For building an effective digital strategy, our first step was to study the business of Mr.Bricolage Bulgaria in detail. We looked into their product range, customer service and growth history in the local market. We visited the company’s stores and gained understanding of all work processes. We also met the people who help customers purchase the right product by providing a first-class service every day. The valuable insight gave us a clear idea of how we could transfer the traits of the brand and their business processes online.
The work meetings with the company’s team responsible for the project were of great importance for identifying the exact problems whose solving required expert help from us, at Whiz.
Target market research was another major task on our agenda.
Our detailed analysis enabled us to build a customer behavior model and to segment the target market based on a variety of characteristics including gender, age, marital status, interests, personal traits and technologies used. We used the information to create the website’s design and features in line with the preferences and behavior of its future users.
For building a successful strategy, running competition analysis at the preparatory phase of the project is a must. Our analysis covered the company’s competitors both locally and globally. This helped us identify the latest trends in the industry and weaknesses to be avoided.
We used the research and analysis to define the project goals and to come up with a roadmap for reaching them. With careful resource planning and task allocation, we were ready to begin. There was a lot of creative and technical work ahead of us and we got down to it without wasting a second of our time.
Website Content Organization
The website development phase began with the creation of the site’s information architecture. We discussed and structured carefully all sections, subsections and product groups and all elements belonging to them. This is how we determined what website content would be required in the very beginning. The challenge was considerable, given that the retailer sells hundreds of thousands of products, but we did a great job. We organized perfectly all the content describing the products, including text, photos, videos and other files, and the logical links to ensure smooth navigation from one section to another and from one product to another. The information architecture was built to enable customers to find everything which interests them easily and quickly.
We set the foundation of the Mr.Bricolage website for Bulgaria with the use of mind maps and sketches of all sections and subsections. This is how the idea was transformed into a conceptual design. We structured the online product catalogue, which is a major component of the website, to include all product categories. Each category has unique subcategories with different types of products. In the subcategories, the products are arranged by subtype. This may sound complex, but the website’s product catalogue is extremely well-organized and each item is easy to find.
Our team created filtering options based on the specifics of each group of products. The filters help customers find the items which they are looking for without wasting time. If they consider buying wood outdoor furniture, for example, they can use price, shape, color, wood material and country of origin filters. It cannot get more specific than this.
With the help of navigable prototypes, we defined the website’s user path and the interactions with the content. Carrying out multiple simulations enabled us to find the best solutions for the site’s navigation and interactions.
Our aim was to help establish a pleasant and useful communication between the company and its customers. The foundation was ready and we got down to website design and development.
A Beautiful Responsive Website
Our web designers made their numerous creative ideas come to life. We used responsive web design for achieving the goals set in the long-term digital strategy of the company. It enables the site’s content and interactions to respond to the type of connected device which the visitor uses. The user interface always matches the screen, regardless of its size, and the way in which the user interacts with the website (using a mouse device or with touch gestures). With responsive design, the site becomes mobile-friendly and doesn’t need to have a desktop version and a mobile version. The multiplatform website is equally welcoming, attractive and usable on desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. This is essential for marketing and sales, since the number of consumers using more than one connected device during the buying decision process is growing. If a consumer has read an email offer on her desktop computer, she can later use her smartphone to view the product in question on the website and send an enquiry about it.
For all the product categories, services and main sections of the Bulgarian Mr.Bricolage website, we created attention-grabbing stylized icons which hint visitors what to expect and where to go. We chose the fresh and lively grass green as the main color. It is present on the brand’s logo and this makes it easily recognizable for customers. It also corresponds to people’s desire for something new and better. To keep the attention of visitors for longer, we set beautiful images in strategic places of the website. They make the ideal background for the homepage section with the latest offers, for instance. We drew our inspiration from card-based web design and used images to make important parts of the content stand out. This is how the user’s journey and choice become incredibly easy.
The Ideal User Experience
Our experienced programmers built a reliably working website using the latest technologies in web development such as PHP as the programming language and MySQL for the database. We wrote the code especially for the site, making it completely custom, to ensure that it matched the company’s requirements regarding the features and management precisely. In doing so, we followed the best practices and created solid technical documentation. This guarantees impeccable performance
The main focus was on building highly satisfactory and memorable user experience. We wanted visitors to browse through the products and to communicate with the company in a pleasant and convenient way. With clearly set product categories and various filtering and search options (a search engine and a downloadable product catalogue), we made finding the right product incredibly quick and easy. Customers can also discover the professional services of Mr.Bricolage Bulgaria, such as edging, toning and transportation, find out which ones are offered at their local store and send an enquiry about any one of them.
For more effective online marketing, we added sections with personalized suggestions to each product page. The section “We also recommend” presents alternatives to the product, while “Similar products” has comparable items. They both help buyers make the best choice. The sections “Customers who viewed this item also viewed” and “What other visitors are currently viewing” give shoppers the option to explore more products which could be of interest to them. The functionality for making suggestions works in real time and is highly efficient. To lead the website’s users to these sections, we placed special tabs above the product presentation. By clicking on them, users are taken directly to the desired place. These tabs are “interactive road signs” - they make page navigation easy when there are multiple sections.
To make online shoppers feel as if they are actually walking along the aisles of one of the chain’s stores and to help them make a buying decision more easily, we built a range of useful and convenient features:
- Quick product view - Users can look more closely into a product without visiting its page. When they click on the “Quick view” button, a small window with the main information about the item pops up. This is how we help people save time and make their experience on the website more pleasant.
- Creating a user account - Signing up takes no more than a minute. After this, users receive access to the comparison tool and the feature for creating a wish list. The Mr.Bricolage staff can be reached directly via the “Messages” section. Customers can send an enquiry, make a complaint, share their opinion, order a product with payment on delivery or return an already purchased item. We created a special form for each type of message. The forms are short and easy to fill out and feature a file attachment option. This makes the communication faster and more effective. Users can view all sent messages and arrange them by date and status. It is also possible for them to view messages only from a certain time period or with a specific status. Via their account, users can subscribe to the website’s email list and select precisely what kind of content to receive - promotional offers, new product alerts, new catalogues, new tips and news. The company can personalize the offers to subscribers based on the demographic data on their user profiles.
- Creating a wish list - While users browse the website, they can create a list of their favorite products. This is extremely convenient since there is no need to open multiple product pages and bookmark them to be able to return to them later on. To add a product to the wish list, users simply need to click on the “Favorites” button. The list is easily accessible via the user account menu which we named My Bricolage. The wish list makes shopping easier and multiple product sales more likely. As a result, it’s useful for marketing and sales.
- Comparing multiple products - When viewing a product, shoppers can use the “Compare” button to add it to the comparison list. The information about the selected items, from the prices to the specs, is arranged in a table with categories for effective and quick comparison. The tool is invaluable for making a buying decision, especially when it is about big-ticket items like power equipment for garden landscaping.
- Checking product availability - In this section, present on each product page, customers can see all Mr.Bricolage stores where the respective product is available plus their full addresses. The online map showing the location of each store is just a click away and this increases the chance of a sale even further.
- Social sharing buttons - Website visitors can share each product page on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest and via email too. They simply have to click on the respective round button. This is an effective way to make the social network interactions work for our client, Mr.Bricolage Bulgaria.
The website’s Help Center, which we created, enables users to communicate with the Mr.Bricolage staff online as effectively as they would do it at one of their stores, but without having to get up from the couch. Even website visitors who don’t have an account can send an enquiry about a product or a service, share their opinion, place an order with payment on delivery, make a complaint or return a product. Sending the message requires one click. From this moment on, the company’s specialists take over. Our job was to give them an effective and reliable CRM system for doing their work.
Website and Customer Relationship Management
The entire site and the communication which takes place on it are administered via a single custom-built management system including CMS and CRM subsystems. We created the admin panel interface to match precisely the needs of the website and the company as a whole. Adding products is an extremely efficient process. The whole information, from the price to the specs, and the product photos and videos are very quick to add, while the risk of errors is reduced to the possible minimum. Employees save time and their productivity is improved. It is equally easy and convenient to add product groups and services, to launch promotional offers and to publish articles and tips.
The CRM system for managing customer relationships via the website makes the work processes, especially in the areas of marketing and customer service, more efficient. All messages sent via the site are organized in a special table based on their type. The table shows the number and sending date of each message, the type of query made (like enquiry for product availability, for example) and the query’s status (solved, unsolved, solving). This guarantees high-quality customer service, which in turn helps to increase sales and build customer loyalty. The company can also track the number of product and service orders made via the website during different periods. The data is analyzed automatically and the analysis is presented graphically. As a result, the decision-making process is more effective.
By building a custom email newsletter system, we incorporated email marketing into the digital strategy of Mr.Bricolage Bulgaria and the results were excellent. With the well-structured email template, the sender simply needs to modify the content without any restrictions whatsoever. The template helps to save time and guarantees that each sent email reflects the company’s brand identity and will have the greatest possible impact on the recipient. The email preview feature allows the sender to see how the email will look on the different email clients and make changes, if needed. Test sending is another important control feature which helps to eliminate various obstacles. Sending the email to subscribers takes very little time. There is an option for text messaging along with sending emails for motivating consumers even further. The email newsletter system also generates data on the sent, received, opened (read) and rejected emails. It is more than valuable for improving and growing the company’s email marketing tactic.
The management system has different access levels for achieving maximum efficiency in administering the website and the relationships with customers. These include low-level operator, high-level operator, moderator, administrator and super administrator. The access to the different sections of the management system is configured individually for each account. The functions which can be performed via the account are also defined individually. These include viewing the content without permission to change it, changing the content and approving the content.
The access-level system makes it possible for staff members to perform the individual tasks allocated to them in the most effective way. This helps to save time and resources and the entire company’s productivity increases as a result.
After building the management system, we provided staff training for working with the admin panel and prepared a manual, which is accessible at all times. Providing support to our client at the time of implementing the new digital product created by our team is one of the main prerequisites for a smooth start. We make clarifications, provide explanations and demonstrate how things should be done to ensure that the company will take full advantage of all features created by Whiz.
Maintenance and Upgrading
The Bulgarian website of Mr.Bricolage is already working at full capacity, offering its visitors a unique experience, a wide choice of products, services and special offers and the opportunity to leave feedback quickly at any time. We ensure that the website performs perfectly at all times by providing ongoing maintenance. The company can contact us at any time. They can take advantage of our ticketing system, which enables us to receive detailed information about the problem. They can also call us or email us. We eliminate each problem in the shortest possible time. We are always available for a meeting in person at our office or at the company’s office when important matters have to be resolved.
Constant development is the way to keep existing customers and gain new ones and we adhere to this principle strictly. We optimize the Mr.Bricolage website features, making them even better.
We keep up to date with all novelties in web development and apply them to upgrade the site. This guarantees that the company’s website will work effectively in the long term.
