Case Study-Park Seed's Web Site (1,707 words)

Hyatt explains: "The whole country is divided into six 'growing' or 'heat' zones. In order to make sure we're selling the proper material and tell people when it's going ship to them, we ask for their ZIP code."

Hyatt and Hanson created a database that matches zones with ZIP codes—a huge undertaking—and linked it to an automated warning that pops up when customers try to put something that's incompatible with their growing zone into the shopping cart. Hanson says she has big plans for even more sophisticated personalization in the near future.