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How did the project start?
Jonathan Trumbull and Hatters specialise in designer menswear, with outlets throughout Norwich. Their previous website was only months old and yet they immediately recognised that the solution was not going to deliver for their business. Jonathan Trumbull approached Visualsoft to offer thoughts on how to move forward with the website and to get a better understanding of what was preventing sales.
What options did you consider?
Based on initial conversations, Jonathan Trumbull was immediately impressed by the level of expertise and knowledge Visualsoft had of the fashion sector. A knowledge born through experience, Jonathan Trumbull knew that their web partners having such insight made them the best company for the job and began the project within days of initial conversations.
From the Visualsoft perspective, the previous website was built with an approach often seen in graphics companies which can produce an aesthetically pleasing site, but with little sense of calls to action, or clear navigation. To maintain quality going forward, the entire website was retired, starting again from the point of a designer planning ideas on paper. The new Jonathan Trumbull website was built fully bespoke, from a business and conversion perspective as apposed to a purely aesthetic one.
What help and expertise did you receive?
The website was built inhouse by the Visualsoft development team. All members of the company put forward their own ideas, creating a solution which visually reflected the traditional, yet high quality nature of the store, whilst being driven by a powerful eCommerce engine based on driving traffic and building sales.
Third party expertise was introduced in the form of Touchretail, who were extremely proactive in providing information to allow the Visualsoft team to develop a link to the in house till systems.
Did you face and challenges or learn any lessons?
Fashion and more specifically, menswear websites are an area in which Visualsoft probably has more experience than any other web development company in the UK. However, as a company Visualsoft has rarely worked with third parties on any project, preferring to develop all projects in house where quality control can be maintained. In working with Touchretail, a section of the website functionality was being removed from Visualsoft control. However, Touchretail proved to be extremely efficient and knowledgeable in their role and a near flawless solution was eventually developed.
What are the outcomes and how has it improved your business?
From the Visualsoft perspective, the project has helped to build a complimentary partnership with a leading EPOS and stock control speacialist in Touchretail. The benefits in developing the solution for Jonathan Trumbull have been gaining a client who is very pleased with their new found success online and is eager to continue growing the business online. The website paid off its initial investment within only a few weeks and has since gone on to achieve growing sales month on month.
What are your plans for the future?
The Jonathan Trumbull website is now a core element of the business and huge efforts are now being made to further propel the business forward. In eCommerce, if you remain still, you are going backwards and in the coming year, Jonathan Trumbull will assess a range of new website features, including Ebay integration, additional secondary payment gateways and reassessing/ optimising their pay per click campaign.
