Background
Carbonetics is Australia's leading supplier of aftermarket bodykit and carbon fibre product for vehicles. Up until our consultancy, their sales platforms by order of percentage of total sales were as follows:
- eBay
- Phone Orders
- In-Person Orders
- Email Orders
- Website Orders
The Task
Butterflys was approached with a number of key objectives in relation to the website rebuild:
- Rebuild the website to more user-friendly experience;
- Incorporate a backend that was easily modifiable and can be learnt and used quickly by all staff members; and
- Optimise the sales process from order to product delivery.
Context
Carbonetics had been operating on the OpenCart platform since they began working online back in 2014. OpenCart is a great platform for businesses looking for extensive customisation and what is essentially a blank canvas for anybody to build something from their imagination.
We identified that the platform had a number of drawbacks for Carbonetics, including:
- The requirement of a web developer/coding expert to modify any aspect of the website;
- An out-dated website experience, with a format that was templated from the early 2000s;
- Difficulty in joining all elements of the B2C journey together;
- Issues in using the website as a marketing tool to entice customers to visit and explore;
- Numerous blockages for a customer to make a purchase online.
Solution
The first step for the revamp of the Carbonetics website was to change to a platform that would easily rectify the majority of issues. It was determined that we would migrate all information across from OpenCart into the Shopify platform. Butterflys executed the entirety of this project:
- Conceptualisation
- Brainstorming
- Templating
- Launch
- Finetuning
Why Shopify?
Based on Butterflys' experience, Shopify is the ultimate e-commerce tool for small businesses looking for a one-stop shop that can be managed in-house. The costs of subscriptions and recurring fees often stop business owners looking into the platform, but a quick education on how the website works means that these costs are quickly made back in increased sales, greater traffic and a better user experience.
Outsourcing repeat website work over the course of the year to freelancers and UpWorkers often adds up to be similar in total compared to what you can attain with Shopify, and relevant add-ons. The difference is that you are able to have full control of the output of the website work, and become less dependent on other parties to fulfil important tasks.
How did Shopify fix the above issues?
Shopify has an extensive support network, both in-house and the community itself. Their live chat support provides solutions to the majority of basic problems, while tutorials and videos are present for all topics, so you will more than likely find the answer you're looking for. Take a little bit of time, and you will be able to navigate the Shopify backend yourself, removing the need for a contractor/freelancer to control the backend or the aesthetic of your website.
An often discussed downside of Shopify is how it is a closed platform, meaning you are forced to use its templates to create the website and its included elements. Nonetheless, for the purpose of a business the size of Carbonetics, this is perfect as all the research in learning what templates work and what doesn't, is already done by Shopify. As such, the user experience was brought into 2020, a platform that leads the Australian aftermarket industry.
As stated before, the ease of learning for the Shopify platform created efficiencies for the business. Leads across multiple communication platforms can be taken to the website for a conversion, with all staff members able to create, modify and delete to keep the website running. There is no longer a need for a website/e-commerce specialists, if need be, any staff member can manage the site.
Through its exhaustive app list, Shopify has allowed Carbonetics to increase its marketing capacity and validate its position as the leader of aftermarket product in Australia. Providing incentives for purchase, sharing content onto social platforms or documenting all customers who have purchased through Carbonetics, the website is now an ecosystem for potential customers looking to enter the community. The website is no longer just a catalog, but a gateway into the automotive journey.
Finally, the previous website only allowed for payments made via Bank Transfer. In the modern e-commerce environment, this is a very prohibitive form of payment due to the risks involved for the customer, no matter how trustworthy the business. With the new platform and design, customers are now able to purchase via the following methods:
- Credit Card/Debit Card;
- PayPal (if activated);
- AfterPay (brought on board through Butterflys);
- ZipPay;
- Bank Transfer.
The multitude of safe, accredited options through a very check out sequence that is familiar to customers has grown the number of purchases made online, and an increased emphasis on getting traffic through e-commerce.
The Outcome
The Carbonetics Website is now at the forefront of business operations for the brand. In the 6 months that have followed the shift to Shopify, website orders now account for the highest percentage of monthly orders by sales channel.
A strong website provides significant opportunities for marketing, growth and exposure. If you want to get onto this for your own business, be sure to contact us by clicking here.