The situation – Products in isolation that isolated online customers
Our long-time client ecf HFA specialises in the design, supply, sourcing, despatch and installation of furniture solutions for both the commercial office and healthcare environments. Dealing with architects, fit out companies, project managers and procurement teams, ecf HFA needed interested parties to confidently and quickly navigate their site to arrive at a range of choices that would suit their needs – and purchase them.
With such an expansive and complex catalogue of furniture solutions, it was difficult for ecf HFA’s clients to plot a course from interested to sold. One of the chief impediments that obstructed the path between initial interest and a closed sale was the lack of a seamless ecommerce solution.
While every project and client we work with is unique, solving the ecommerce riddle is not an uncommon brief for us. Let’s take a look:
The brief in brief – make it more about eCommerce, ease of use and closing a sale.
In this case, the target audience is not so much afraid of extensive catalogues as they are put off by the thought of wasting time, navigating product galleries that can distract, confuse or leave the shopper drawing a blank as they’re spoiled for choice.
We were asked to help streamline the process and in so doing, remove any roadblocks to online acquisitions. In short, our brief was to:
Enhance the e-commerce experience and connect customers with their needs
Showcase furniture options so customers see them as tailored solutions rather than endless product lists
Shorten the “path to purchase” for interested customers by creating a payment portal to despatch that expedites customer satisfaction
The work behind what worked for our client
How would that look in our workspace/office/healthcare provider environment? Although this question is specific to our client, it’s a variation on a common theme for businesses marketing and selling products.
While this is not a new challenge – along with building payment portals that shorten “paths to purchase” – we elicited a more nuanced brief by working hard to:
- understand buyer behaviour allowing a smooth and expected user flow
- examine best-fit solutions for the visual representation of products
- curate payment options to ensure a cache of best-fit solutions could be considered
Our collaborative and intentional interactions with our clients set in stone 4 customer facing impacts that enhanced the ecf HFA offer in the eyes of their own clients:
Real furniture in real life – Understanding that people work and interact with the furniture solutions we selected images of situations and settings that showcased the booths, chairs, tables and more, in their functional habitat
Selling to “people” – again we placed people throughout the images to invite shoppers to “see” how the solutions might work for them – and make a purchase
Packaged solutions in full view – we grouped complementary items to encourage package purchases and upselling
Secure and attractive ecommerce platform build hat streamlined purchases and acquisitions
Here’s what success looked liked
We were able to convert the ecf HFA website from a “show and tell” to a “display and sell” ecommerce platform that invites targeted purchasers to consider the furniture solutions on offer in the context of their own needs.
The online platform we created for our client showcases our own capabilities and confirms that “we do ecommerce”, we understand your business and what it needs to sit you at the head of any commercial table.
Heather McWhinney, Director
Heather McWhinney, Director
