JHD had a web presence but were not getting the results they really wanted. We redesigned the site to focus in on their two types of customer, providing clear paths for them to get what they really wanted from the site.
The results were a dramatic increase in retailers making direct contact wanting to stock JHD’s products (something that previously required a lot of time spent on phone calls). And happier retail customers who were easily able to find product information and locations to buy the products.
Meet The Client
JHD are an importer, wholesaler and distributor of sustainable products. They focus on products that help replace and reduce our plastic consumption, and work with both New Zealand and overseas manufacturers and producers.
They work with socially responsible companies, and have strong ethical values. So it was a pleasure to work with JHD on their redesign.
The Groundwork
The key to any successful small business web design is detailed research. To build a website that works well we need to understand:-
- who the business are
- what they stand for
- all those things that make their product or service special
- who their customers really are
- what their customers needs are
As a wholesaler JHD have a very clear direct customer of retail stores. These are busy people who juggle dozens of suppliers and hundreds of product lines. So they just want clear facts and product information plus an easy way to make contact.
But there is also an ‘indirect’ customer here too. JHD do not sell retail, but they distribute in-demand products that retail customers want. We determined those indirect customers would be best served by detailed product information together with being put in contact with a retailer where they can buy those products.
We also took this a step further, identifying a third ‘customer’ type, that of the small local producers and manufacturers needing help to get their products to market. JHD already had significant experience of getting products retailer ready for the New Zealand market.
Challenges
One of the big challenges was helping retail customers to find the store locations they needed to be able to buy the products. If you only have a handful of locations, a simple text list is fine.
But we realised JHD were going to quickly blow that up to hundreds of store locations. And a long text list is a huge pain to use, even if split into regions.
We also didn’t want to just give them all the stores, we wanted to help them find their nearest store.
It took a fair bit of research and a few wrong turns, but the solution we implemented provided a lot of awesome benefits.
Customers can now interactively locate a store using the familar Google Maps interface. The map defaults to their local area (or they can search another area). They can zoom in/out, click to get full address and contact details or even get directions from their current location. All without leaving the website.
The client can also add, delete or update the stockist information themselves using a nice user-friendly management page. Their website instantly updates with the changes.
The Strategy
The strategy for this project was to keep things simple, whilst still providing what both retailers and retail customers needed from the site.
This was achieved with distinct detailed product pages providing clear facts and background information, along with good photographs of the products. Both customer types were presented with clear paths through the site to easily get what each needed.
We also provided a way for producers and manufacturers to work with JHD too, to help get their products into retail stores.
The Results
The new website was launched and has performed beyond expectations:-
I consider myself fairly tech savvy and set up my website for my new business by myself using free online tools and came up with what I thought was pretty good but I wasn’t getting any enquiries through the website and updating the website started to become a hassle and a drain on my time.
After handing over my website management to Martin from MyTechGuy.co.nz, my website is looking professional, is properly set up for SEO and google analytics and I am now getting several new enquiries every week! Thanks to Martin from MyTechGuy.co.nz for turning my website from a costly burden into a money-making asset! 👍👍
Cory @ JHD Ltd
We continue to work with JHD to provide website management and site updates for new product acquisitions.