The Client
Ebb and Flow Kids is an independent toy shop in Tenby who are passionate about play and nurturing young minds. They aim to offer sustainably sourced, individual, unique toys, puzzles, and games.
The Challenge
With a highly successful shop, the next natural step for Ebb and Flow was to offer their products online, taking advantage of the current trend for online shopping. Their main business objective was to have a website designed that worked as a reference point and a way of enticing locals in the town to visit the store, but also a way to broaden the customer reach beyond Tenby. This would allow products to be purchased by anyone anywhere with either delivery or in-store pickup.
The Process
To achieve the business objectives, we first needed to empathise with the end user and understand their goals and frustrations experienced when online toy store shopping. We completed some quantitative and qualitative research methods including online surveys with toyshop users and performed competitor analysis of popular online and physical toy stores (Amazon, Smyths, Kidly etc.).
Based on our key findings, we created two personas of the most typical users that would visit the website and used these as a basis to design solutions that would make shopping online at Ebb and Flow Kids easier for the consumer.
We built a website prototype for testing with a broad selection of users. We gave the participants a set of objectives to perform, and from this, we learned how they navigated and used the prototype. Based on the user feedback and insights we gained, we made a few improvements with the prototype and tested with the users again.
Once all testing had been completed and analysed, we began the development phase building the website using WordPress and WooCommerce. This enabled the client to easily manage the store and products with easy-to-use CMS (Content Management System).
The Result
A website was designed and developed that not only matches the charm and character of the physical Tenby store, but aids users in their online purchases, which drives real results and business.
The business now has an online reference point that attracts customers from all over the UK. They can also easily manage products, orders and stock directly from an intuitive online portal.
The research performed guaranteed that the website built gives the customers a positive user experience. The navigation of the website is clear and information can be found quickly and as they need. Ultimately, the users can purchase online with trust and confidence.
Visit the new Ebb & Flow Kids website: ebbandflowkids.co.uk
What the Client Says
“We approached Impact IT with our ideas for a new eCommerce website to run alongside our existing business. It was important to us that the website mirrored the traditional feel of our high street store and that it felt a little bit different to our competitors. With the help of a mood-board we were able to work with Impact to collate our thoughts and ideas into a cohesive design, which reflected our desire for something quirky and fun, but also technically easy to navigate.
Our ideas for the online shop presented some tricky issues to begin with. We had a huge range of products to catalogue, gift wrapping and a Birthday Club for customers. Nothing was too much trouble and with the help of our developer we gradually ticked all the boxes on our wish list without compromising our design vision.
Most importantly, Impact have been incredibly patient with us. We are two ladies with strong ideas about the representation of our brand. Impact have allowed us time to process our thoughts and ideas throughout the project, helping us arrive at the finish line.
We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Impact IT if you are considering a new website, or even updating an existing one. They are a wonderful team to work with, hugely supportive, technically equipped and incredibly friendly. We are over the moon with the end product and will continue to work with them over the coming years.“ – Melanie Barker, Co-Owner
