In 1916, Clarence Saunders opened a revolutionary grocery
store in Memphis, Tennessee: instead of having a clerk fetch items, you picked
out your own groceries, put them in a cart, and took them to the front of the
store to be checked out. Independent franchisees now operate over 600 Piggly
Wiggly stores in 17 states, mostly in the Midwest and South. The company,
headquartered in Keene, New Hampshire, is an affiliate of C&S Wholesale
Grocers. Its About Us page is here.
OVERALL GRADE: A
Products/Services: A
Piggly Wiggly’s About Us page is a great example of how much
business history can be packed into a single page. It starts by describing
Piggly Wiggly’s history as the first true self-service grocery store. Separate headings
cover the origin of the lilting name, a list of Piggly Wiggly firsts, a bio of
the founder after he left Piggly Wiggly, and a summary of Piggly Wiggly today. All
this is laid out in paragraphs of manageable size and illustrated with logos
old and new, plus two archival photos. Our Commandment 5
of About Us Pages is, “Honor they readers and their attention spans.” Piggly
Wiggly does that with a page of fact-filled, easy-to-read corporate
storytelling. Well done!
Personality: A
The connecting link for independently run Piggly Wiggly
stores is the concept created by Clarence Saunders, who’s appropriately given a
lot of space on the About Us page. Although Piggly Wiggly is now affiliated
with the mammoth C&S Wholesale Grocers, Clarence Saunders’ DNA continues to
make Piggly Wiggly distinctive—no mean feat as the brand approaches its
100-year business anniversary in 2016.
Accessibility: A
The Contact
page (available via a link at the upper right) has an online email form for
corporate headquarters, plus an easy-to-navigate directory for those who want
to contact a specific store.
TAKEAWAY
A single page that includes the right content with an
enticing layout and illustrations can be very effective.
Does your Web site’s “About Us” section
accurately convey your organization’s history and capabilities? Every two weeks
we evaluate one example, grading it in three areas that are key to potential
customers: Personality (Who are you?), Products/Services (What can you do for
us?), and Accessibility (How can we reach you?). To talk about your About Us
page, contact us!
Today’s example was chosen at random;
CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.
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