What we do
We work with clients to deliver fantastic online shops which give a great representation of their brand, attract visitors to the site and convert those visitors into customers. The USB stick that we give clients at the end of the project containing all the files and instructions needed to keep the site up to date is not only useful, but also symbolic of the fact that they are now in control. Of course, we're always happy to help if we are needed, though.
What is an online shop?
We firmly believe that an online shop is an awful lot more than a website with pictures of products that enables money to be taken from customers. We've talked to people who say, "We have implemented an online shop, but no-one is buying. Why not?" An online shop to us is a website that shows products to their best advantage, takes payment in the most secure manner (PCI level 1 compliant), is engaging, has a layout that is optimised to sell and enables simple ongoing maintenance, such as maintaining products and search terms and allowing merchandising to be undertaken, with ease and little or no cost to the shop-owner.
How we Work
The process to build a new site starts with a meeting to understand the products, brand values and design constraints. We'll look at the current state of the business and its objectives and will put together a report highlighting the key next steps to having a profitable online shop. We will then typically present 3 designs that build on any existing logo and colour scheme and set up the website template according to the preferred design.
Between these stages, products and images will be set up and copy uploaded. This process is much quicker if you have the information already, but if you do not, or even if you have no idea where to start, we can help. Photography, copywriting and other services can all be arranged with approachable but experienced experts who will guide you through the every step of the way.
Software
We mainly work with the Powa platform; Powa is a tool that is really easy for smaller businesses (SMEs) to use directly and also provides an effective tool for microsites for larger clients. Tasks needed to keep a site up to date, like refreshing keywords and adding new products are easily achievable by the end user, which keeps costs and timescales under control. Although we are able to support clients with online shops in other software, please be aware that any enhancements we recommend may cause additional costs from your provider.
Costs
Use of Powa software to run a transactional site normally costs 8% of web turnover, with a minimum charge of £9.99 per month. Two 2 domain names, all upgrades and robust hosting are included. The contract has no fixed term, meaning that you carry on using and paying as long as it suits you. Our set up charge typically varies from £3,000 to £5,000, depending on the size of the project. Costs will be confirmed at the beginning of the project and we can sometimes offer a reduced charge, so do email Elisabeth for more information.
If you are very competent in word processing and spreadsheets and maybe even know a bit of HTML, you can always build the online shop yourself. We'll do the design and then provide as much or as little support as you need to get the site live. This will cost you less, but of course take up more of your time. We're happy to discuss this kind of option.
