2nd Plan(T)
A brand new webshop for planters made from recycled materials
2nd Plan(t) is a new label, creating planters (plant pots/baskets) from waste. Every item is unique and handmade from recycled materials such as old rice bags, clothing, plastic and cotton in Asia.
The goal was to appeal to the modern day well-informed millennial by sharing the story behind each item and highlighting the sustainability and ethical characteristics of the products.
Tell the story behind the product
At the launch of the shop, the size of the collection would be 20-25 products. Implementing a standard webshop template with category overviews, lister pages, filters, search etc. was not (and in my opinion rarely is) an option.
Users wouldn’t come to 2nd Plan(t) for a random shopping spree and browse through loads of different types of product pages. This webshop needed to combine storytelling and e-commerce best practices and intertwine them throughout the whole user journey.
Research showed that many competitors would only scratch the surface when it comes to giving insight in how their product contributes to a ‘better world.’ They don’t really share ’the making of’ / behind the scenes and because they keep it superficial it lacks authenticity.
To make the small collection desirable the website visitor needs to quickly grasp the ‘depth’ behind the concept and the products. Big, sexy visuals for the products, and ‘storytelling images‘ to not only tell but also SHOW the user the unique character, craftsmanship, origin of the recycled materials and (the human) faces behind the products.
What good is a planter without a plant?
A huge USP of 2nd Plan(t) is that the customer can also buy a plant to put in the planter. At many plant webshops the upsell is “add a pot” to it. And often you see a list of tiny radio buttons with a small visual of the item next to it. You can’t really see what you buy, which is not really enticing.
Our journey starts with finding the planter (pot) you like and then enriching the experience by showing the plant-options in big visuals emerged in the product photos, underneath the product and by linking to their own detail pages.
As a business rule the user can only buy a plant in combination with a planter. So on the plant detail pages the different types of planters that match (the size of) that plant, would get a big focus. All with the goal of getting the user to add it as a set to their basket.
Adding a plant turns an otherwise basic item (empty pot) into a full/finished concept and also offers great potential as a gift.
Adding images to the wireframes
Wireframes are not sexy…..
I’ve experienced over the years that most of the times I’m the only person in the room that would get excited from looking at interaction designs and explaining the thoughts behind it.
To make my concepts more graspable I often choose to add text suggestions, images and some colors to it. Especially for digital immature companies/teams, this makes a big difference when I present my work.
I am by NO means a visual designer and I always mention it as a big disclaimer that this is not the final layout, look & feel of the website/webshop. But the main goal I’m striving for with my clients is that they say: “I can really see it coming together now!” And “we’re getting so enthusiastic about our own product!” And adding some images really brings the concept to life.
The project process
I executed this project in collaboration with Raevels.nl. The steps we took were:
- Competitor and e-commerce best practices research
- Defining the content / storytelling and structure framework.
- UX design (mobile and desktop wireframes)
- UI design
- Website development (in WordPress – Divi and Woocommerce) + hosting
Raevels and UX studio.online join forces to help businesses successfully bring a new product to market or stay ahead of their competition with an online re-design. Stay relevant by improving your brand strategy, business positioning, concept strategy and digital strategy.
We look beyond the user journey to discover new and creative ways to make a positive impact on your customer. Get in touch to see what we can do for your company.