A Threekit Research Report · June 2026 · threekit.com
See how well 135 manufacturers sell through their website
The Easier to Sell Index report scores 135 complex-product manufacturers on 10 concrete parts of the online buying experience. See where the market stands and how far ahead the leaders really are.
Where 135 sites land today
Every audited site falls somewhere on this line. Most of the market has built the catalog and stopped; about three in ten have the expensive pieces waiting to be wired together; a small group is actively selling.
What they're doingA corporate site: brand story, locations, investor pages, a contact form.
What's missingThere is no path for a seller, a dealer, or a customer to act. Every sale starts from a cold conversation.
What they're doingThe catalog is online: product pages, spec PDFs, basic filtering, a dealer locator. The largest group in the market.
What's missingResearch starts on the site, but the selling still happens entirely offline. Leads arrive as blank forms.
What they're doingDeep spec content, real filtering, often a configurator or a guided flow. The expensive pieces exist.
What's missingThe pieces aren't wired together into a guided path, so the work doesn't reach the seller or the quote.
What they're doingConfiguration, guidance, and a handoff that carries context, working together as one selling flow.
What's missingEven here, almost none have grounded AI on their catalog. The top of the market is still wide open.
No site crossed 75 this year. The space above the leaders is the most interesting territory in the market.
What 135 audits show
The cohort averages 20.2 of 50 on arming its channel and 14.2 on guiding the sale. That 6-point split is the Sales Gap, and it runs under every number here.
Eight industries, eight playbooks
The framework is one ruler, but every industry plays a different game. Each vertical has its own deep-dive page: the report card, the leader, and the specific moves that win.
| # | Vertical | Leader | Median & top score | Sites | Deep dive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Contract Furniture | Herman Miller |
5070
|
12 | Explore |
| 02 | Cabinets & Closets | ClosetMaid |
4575
|
12 | Explore |
| 03 | Uniforms & PPE | Galls |
4570
|
12 | Explore |
| 04 | Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath | American Standard Brands |
4070
|
23 | Explore |
| 05 | Vehicles, Powersports & Machinery | Jayco |
3560
|
13 | Explore |
| 06 | Foodservice | Hatco Corporation |
3045
|
13 | Explore |
| 07 | Doors & Windows | Allegion · Schlage |
3070
|
32 | Explore |
| 08 | Medical & Dental | Henry Schein |
2065
|
12 | Explore |
Ranked by median composite score. Contract furniture is the most digitally mature; medical and dental has the widest single opening in the index. The eight verticals cover 129 of the 135 published sites; the remaining 6 sit in adjacent categories (window treatments, pool & outdoor, building products, education, memorial) and appear in the rankings and appendix.
The 40 highest-scoring sites in the cohort
Sorted by composite score descending, alphabetical within ties. The full cohort is in the appendix.
| # | Company | Vertical | Channel | Buyer | Composite | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ClosetMaid | Cabinets & Closets | 25 | 50 | 75 | Pacesetter |
| 2 | Allegion · Schlage | Doors & Windows | 30 | 40 | 70 | Pacesetter |
| 3 | American Standard Brands | Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath | 35 | 35 | 70 | Pacesetter |
| 4 | Galls | Uniforms & PPE | 45 | 25 | 70 | Pacesetter |
| 5 | Herman Miller | Contract Furniture | 40 | 30 | 70 | Pacesetter |
| 6 | Sub-Zero Group | Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath | 40 | 30 | 70 | Pacesetter |
| 7 | Wayne Dalton | Doors & Windows | 40 | 30 | 70 | Pacesetter |
| 8 | Yale Commercial (ASSA ABLOY) | Doors & Windows | 40 | 30 | 70 | Pacesetter |
| 9 | Ariat | Uniforms & PPE | 40 | 25 | 65 | Pacesetter |
| 10 | Henry Schein | Medical & Dental | 40 | 25 | 65 | Pacesetter |
| 11 | KI | Contract Furniture | 35 | 30 | 65 | Pacesetter |
| 12 | OFS | Contract Furniture | 40 | 25 | 65 | Pacesetter |
| 13 | DXV by American Standard | Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath | 40 | 20 | 60 | Pacesetter |
| 14 | Jayco | Vehicles, Powersports & Machinery | 35 | 25 | 60 | Pacesetter |
| 15 | Kraus USA | Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath | 40 | 20 | 60 | Pacesetter |
| 16 | Polaris Industries | Vehicles, Powersports & Machinery | 35 | 25 | 60 | Pacesetter |
| 17 | The Shade Store | Window Treatments | 35 | 25 | 60 | Pacesetter |
| 18 | TUUCI | Contract Furniture | 30 | 30 | 60 | Pacesetter |
| 19 | Zurn | Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath | 45 | 15 | 60 | Pacesetter |
| 20 | Allsteel | Contract Furniture | 30 | 25 | 55 | Foundation Complete |
| 21 | Hot Spring Spas | Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath | 30 | 25 | 55 | Foundation Complete |
| 22 | Organized Living | Cabinets & Closets | 30 | 25 | 55 | Foundation Complete |
| 23 | Wolverine | Uniforms & PPE | 30 | 25 | 55 | Foundation Complete |
| 24 | Aquatic Bath | Plumbing, Kitchen & Bath | 35 | 15 | 50 | Foundation Complete |
| 25 | ASI Group | Contract Furniture | 30 | 20 | 50 | Foundation Complete |
| 26 | California Closets | Cabinets & Closets | 30 | 20 | 50 | Foundation Complete |
| 27 | Carhartt | Uniforms & PPE | 30 | 20 | 50 | Foundation Complete |
| 28 | Hafele America | Cabinets & Closets | 35 | 15 | 50 | Foundation Complete |
| 29 | Kubota Tractor Corporation | Vehicles, Powersports & Machinery | 30 | 20 | 50 | Foundation Complete |
| 30 | Richelieu Hardware | Cabinets & Closets | 35 | 15 | 50 | Foundation Complete |
| 31 | School Specialty | Education | 35 | 15 | 50 | Foundation Complete |
| 32 | Fabuwood | Cabinets & Closets | 25 | 20 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
| 33 | Hatco Corporation | Foodservice | 30 | 15 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
| 34 | Hayward Pool Products | Pool & Outdoor | 35 | 10 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
| 35 | JELD-WEN | Doors & Windows | 20 | 25 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
| 36 | Kimball International | Contract Furniture | 25 | 20 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
| 37 | Metro (InterMetro) | Foodservice | 20 | 25 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
| 38 | Overhead Door Corporation | Doors & Windows | 20 | 25 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
| 39 | PIP (Protective Industrial Products) | Uniforms & PPE | 25 | 20 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
| 40 | ProVia | Doors & Windows | 20 | 25 | 45 | Foundation Complete |
The 19 sites that cleared 60
Sixty is the line where a site is actively selling, not just publishing a catalog. At 60 and above, configuration, guidance, and a handoff that carries context start showing up together. These sites cleared that line, drawn from across the verticals and reaching it by different routes.
Ten questions, three numbers
Every site is scored on the same 10 questions, each a 0, 5, or 10. Five build the Channel Enablement Score (0 to 50): how well the site arms the people who sell — reps, dealers, distributors, designers. Five build the Buyer Assist Score (0 to 50): how well it guides a visitor to a confident answer. Together they make the composite (0 to 100). Nothing else feeds the number.
- 01Spec-grade content (BIM, CAD, Revit, submittals)
- 02Bundles, kits, or project templates in the nav
- 03Pricing guidance the channel can use (MSRP, ranges, 'from $X')
- 04Save, share, and resume across sessions
- 05A lead handoff that carries configuration, intent, and budget
- 06Multi-attribute, combinable catalog filtering
- 07Search that understands a natural-language question
- 08A guided selling flow, quiz, or recommender
- 09A visual configurator (2D or 3D, multi-attribute)
- 10A grounded AI assistant trained on the catalog
0 means the capability is absent. 5 means a limited version exists. 10 means it works the way a modern seller or specifier expects. This is a snapshot of the public web in a single audit window, not a measure of any team's effort or skill. Plenty of strong teams sit mid-table because the roadmap hasn't reached this layer yet.
What your band already does well, and what to focus on next
These are typical profiles for each band, not a verdict on any one site. The dots are what sites like yours usually have in place. The plus marks are the moves that tend to come next, each with a cohort brand that has shown it done well.
If You're a Catalog BuilderComposite 20–39 · 41% of the cohort · the largest band
- A spec library and product PDFs
- Basic catalog filtering on the PLP (product listing page)
- Collection or category pages
- A dealer locator for handoff
- +Show pricing guidance. MSRP, a range, or 'from $X' is the single biggest mover in the data. Like Schlage, Jayco
- +Add a guided flow. A 'help me choose' quiz or recommender. Like Yale Commercial's Smart Studio
- +Add a visual configurator. A 2D or 3D build, even a simple one. Like American Standard's Room Planner
If You're Foundation CompleteComposite 40–59 · 29% of the cohort · closest to the top band
- Visible pricing of some kind
- A spec, BIM, or CAD library
- A configurator or guided flow, often both
- Combinable or near-combinable filtering
- +Carry configuration into the handoff. Route a configured draft quote to the rep, not a blank form. Like Henry Schein, Zurn inSpec
- +Add save, share, resume. A project that survives a session and a colleague. Like Zurn's inSpec
- +Ground an AI assistant in the catalog. No site in the cohort has done it yet.
If You're a PacesetterComposite 60–100 · 14% of the cohort · this year's leaders
- Both layers active at once
- Visible pricing and real filtering
- A configurator or strong bundle nav
- A handoff that carries context
- +Ground an AI assistant in the catalog. Nearly every Pacesetter scores 0 or 5 here. The one capability that redefines the top of the band.
- +Deepen save, share, resume into a true cross-session project room shared with the channel and the end customer.
The cheapest single move from one band to the next
Score your own site on the 10 questions, find your band, and climb one step at a time. Each riser shows the move that, in this cohort's data, most reliably lifts a site to the next band, plus a manufacturer that shows it done well. The top step opens onto the one capability no site has claimed yet.
Which way do you lean?
Your band says how far along you are. Your posture says which side you have invested in. Subtract your Buyer Assist Score from your Channel Enablement Score. More than 5 points of Channel means you lean Channel-side. More than 5 points of Buyer means you lean Buyer-side. Within 5 points, you are Balanced. Each lean points to a different next move.
You've built for the people who actually close deals. The next move is helping the visitor get to a confident answer before they reach the dealer. A guided flow on the homepage and a grounded AI assistant on the existing spec content are the two highest-impact adds.
You've built a strong commerce experience. The next move is arming the dealer or specifier with the same digital quality. A persistent project room, submittal export, and a lead handoff that carries configuration forward are the unlocks.
Balanced at a high composite score means you're a Pacesetter, and the remaining move is almost always the same: a grounded AI layer. Balanced at a low composite score means both sides are still being built.
How we audited, what we measured
Threekit funded the research but held no editorial review over scoring or rankings. Every company is named and scored, customers included.
150 leading North American configurable-product manufacturers, audited on the public web in April–May 2026; the 135 that fit the profile are published.
Each of 10 questions scores 0, 5, or 10. Five sum to Channel Enablement, five to Buyer Assist, and together to a 0–100 composite.
No buyer interviews, conversion data, dealer surveys, mobile parity, or time-series change. Desktop-rendered sites only, captured in one window.
A sample of large, recognizable manufacturers, not a probability sample. Findings generalize to the cohort, not the universe of manufacturers.
The 135 companies in this report
The published cohort, alphabetical. Every site was scored on the public web during the audit window.
Allsteel
Alsco Uniforms
Alside
American Standard Brands
Ansell
Aquatic Bath
Ariat
ASI Group
ASSA ABLOY Door Group
Atrium Windows and Doors
AZEK Company (TimberTech)
Bertch Cabinet
Beverage-Air
Bradley Corp
Brizo
California Closets
Carhartt
Closet Factory
ClosetMaid
Closets by Design
Continental Refrigerator
Cornerstone Building Brands
Curries
Delfield
Dexter Axle
Dormakaba USA
Dräger
Duke Manufacturing
DXV by American Standard
EMCO Enterprises (Andersen)
ES Windows
Fabuwood
Forest River
Galls
Genie
Gerber Plumbing Fixtures
Getinge
Global Furniture Group
Hafele America
Hatco Corporation
Haworth
Hayward Pool Products
Henry Schein
Herman Miller
Hill-Rom (Baxter)
Hobart Corp (ITW)
Hot Spring Spas
Humanscale
Hörmann USA
Invacare
ITW Food Equipment Group
Jayco
JELD-WEN
JLG Industries
John Deere C&F
Just Manufacturing
KaVo Kerr
KI
Kimball International
Knoll
Kolbe Windows & Doors
Kraus USA
Kubota Tractor Corporation
Kwikset (Spectrum Brands)
LCN (Allegion)
LiftMaster (Chamberlain Group)
LION Group
Manitowoc Ice (Welbilt)
Mansfield Plumbing Products
Master Spas
MasterBrand Cabinets
Matthews International
Medline
Medtronic
Mercury Marine (Brunswick)
Metro (InterMetro)
Middleby Corporation
Midmark Corporation
MTI Baths
ODL Inc
OFS
Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope
Organized Living
Overhead Door Corporation
Owens & Minor
Pentair
Pfister Faucets
PGT Windows (Miter Brands)
PIP (Protective Industrial Products)
Polaris Industries
Polyglass USA
Pool Corp / SCP
ProVia
Quanex
Reeb Millwork
Richelieu Hardware
ROHL (House of Rohl)
School Specialty
Sierra Pacific Industries
Skytron
Snap-on Incorporated
Steelcraft (Allegion)
Steris
Stryker
Sub-Zero Group
Sundance Spas
Sunrise Medical
Symmons Industries
The Shade Store
Thor Industries
Toro Company
TOTO USA
Tracker Marine
Trimlite LLC
TUUCI
UniFirst Corporation
US LBM
Vestis Corporation
Von Duprin (Allegion)
Vulcan
Waterworks
Watkins Wellness (Masco)
Watson
Watts Water Technologies
Wayne Dalton
Weather Shield Windows and Doors
Welbilt
Wellborn Cabinet
Wolf Range (commercial)
Wolverine
Wood-Mode
Yale Commercial (ASSA ABLOY)
Yamaha Motor Corporation USA
Zurn
Make it easier to sell
This index measured where the path to a sale breaks: the handoff that arrives blank, the configurator that never reaches a quote, the seller and the dealer working from different answers. Threekit's AI Sales Agent closes that gap. It takes your catalog, configuration rules, knowledge base, and design content and turns it into an expert seller that guides your reps, your channel, and your customers to the same right answer — configured, qualified, and routed with full context. Deploy on your website, in your channel portal, or with your reps.