Website redesign for a niche arts and crafts store that took them to seven figures.

1. While catalogues are used for bulk ordering and showcasing current stock, this was not suitable for the majority of the users – that being the everyday-customer. I moved the website away from the catalogue setup and used WooCommerce to build the online shop.
2. Customers were having to submit their order via email, stating the SKU numbers of the item they wished to purchase. As WooCommerce comes standard with cart and checkout, this was an easy implementation.
3. There were hundreds of DDP designs to choose from and no way to filter according to price or design type (eg: flowers, cars, etc…). A filtering system was put in place to allow customers, agents and wholesalers to quickly find their desired designs as well as filter according to their budhet.
4. Diamond-dot Painting supplied hobby shops, stationary shops and agents nationwide. With almost 100 locations within South Africa, it was tedious to locate one near you without having to read through all the shops listed. This was done away with, and I added an easy geo-search that would show you all the location near you with clear visible pins that, when clicked on, made it easy to add to maps and navigate to that location.
5. Since the first website was quickly compiled when business took off, responsiveness was not considered. As over 70% of the users on the website were navigating via a mobile Android phone, this would deteriorate the user experience. The Website was then redesigned to be mobile-friendly first and foremost, providing an easier was to shop, and quickly checkout.
6. Privacy Policies, Ts&Cs and Return Policies were not set up. This does not bring peace of mind to user. If problems arose, both client and customer have no set guidelines to effectively deal with the issue. Thorough research was done and legalities set up to protect both user and client.
7. The catalogue presented only the pricing pertaining to the general customer. Should an agent or wholesaler want to order, they would send in their SKU numbers and be presented with a quote. The new website allowed agents and wholesales to see their own pricing based on user-role – allowing for a speedy checkout and reduced turnaround time for deliveries. Shipping was also specified by user role, with customers getting a flat rate and agents and wholesalers getting a weight-based shipping amount.
8. Once again, due to the quick implementation of the first website, there was no SEO done to improve performance and searchability. This was done with the redesign, with keyword research and optimisation done thorough the website, resulting in a #1 ranking on Google.

Other Considerations

The website must be easy to navigate and simple to make your way to checkout since the demographic is 40 to 60 year old women.