|
|
Project Overview
Take a cheeky glance at the waistband of an Aussie’s underwear and you’re likely to see a Bonds logo, with every household owning more than twelve Bonds products on average. Over 100 years, Bonds has occupied a unique space in the Australian retail landscape, embodying a truly Aussie ethos, making fun, comfy wardrobe staples for people of all ages. With an iconic brand, an impressive foothold in the retail market and a desktop online store that already performs well above industry conversion standards, we were presented with an exciting brief to improve the user experience for Bond’s E-Commerce presence.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Rachael Ferguson
Mike Barker
Emma Rule Layton
Paul Beardsell
James Noble
Project Brief
Every second Australian pulls on a pair of Bonds underwear each morning, making Bonds one of the most iconic and intimately understood brands in the country. When Bonds approached Carter Digital to utilise our user experience design and development expertise to evolve their E-Commerce presence, we were (very) excited.
The Bonds’ desktop online store was performing well above average industry conversion rates, however there was a clear opportunity to improve the performance of the mobile store. This project’s unique challenge was to balance the already successful elements of the current interface, whilst making meaningful adjustments to increase mobile conversion, allowing for ongoing development and branded campaign content.
The following requirements were identified as key to the successful re-development of Bonds’ E-Commerce presence:
• Increase mobile site conversion by developing a site design and architecture focused on UX, implementing:
- An intuitive method of displaying product information that minimises distraction and clearly explains the value proposition
- A smoother flow with the shortest possible path to purchase
- Maximise repeat purchase and opt in marketing opportunities with clear calls to action, creating a simpler Sign up/Login process, all optimised for mobile interface
• Increase engagement with a ‘mobile first’ approach and a User Interface (UI) design that clearly communicates Bonds’ unique brand personality and product offering
•Maximise SEO opportunities through use of coding based on web standards and W3C compliances, improving natural search engine optimisation through SEO best practices.
Project Need
Bonds have a vibrant and well-loved brand personality which was well reflected in the original website. An audit of the site found however that site speeds were slow due to a large number of images being uploaded. To alleviate site speed issues, which were found to be a major deterrent on the path to purchase throughout our user testing, we utilised advanced CSS techniques to enable the Bonds brand teams to activate digital campaigns without reliance on image dense promotions. CSS driven, responsive promotional tiles and banners that packed a vibrant visual punch across all devices have proved to be a significant innovation. Bonds have evolved their internal creative processes to account for this innovation and this approach is proving to be a market-leader in the responsive e-commerce space in Australia.
Careful attention has been paid to user interactions, ensuring that they not only surprise and delight the user, but also add real value to the experience of the Bonds brand online. This includes a sticky footer which on hover, allows the customer to access their most recently viewed items, wherever they may be on the site.
User Experience
At Carter Digital we design beautiful user experiences that enhance products and service offerings. To do this effectively, we must truly understand the client, the audience and the desired outcomes.
We understood that over 50 per cent of Bonds’ traffic was coming from mobile devices, which led to our device agnostic approach to UX. In order to create an intuitive, mobile-first UX for the new Bonds website, we conducted extensive interviews with Bonds customers to gain an understanding of their needs and motivations when engaging with the brand online.
We took these and many other findings to develop the information architecture for the site, ensuring the user flows are logical and intuitive. We then developed an interactive wireframe prototype to undertake further user testing. We focussed heavily on testing the path to purchase, ensuring that users could not only find their desired products quickly and easily, but flow through the checkout process with minimal distraction.
Project Marketing
Bonds' marketing strategy is a key driver of the brand's success. Bonds engages customers with a full court press of above-the-line, including TV, outdoor and press, along with a complete digital strategy that features a robust social and content program and data-driven traffic driving activity. This is rounded out with an always on, comprehensive PR push which, given the brand's out-of-this-world brand recognition and innovative product offering, sees them enjoy frequent coverage in Australia's largest mastheads and titles.
Bonds is always in market with compelling stories, resulting in consistent, quality web traffic and strong desktop and now mobile conversions.
Project Privacy
Bonds’ reputation as not only a market leader in innovative wardrobe staples for people of all ages, but an integral part of the Australian lifestyle and landscape, is invaluable to their brand. Therefore a keen focus is placed on the privacy and security of their e-commerce platforms and the customers that choose to shop with them. Bonds utilise a world-class e-commerce platform provider, proven to be a leader in large scale, secure retail operations online. This provider also ensures that ensure that OWASP and PCI compliance is accounted for throughout the development process.
A key message for Bonds throughout their online messaging is the provision of free shipping and returns anywhere throughout Australia. This ensures each and every customer can be confident that they are purchasing directly from the source.
Retail & Shopping
This category relates to applications that have been developed to promote retail shopping.
More Details