Coach was founded as a family-run workshop in a Manhattan
loft in 1941, and its handbags quickly established a cult following for their
quality, function, durability, and classic style. After a brief stint as part
of Sara Lee, Coach became in 2000 a publicly traded company. Coach now has
almost 800 stand-alone stores in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with sales of over
$5 billion in 2013 and more than 17,000 employees. Its global headquarters are
still in the loft on West 34th Street. The main About Us page (“Company
Profile”) is here.
OVERALL GRADE: C
The retail side of the Coach site is attractively laid out
and works beautifully on mobile devices. The pages describing the company’s
business history ... not so much. Company
Profile and its subpages (reached via “About Us / Company Info” in the
footer of the Home page) appear as tiny text in boxes with scroll bars in a sea
of vast white spaces. Viewed on a desktop, this is annoying. On a phone, trying
to access the page kicks up the message, “Sorry for the inconvenience. This
page cannot be viewed in a mobile format.” The About Us pages are also
inconsistent: sometimes they offer the option to print or share on social
media; sometimes not. Time for a major overhaul!
Products/Services: D
Our Commandment 6
of About Us pages is, “Honor thy visuals.” For decades, women around the
world who appreciate quality and style have been lusting after Coach products.
The scant illustrations on the About Us pages do little to remind us of that,
or show what makes Coach accessories worldwide bestsellers. Why not fill that
vast white space around the text with images? Yes, the sales pages are for
selling; but the About Us pages shouldn’t be an imageless wasteland. Potential
investors (at whom these pages are apparently aimed) should also be reminded of
what makes the brand special.
Any fashion brand approaching a 75-year business anniversary
has cause to celebrate, but Coach’s About Us pages are lamentably short on
company history. The Company Profile page mentions the founding of the company
in 1941. The bio of Executive Chairman Lew Frankfort mentions major events
since he joined Coach in 1979. The FAQ gives a few details on Coach’s
expansion. Think of the opportunities for defining the brand if there were a
page of company history with a narrative or timeline illustrated by vintage
ads! (Particularly since collectors still search for vintage Coach bags.)
Personality: A
Coach offers only four
bios of management – but the first two, of Executive
Chairman Lew Frankfort and CEO
Victor Luis, are among the best corporate bios we’ve seen. Each is a
narrative emphasizing their careers with the company and how they have been and
are changing its direction. Unlike most corporate bios (including those of Coach’s
CFO and Global HR Officer), these bios could not be cut and pasted directly to
some other company’s management pages.
Accessibility: C
The Contact
Us page accessible through the Company
Profile page is a rudimentary (and quite ugly!) online form geared to
investors. We suggest a link at the top of the Contact
Us page for wayward customers, and a link on the retail Contact
page for potential investors.
TAKEAWAY
It’s better to wear your laurels proudly than to rest on
them. The About Us pages should flaunt your achievements, with narrative and
illustrations.
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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