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OEM Website Review (Continued)
    Other than these modest changes, we could find nothing in the 11 top industry websites that one might describe as new, innovative or exciting.  In fact, some of the sites are embarrassing and ought to be unplugged rather than languish purposelessly in cyberspace.  If you can’t find time to update your website in over a year, why bother?
    The bottom line conclusion of our review is that trailer manufacturers have not yet found a priority role for Internet marketing.  While we acknowledge that the last 4 years have been tough for the industry, we still believe that this is a significant, missed opportunity.  Obviously, the Internet can be very useful in conveying company and product information, accessing branch and dealer links, offering finished trailer and parts inventory databases, and posting press releases and financial information.  But we believe that these conventional uses are just the tip of the iceberg compared to the many interactive, customer-friendly features that could be developed.  How about on-line product specing, order and production updating, component comparisons and reviews, customer chat rooms, maintenance and repair training, financing and warranty support, registration and/or traffic assistance?  The sky is the limit for innovative and valuable web-based services! (Please note that we are not talking about glitzy, time consuming animation graphics and sales videos.)  
    Perhaps 4 years from now, we will be able to write about the new and creative Internet services and market strategies of all the major OEM’s.  At the minimum, we hope that the leading trailer manufacturers will at least score better for basic, up-to-date, customer-friendly sites, even if they aren’t fancy or exciting.  Just for this…there is a long way to go!

Trailer OEM Website Comparisons