eCommerce Consultancy
Project scope:
I provided consultancy and delivery of an eCommerce solution for a business that had a number of garden centres, nurseries, and small online presence. In addition to a technical solution, I provided guidance on staffing structure and operational procedures needed to deliver a true omnichannel retail presence. This included analysis of existing accounting, operations, and technology functions and workflows, and providing clear direction on opportunities that could be leveraged to support business growth, and budgetary savings.
Achievements and objectives:
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Overhaul of existing infrastructure to provide improved voice and data services while reducing spend by nearly 25% through engagement with new vendors.
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Management of both project budget and year one budget to deliver a profitable retail channel within existing finance parameters through operational improvements across the business as a whole
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Defining strategy and priorities for the business to incorporate the new digital offering, adapting traditional retail practices to ensure all sales channels supported each other and provided a better customer experience across the brand.
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Overall responsibility for design, branding and UX across all retail channels
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Responsibility for hiring and growing a team that would support the new digital channel, and for ensuring training and support for existing teams to allow for a successful integration into the existing business.
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Source and manage technologies, services, and vendors to meet the business objectives.
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Provide ongoing project management to ensure successful delivery of all phases of the project to completion, and then provide a supported transition to day to day operations
Key areas of focus
Infrastructure & Operations:
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Telephony – introduction of a VOIP phone system working over SIP trunk lines
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Broadband – introduction of a 100/30 leased fibre line and migration from existing provider
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Planning and installation of a Cisco Meraki WiFi network for the premises
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Planning, purchasing and installation of office hardware – workstations, printers, networking, etc.
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Guidance on staff structure needed, both initially and at points on the roadmap as the business grew
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Planning and speccing of logistics needed for online store – delivery services, packaging, fulfilment channels, etc.
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Analysis of existing accounting functions and documenting and roadmapping requirements to support the growth in the business, such as new payment providers and merchant services, and accounts processes for reconciling online transactions to bank receipts
Design:
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Site redesign – top to bottom, modernise, rebrand, enhance UX, improve calls to action, simplify navigation, promote a mobile first design using responsive page designs and customer journey
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Email campaign templates – redesign email campaign to introduce new responsive design templates, modernise branding, and provide more CRM functionality – abandoned baskets, non-member campaigns, and promotional pushes
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Introduce instore bannering to promote website, and utilise customer metrics to introduce targeted email campaigns
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Redesign online bannering to deliver better UX, decrease bounce rate, and compliment instore bannering and POS merchandising material, improve quality of online imagery, and utilise best practice to guide customer journey, whilst maintaining a mobile first, responsive strategy of design
Online shop:
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Analyse business needs, existing business processes, and develop a roadmap to a transactional online store to support bricks and mortar business, increase membership, and generate new business
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Consider existing business systems and integrations when planning new site
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Determine best 3rd party provider to deliver new online platform, and work with them to deliver the platform
Analytics and SEO:
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Examine existing analytics, in store and online, and determine what information is collected, what is reported to stakeholders, and how this information is disseminated throughout the business
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Review and redesign reporting to make better use of analytics, tie together online and instore customer metrics, and ensure that relevant departments are receiving the information needed to improve
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Introduce new analytics via Google online, along with Feefo for direct customer engagement, and EPOS system customer reporting to deliver a better ‘whole picture’ suite of reporting down to a granular level to enable the development of both business and promotional plans to drive business forward
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Improve organic SEO by reviewing, and rewriting existing online content, and training staff to ensure future content, especially when online shop launches, is optimised.
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Introduce paid campaigns to deliver shorter turn increase in both traffic and membership in advance of launch of online store
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Introduce Feefo reviews, online and instore
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Prepare and implement a promotional calendar for instore and online, that support each other.
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Introduce the use of Hootsuite to increase use of social media platforms – Facebook in particular as this is currently under utilised
Solution summary:
Platforms considered included Magento 2, two custom platforms, and Woocommerce.
We ultimately went with Yell for a Woocommerce site along with some paid campaign work. Key factors in this decision included delivery time was within roadmap timeframes, price was reasonable, and synergy between site provider and paid campaign provider was appealing.
I have worked successfully with in the past Yell, and their presence in the market sector provided assurance that they would be a suitable partner.
The existing site provider would provide interim support in migrating, and some integration of bespoke member functionality, with stage 2 being a complete move to a one system platform.
As part of the work I completed I produced the PRD and functional spec documents for the site build. These can be viewed HERE as examples of the detail I bring to my work.