AKC Marketplace® Suffers Another Setback

By Amy Fernandez

Earlier this summer the long anticipated launch of AKC’s redesigned website introduced new feature, described by Chris Walker, Marketing and Communication VP, as “ an Angie’s List for dog owners. Anything you are trying to do with your dog, find an event, training class, groomer, vet, and of course find a breeder, all of that will eventually be in there.”

The initial rollout offered only a fraction of those intended services. These features were customized for clubs to promote their organizations and reach out directly to potential members through the AKC database. In concept, AKC Marketplace^® would engage visitors to the site, steer them to specific clubs, services and events in their area, and provide wider exposure for breeders marketing their puppies.  Essentially AKC Marketplace^® was envisioned as the solution to decades of corporate distancing that has turned AKC into a rigidly defended, bewildering anachronism both to its supporters and detractors.

The idea seems almost surreal today, but long before the advent of online resources, AKC was an internationally recognized go-to source for any and all dog-related information. Yes, there was a time when you could call AKC headquarters and someone would actually pick up the phone and help you find a Poodle groomer.

Possibly it’s most ambitious effort in years, the AKC Marketplace^® would theoretically fill that cavernous gap that has grown since AKC decided that it was legally advisable to stay out of most of that mucky stuff that keeps the dog world spinning.

The idea sounds great and would have been a lot better if it actually worked as promised. For example, rather than automatically adding a club’s upcoming events to AKC’s listings, much of this information seems to have inexplicably vanished.

So far, AKC Marketplace^® ranks as the biggest train wreck of this ambitious three-year website overhaul.  It’s temporarily on ice according to their latest official comment, and for now they are reverting the previous platform of Online Breeder Classified listings. The AKC IT team has stated that it will provide current users with free ads and customer support until the improvements to Marketplace are completed. Current subscribers to their storefronts will be contacted directly by AKC Marketplace^® Customer Support.

Meanwhile, the rest of the site has varying functionality, which may be the case until AKC’s IT crew debugs a mounting list of issues. Frustrated users are invited to contact them via email at AKCMarketplace@akc.org. or  the User Feedback Form which they have posted to the website:

http://form.jotformpro.com/form/52003558899970

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=86058

Posted by chesliepickett on Aug 19 2015. Filed under Featured, The Buzz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.