of their client. Kollett said, “Wes was great. He was genuinely interested in the project and its success. We felt like he was part of the team.”

The Blick team selected GCS for its flexibility and ease of implementation. With Thanx Media, it designed and implemented a solution tailored to accommodate Blick’s product data structure and meet the needs of Blick’s customer base. “Wes was very knowledgeable. One of the things I liked most was his honesty. He knew the tools well, acknowledged it if he needed to do some research, and he found the answers we needed quickly. That’s a quality I really appreciate in a partner,” Kollett remarked.

The effort overlapped the tail end of another large project to enhance the Blick website. According to Kollett, “Despite our preoccupation with the bigger project, we were able to get a nice search solution in place thanks to the assistance and flexibility of the Thanx Media team.”

The team at Blick Art Materials looks forward to a search solution that requires less manual intervention and has greater promotional capabilities. In particular they want to take advantage of product recommendations and the tools ability to customize search results based on consumer behavior.

The search capability was implemented in early August 2012 and the early indications are promising.

Thanx Media is a Google Enterprise Authorized Reseller of the Google Commerce Search (GCS) solution.

About Blick Art Materials
Founded in Galesburg, Ill., in 1911, Blick Art Materials is one of the largest and oldest providers of art supplies in the United States, with 38 retail stores nationwide. Its products cater to the full spectrum of artists — from the youngest child ready to scribble with his or her first crayon to well-known, gallery-represented professionals. The company’s extensive selection, competitive prices and superior customer service make Blick the best choice for art educators, students, artists, architects, designers, hobbyists or anyone requiring quality art materials for work or pleasure. A long-time advocate of art education in the U.S., Blick also provides support of scholastic, collegiate, and professional art shows, both financially and through a variety of materials that emphasize the benefits of art education. The company’s corporate office is located in Highland Park, Ill., and its main operations are located in Galesburg, Ill. For more information, please visit http://www.DickBlick.com.