Web 1.0 called and it wants it website back

I got a message on LinkedIn saying that my name had been mentioned to a man who wanted an excellent Shopify website. I replied looking for more details and I was immediately intrigued. The company sold everything to do with commercial refrigeration, specialising in cold rooms and high-end freezers. Their existing set-up was a hodge podge of badly developed Shopify solutions that had the classic look and feel of a developer that could put a website together but couldn’t put a plan in place. Instead of serving the UK and IE market from one site there were two separate Shopify installs. Shipping was included in the price of the product. Instead of a shelving product with numerous variants such as width and height there were multiple products – one for each variant. Bundled products were not actually bundled products, but simply new products. On top of all that the website looked like it was dragged out of 2002 kicking and screaming. I couldn’t wait to get started.

I want you to do everything, he says

It doesn’t happen very often, but when a business owner tells me they want me to build, maintain, and look after their site from day 1 to the day they retire I know it is a wise wo/man I am dealing with. If you let me be your e-commerce expert and you trust and rely on me then in the long term you will make a lot more money on your e-commerce. This website is beautiful to use, to navigate, and to spend time on. Product are created correctly with excellent filters and searching, there are datasheets and brochures where they should be, dimensions are clear, information is at hand, and everything is easy to buy. A customer who knows what they want will find it and buy it is seconds, a customer who doesn’t know what they want will find out in no time. Images are sized correctly, colours match, fonts are legible, trust markers are where you want to see them, and the whole website just oozes professionalism. It might sound big-headed, but building Shopify websites is what I do and if I am left to do it, I think I know my onions.

To B2B or not to B2B

This website is a business to business or “trade” website. Shopify is very good at B2B and Big Ice Box use Shopify to handle complex cross border VAT arrangements, pallet shipping, local market pricing, invoices with credit terms, and lots more. But the beauty of the website is that if a consumer wants to buy a Liebherr fridge then the website will sell it to them – no harm. Imagine waking up at 8am on a Sunday morning and finding that you sold a €900 fridge while you slept. That’s the power of a great e-commerce website.