We’ve updated this website. Read how we created a new responsive website for Spared Parts
Spared Parts website
A small idea that grew into thriving business within a year.
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Spared Parts’ users know exactly what they are looking for, even down to the part number. Therefore, the home page focuses on providing the user with what they want: an easy way to search the products.
Spared parts wanted to sell new and refurbished electronic components for Plasma and LCD television, but had no idea how to make it happen. So, after giving it a lot of thought, this is what we came up with.
The beginning
It was not that difficult, nor did it take me too long, to realise that being such a niche product, Spared Parts would make an ideal online business. So I got to work. I kick-started the project by suggesting the name and identified Spared Parts' Unique Selling Points (USPs). I then registered the domain and recommended suitable hosting. And after researching the competition we agreed on a bold strategy to establish this new start-up. In fact, bold is an understatement.
Although this is a niche sector, it still had its incumbents; therefore, we needed to ensure the name (and brand) would get immediate recognition. Our strategy was simple: to develop a design that was sure to grab attention. And believe me when I say that none of Spared Parts' competition had angelic flying components on their websites.
Well, those little flying components did their job and within a year the business was selling parts across the globe.
Taking it to the next level
Because the site was such a success and had established a strong customer base, Thoughtful suggested (in keeping with our original proposal) to Spared Parts that it was time to change the look to reflect a more mature company. The result was this major redesign in 2010/2011.
Whilst this new look retains the same distinctive friendly appeal, it feels much more like a dependable brand. In fact, proof that the new identity had worked came in the first week after launch when Spared Parts received record sales without any advanced marketing.
This success was entirely down to creating a website that took notice of its users' needs.
After analysing the website statistics, we realised that the top entry page was always the product details page and the majority of traffic was generated by Google using specific keywords. Therefore, we ensured that the new design made all the key information available directly from the product details page, keeping the user close to the buy button.
As you can see, the delivery details, returns policy and contact form are available by clicking the tabs which expand to reveal the hidden content.
A custom shopping cart
To increase conversion rates, Thoughtful created a custom shopping cart which gives the user the option to pay via PayPal or Google Checkout. It also intelligently checks stock levels, reducing the amount of chargebacks and uncessary admin.
Sometimes, it is the invisible changes that have the greatest impact
The changes we made did not only take place to the look-and-feel. Behind the scenes, we recommended a change of host to improve the speed and performance of the website – an improvement immediately noticed by the website’s users – and an upgrade to the latest version of Thoughtful’s preferred Content Management System: ExpressionEngine.
However, our work is not complete. We will continue to work with Spared Parts to make further improvements to the website and to share in its ongoing success.
Without Thoughtful’s help, not only would we not have a beautiful website, but we wouldn’t have a business.
Gallery
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Simple iconography helps explain the content of the page to a multi-lingual audience.
The website has been design to focus on the users task at hand. Even the navigation has been designed to be unobtrusive.
The website has been design to focus on the users task at hand. Even the navigation has been designed to be unobtrusive.
Simple iconography helps explain the content of the page to a multi-lingual audience.
The user is initially presented with just the key information.
Clicking the tab reveals the all important delivery details.
The user can even send an email if they want to make an enquiry about the product.