Challenges🎯
Before we start, we’ll need to identify the challenges helps to ensure that the website is designed to address specific problems or issues that the client is facing.
- Dependence on Instagram & Physical Location: A business that relies solely on Instagram for sales may be vulnerable to changes in the platform’s algorithms, policies, or user behavior. This can affect their ability to reach their target audience and make sales.
- Difficulties to find products online, the customer has to browse through the posts and listings on social media.
- Difficulty to place custom order (or just order in general): the customers would have to send an online message which the client is not always available to response.
- Difficulty to find information: address and updates.
- Branding Limitations: Instagram’s branding options are limited, and a business may struggle to establish a unique brand identity on the platform. A website can provide more opportunities for branding and customization.
- Lack of Data and Analytics: Without a website, a business may miss out on valuable data and analytics that can help them understand their customers and improve their sales strategy.
Target Audience (User Personas) ✍️
After discussing the client’s business and product, we’ll conduct user research to help identify the needs, goals, and pain points of the website’s target audience. By designing a website that is tailored to the user’s needs and expectations, the website can stand out in a crowded market and attract more users.
*The name and profile picture of these users have been changed due to privacy reasons
Benjamin - 25-years oldBen is a avid reader who loves discovering new books. He is a student and lives in Saigon. He prefers to read physical books rather than ebooks.
Emily - 40 years oldEmily is a English teacher who is looking for books to use in her classes. She works at a language center in Saigon and needs books that are suitable for different levels and ages.Solutions 🧠
After carefully go through the challenges the client is facing along with considering ways of solving the customer’s painpoints to achieve their goals, a design and development strategy is devised to provide the solutions for the problems.
- An Ecommerce website with search functionality and category organized by genres.
- A custom order page that visitors can fill out the information to ask for estimates of the book they’re looking for.
- A section to show all the physical locations that visitors can visit.
- Checkout process to reduce manual labor and convenient to visitors.
- A blog functionality to update the latest news or book reviews from Paperbacks.
- Messenger popup bubble that will provide customer support whenever the customer has any questions.
Results 📈
After rounds of feedbacks and consultations, the final product is launched successfully
- A user-friendly website that is easy to navigate and search for specific books
- A wide variety of genres and titles available for customer to browse through, including hard-to-find and imported books.
- Ability to place custom orders for books not currently in stock.
- Discounts and promo codes that can be easily applied at checkout
- Ability to choose between physical store pickup or delivery to their preferred location
- A convenient way to browse and purchase books without having to visit a physical store.
This is one of my earlier project that truly teaches me a lot and holds a special place in my heart.
This process of designing and building this project was during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown/staying in door was issued by the Government. The client and I only had the chance to meet after the website was already launched. I’m so glad that the website is still generating profit and receiving steady traffic helping the client inquiring new customers as well as selling more books.
You can visit the website live here: paperbacks.vn
Thanks for reading!
